Shoe Carnival

This store usually has kids shoes that are a little better than say a Target but not much better. The key i they have more selections .The downside is that the shoes are overpriced unless you buy one of the two pair for one deals or something like that. The funny thing is that most of the time you cant find 2 pairs of the same size that a child wants, If my kids like them theyre not available or if they have their size they dont like them. There arent alot of shoe stores i n my area that cater to kids so I go here only because they have more shoes. Ive seen posts about DSW and others but those stores cater to almost exclusively women as women overspend on shoes alot. The suburbs need a kids shoe store because kids sizes change more than adults so they need to try on instead of buying online more and they wear so many different shoes for sports and other activitiesStride Rites are always packed and pricey.

Blah. How does Shoe Carnival stay in business with her younger, much more beautiful sister, DSW right down the street?
There are always at least two tables positioned on the sidewalk in front the store, usually 50% off or some other blowout sale. None of which are worth a second, or even first, look. You know there’s a problem if I’ve walked around the store and not picked up a single shoe to ponder, let alone try on.
Prices are in line with stores like Famous Footwear. You won’t pay as much for athletic shoes here as you would at Foot Locker, but don’t expect bargain bin prices. I assume their business trickles over mostly from shopping at neighboring stores like Old Navy, Marshalls and Bath & Body Works. Really, it’s the type of store at the bottom of your list when you’re looking for something impossible like bridesmaid heels to match the bizarre request of a bride.
I never understood the carnival concept here. I used to shop at Bloomingdale a lot in high school, but that was before DSW was around. Only once at their Bloomingdale store did they spin the wheel and make some wacky announcement over the loudspeaker. Otherwise, the carnival experience is totally lacking here. I left a shoe store feeling bored and uninspired. That should be a crime.

Shoe Carnival should be called Hussy Parade or Rip-​off Carousel. We are not impressed.
Efforts to reconstruct my shoe collection after a disastrous move and a kitten catastrophe obliterated most pairs led me all over Chicagoland. A shoe collection isn’t built in a day, at least on my salary. The prospect of BOGO deals, sales, and ubiquitous American consumerism working in my favour at least buoyed me through my first two or three visits.
Despite the bright signs and too fluorescent interior, Shoe Carnival’s colourful exterior disguises an overpriced world of cheaply made shoes, questionable brands, and heart-​thudding sticker shock. I’ve learned their clearance rack exclusively stocks size 6.5 and size 10 usually contains a plethora of unmatched shoes in every size except 10. «Deals» count even if they are $.50 off. Really, $.50 off the regular price and this is on your clearance rack? Quoi?!
Mainstream brands like Skechers round out the runners, and then a host of Stripper Heels brands clutter up the majority of the women’s section. Don’t get me wrong, I love my heels as much as anyone. I just happen to find most of Shoe Carnival’s stock is ruined by adding a 5″ stiletto and a creaky plastic platform certain to fall off in three months of wear. Further, has anyone in the merchandise division heard of a Midwest winter? Do they see what happens to our glorious untended roads and sidewalks when the ice finally melts away and presents a murderous obstacle course? Teetering over the huge potholes and threatening to break my neck doing something truly risky and extreme, like walking to the front door, doesn’t sound like fun.
Their quality is dismal, as I’ve found ‘leather’ with that awful plastic feel and shoes that almost disintegrated in my hands while I tried them on. Not a rough person, I at least expect my footwear to hold up against some wear and tear. Apparently Shoe Carnival does not.
Staff leaves much to be desired. Cashiers will greet you but never venture outside their square sanctuary. Disorganized boxes litter the back end of the shop and you’re on your own if you want a size not on display or, say, checked at another shop. Entering here is like entering the Fourth Circle of Hell — awash in tedium, to say the least.