On average, women in the UK spend around £34,000 on shoes in a lifetime. This is as much as a deposit on a house! Now, this statistic just seems absolutely crazy to me, but that’s only because I don’t have a wardrobe overflowing with shoes. But even so, there is a great way to save money on some of your shoes if you have small feet, shopping in the junior section!
Okay, so you might think that this sounds absolutely bonkers and you might be right. However, as a woman with size 3 feet I have often wondered whether there is any difference between an adults size 3 and a junior size 3 shoe, as junior shoes just seem to be so much cheaper!
Will Junior Shoes Fit Adults?
I have recently taken up running and was in great need of a decent pair of running trainers. However, after having a look around, I soon realised that you are looking at paying around £70 for a good pair of running shoes, argh!
One of the reasons that I love running is because it’s free, so spending £70 on a pair of trainers to do it just seemed a bit pointless. While I was looking online, though, I came across a pair of Nike junior running trainers* for just £27.99 and wondered if a junior shoe size would actually fit me? So, after doing a little bit of research online and in forums such as those on runnersworld.co.uk and thestudentroom.co.uk, I found that the only difference there could possibly be is that the junior shoes are slightly narrower than a ladies trainer, so they advised to buy a full size or half a size bigger than you usually would buy, just to try and counteract that.
I took their advice and ordered a size 3.5 instead of a size 3 and they fit perfectly. I went out for my first run in them today and they felt amazing. The quality is brilliant (so no worries that the quality of the trainer suffers when they are a junior) and the style of them looked no different to an adult trainer at all, so nobody else would even know that you’d bought a junior size!
Why Are Junior Shoes and Trainers so Much Cheaper?
Many people wonder why children’s clothing and shoes are so much cheaper than adults, and for quite a while I just assumed that it was purely down to the fact that they are smaller, so cost less to make. When you are buying trainers that fit an adults size foot, though, it is pretty obvious that this can’t be the only reason. No, children’s clothes and shoes are actually cheaper than adults sizes because they don’t have any government tax added onto them.
So, why not give junior sizes a try? Obviously, this won’t work if you’re out shopping for a pair of killer heels for a night out. But, if like me you’re in need of some trainers, sandals or even slippers, then if you find a pair that you like and they just happen to be in a junior size instead of an adults, then don’t disregard them, as they may be the best fitting shoes that you’ve ever had and they may also save you money at the same time!
Have you ever bought a pair of junior shoes before? If you have, what was your verdict?
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