Stride Rite Girl's Claire 525-K

I have bought these Mary Jane shoes for the last several years to go with school uniforms and never had an issue until this last order. The shoes have always been sturdy to the touch and durable - the only reason I need to get a new pair is because my daughter outgrows them. (Caveat: We do alternate with a pair of all-black sneakers throughout the school year.)This time around, however, the shoes seem flimsy and of much inferior quality. At first I considered that the quality is just not the same, as is the case with a lot of stuff today. But now I'm wondering if these are even authentic Stride Rite shoes. The reason I say this is because the shoebox and packaging inside did not match shoes. Not only was the shoe box too large for the actual shoes, it was a generic box with no indication of the Stride Rite brand. To make matters worse, the shoes on the inside did not appear to be new or at the very least looked like it was a return that someone haphazardly threw together in a men's shoebox.As I already mentioned, I purchase these shoes every year and they have always arrived in the properly branded box and packaged as new shoes are normally packaged. I have re-ordered these directly from Stride Rite and will update my review along with some comparison pictures to determine whether they are the same product or not.*Update: Buyer beware. These shoes are most definitely defective at best. I have added some photos to illustrate the differences in the packaging and the actual shoes. The shoes purchased on Amazon are on the left with the ones purchased from Stride Rite on the right. I have no idea where they're sourcing they're merchandise from but this is not a $25 shoe, much less $45. I am returning the ones from Amazon first thing tomorrow.

DONT WASTE YOUR TIME AND MONEY. PAID $40 FOR THIS PIECE OF JUNK AND THE AMOUNT OF SCUFF MARKS WITHING THE FIRST 2 WEEKS OF SCHOOL ALONE WERE DISGUSTING. I tried shoe polish on it afterwards but to no avail. This is very cheaply made and poor quality.I had to get another pair off Payless for my daughter a month later for half the price. They lasted the balance of the ENTIRE SCHOOL YEAR (2 and a half terms) She can probably wear them again this year, but i like her wearing new stuff first day of school.DON'T BUY THIS!!

I ordered a pair of the Stride Rite (SR) Mary James along with the Hush Puppies brand (HP) to see which brand we might like better. The price point on SR was definitely a little better. But when it came to quality, HP is hands down better.By appearance:The two shoes look very similar, but to touch the SR feel like plastic and look cheap. The HP shoes are not leather, but the material feels nicer to the touch and looks richer.Inside: both shoes report to have memory foam, however when pressing down on each, the HP feels dense, with a slow rise expected from memory foam. The SR feels very thin and the bounce back of the foam is quick.Soles: the bottom sole is very different between the two! Taking both shoes, I tested them in wood floor for traction. The SR shoes slide across the floor. The HP has a rubbery bottom that has excellent traction- no slipping!!Strap: I noticed the straps looked different in length. After measuring, the SR strap measures 8-1/2” in total length, the HP measures 10” in length. Not important for my kiddo, but maybe for some needing extra width adjustment.The SR shoe does have more “shoe” in the profile, if that is important, whereas the HP is more delicate looking.I hope this helps others so you don’t have to order both shoes! They run slightly small, as my daughter is about a 3-1/2, but her toes are at the end of both of these without socks. I would order up a half size if unsure!My vote, as you probably can tell, is Hush Puppies. ;)

Like many other reviewers have experienced, the blue Mary Janes fade out very quickly and are overly prone to scuffing. Coupled with unreasonable sole wear, they look trashed after a single week. I'm debating on whether it is worth the hassle of re-dying them a darker color or tracking down navy blue polish, but for $50 I expect a little more.

Though my daughter loved the look and feel of these shoes, after one day of wearing the black dye started coming off....not just on the shoe, but the black dye transferred to her socks! It's so bad that if I rub a paper towel along the side of the shoe, it will also turn black. Very poor quality, bought just over a month ago for school that started this week, and after one day of wearing they're going to be donated! Might wind up calling Stride Rite directly, to see if I have any recourse.

I LOVE these shoes. They are very well made and provide a lot of support. Most girls dress shoes are thin, flimsy, and provide little to no support for their growing feet. I have two daughters a year apart and even after a year of wearing them they are still in perfect condition and ready to pass down to the younger one. Got them for less than half the regular price, but definitely worth the full price if I had to pay it.

Mi nieta no podía usar este tipo de zapatos porque su pie es XW Gracias a Stride Rite que tiene este ancho de zapatos para niña. Lástima que tienen muy pocos modelos. Ojalá hubiera más!

Rápido, claro, sencillo y exactamente lo que pedí. Estoy contenta con el producto y el precio del producto también. Gracias

It arrived on time through PRIME. The price in Canada was more than in the US. However, It appears to be comfy for my litle one and though it is not the most aesthetically pleasing shoe in the world, it gets the job done!

always reliable school shoes. Very durable. Good for growing kids.