Stride Rite

My go-​to place for my son’s shoes. I have been going to Stride Rite because of the quality of the shoes. Boys can certainly wear shoes out during days of normal, outdoor play. Lately, however, I’ve had to return three pairs of shoes for a couple of reasons:
1. Velcro straps not staying closed (Light Saber, blue). One shoe’s Velcro strap would come undone. Shoe would come off while walking/​running.
2. Velcro straps not staying closed (light Saber, blue). Same problem as above.
3. Insole was much shorter than shoe (Made to Play, Soni sandal). This was uncomfortable when worn. When I returned to store, the associate brought out a replacement pair but it had the same issue (you could stick your hand in and feel the 1-​inch gap at the front of the toe box. Same with the next pair she brought out.
4. Velcro strap (one of two) was not staying closed (Made to Play Soni sandal). Ugh!
The manager with whom I spoke was helpful and the returns were painless. My main concern is, given the number of recent problems, am I to understand the quality has changed?
My guess is that a new factory is being used to produce these shoes and they are not meeting the same quality standards moms have come to expect from Stride Rite.
I’m still a fan and am only deducting one star because 1. the three people I’ve spoken to during returns seem to be communicating the issue 2. the issue is not specific to this store but a larger issue, IMHO 3. the response by manager and staff has been understanding and helpful under the circumstances.

Its a hit or miss here. Sometimes they have awesome customer service, help you out and everyone is happy, other times they have some grumpy looking employees that don’t look like they want to be there. Love their shoes for my girls, and it’s the closest one to us so we kinda have no choice.

First of all I love Stride Rite shoes for my tot! They are the best but there’s an employee or two at this store that sucks! Sad part is that this is the closest store to us! Every time we go in this 20 something gal with no kids tells me my kid is 2 sizes bigger than he is. So I’m on my own since she doesn’t know what the hell she’s talking about. Then she ends up not giving me wide shoes which I requested then it chews up my kids feet and she refuses to take them back… because he should be wearing something 2 sizes too big. Wow. The point was the wide shoes you didn’t give me but ok I’m not arguing with you in front of my kid and other kids for ½ hour ding dong! And I’m not driving my kid to another city so guess we need to find another shoe shop near home.

Came by twice. Despite posted times of operation, they are closed at 10:45 on a Wednesday.
Frustrating, considering we drove many miles to get here.

Nobody answers the phone and there is no answering machine or recording with store hours… I’ll take my business elsewhere.

When I need quality shoes for my kids, I go to this store! When I want good quality service, I look for Maria! Maria is a great sales associate at this store. She always greets her customers with a smile, and always makes the effort to show love to my kids, especially to my special needs son. I’m always looking for comfortable shoes with high quality, and Maria never disappoints me with her suggestions. My son ALWAYS loves the shoes Maria picks out for him. My daughter is also a big fan. I usually like to get in and out of a store in 15 – 20 minutes when it comes to shopping with my kids; always happens at this store with Maria and with a great purchase of shoes for my kids.

We are frequent customers here and i love how we can quickly we can buy good shoes for our growing little ones.
The shop is small & efficient, service is generally prompt, and selection is wide but not overwhelming.
The prices could be lower (reg price around $ 45) but the shoes work well and seem be comfortable

My kid’s shoes were literally falling off her feet, so we walked into this Stride Rite on a busy weekend afternoon. No waiting! We were helped right away by a cheerful and knowledgeable staff member who had just the right tone for this kind of place. The selection isn’t as large as at the Stride Rite outlets, but it was decent, and the woman who helped us more than made up for this because she knew the ins-​and-​outs of every shoe on the floor (including fit, sizing, feel, materials, etc.).
Needless to say, after only 10 minutes (which is really like 30 minutes in kid time), my kid walked out wearing her new shoes, pleased as punch. The price was about $ 10 – 15 more than I would have paid at one of the outlets, but it was completely worth it.
Parking wasn’t too bad, but is still fairly annoying because Burlingame Avenue is *very* crowded (we parked on a side street).

Love this place. Their shoes are very high quality, and they have a great selection. Plus, they have very knowledgeable, patient and friendly employees, and a fun atmosphere for kids. We’re very happy with all our purchases and our shopping experiences there.

This location is great, it is right on the corner of Burlingame Avenue and there is parking just behind it. Parking can be tricky but there is usually something that can be found fairly close. The shop itself is not very large but has a good broad selection. Our son warmed up to the clerk quickly and she did a great job measuring him and recommending a fit. We picked them out, he tried them on… and off we went (after paying of course). Stride rite shoes are a little costly but they do seem to hold up well and provide a good reliable fit.

The staff is knowledgeable and helpful. They accepted two returns and offered a third (we didn’t bother). So here’s the issue. We purchased 3 pairs of shoes from them and they all started falling apart soon after we bought them. We returned two pairs but never bothered with the third that started falling apart a few weeks after purchase. The bottom line is, if the shoes are poorly made (one was a Nike another Saucony), why spend extra?. Next time we will get ours at Target.

I’ve come here a few times for my daughter and I’m never disappointed. The customer service is great here. They always measure her feet and give her undivided attention. They have a great selection and the prices are pretty good.
If you do their survey you get $ 5 off your next purchase.

Came here to get my son’s very first shoes because of the great reputation Stride Rite has. This store did not disappoint. The super friendly sales woman sized my son and showed us the great selection of shoes. I liked the variety of cute boy shoes… yes, the girl’s section is twice as big, but it is at almost every children’s store! I really liked how they separate out the shoes based on walking skill. At the time time my son needed pre-​walkers, and after buying his first pair of shoes he started walking better/​faster that day. Oops, guess I just needed to get real shoes on the little guy so he wasn’t slipping around on our hard wood floors! First time mom lesson learned :)

The best experience I’ve had at a shoe store geared towards kids. Super helpful and friendly staff without trying to be too helpful. Nice, calm atmosphere for the young ones. It’s a small store, but it’s all I need for my 6 yr old boy and 2 yr old girl. My 6 y.o. doesn’t like «tie» shoes and this store had the best selection of velcro shoes in the youth size range. He also abuses his shoes, so it was nice to see that just about all the boys athletic shoes had a tough leather toe box. All the shoes in the store seem high quality and practical, like Saucony and Robeez. There are also licensed character shoes, if you’re into that. As for my 2 y.o., I didn’t even intend to get her any shoes, but again, there was such a good selection of quality shoes that I got her a pair of Saucony athletic shoes in addition to the two pair for my son.
I had tried three different shoe stores at Tanforan in San Bruno, which all weren’t good for varying reasons. Shoe Palace literally gave me a headache with the loud rap music and the uninterested staff that made us wait a long time to try on a couple of shoes. They didn’t have much of a practical selection. A lot of it looked B grade. Finish Line was a more pleasant experience but surprisingly had a small selection of size 13 youth shoes. I forgot the 3^rd shoe store we tried, but suffice it say that Tanforan generally doesn’t have a good shoe offering.
I went to Stride Rite on a Sunday afternoon around 3pm and although parking generally isn’t good within these busiest blocks of downtown Burlingame, I think it was a good window of time because I saw a bunch in the vicinity.

I have gotten a couple pairs of shoes for my mini me and I have to say that I have been happy with them.
The staff has always been friendly and helpful.
the price is good for the shoe.
the store is medium sized and has a decent size selection.
parking in this area sucks… usually park a few blocks away.

Stopped in here for shoes after discovering that the 25^th Ave. San Mateo store was closed. Just as well as the store experienced a steep decline in service from it’s original inception of Johannsens.
I digress… the staff at the Burlingame store were helpful and even suggested some shoes that were on sale. Good store and staff but I do miss the original Johannsens.

We happened to be in the neighborhood on a sunny gorgeous Saturday and I assumed we would not be able to shoe shop on an otherwise busy weekend day… but the store was well-​staffed (I think there were 4 salespeople!) and as soon as we walked in, we were offered sizing (the little ones’ feet grow SO fast, I lose track!), told which shoes would be available in those sizes… all told, we were in and out in less than TWENTY minutes!
This may not seem to be a big deal to those of you who do not shop with toddlers… but when a sales transaction goes THAT smoothly without a delay, it keeps toddlers happy, and hence, mommy happy… which makes for a fabulous shopping day.
I haven’t had the chance to visit the Laurel Heights store since we usually find our stride rite shoes at the Nordstrom in Stonestown… but this store definitely has my business, even though it’s a trek to get there! Plus, it makes for a fun day trip to burlingame.
We happily left with 2 pairs of great walking shoes, and the 2^nd pair was half off… yay!