Clarks - Southampton Reviews 99

Do not come for first shoe fitting. We recently visited for a booked shoe fitting appointment for my daughter’s first ever shoes. We were expecting it to be a really nice fun first shoe experience, unfortunately it ended up being such a stressful, uncomfortable unpleasant experience instead . The staff were very rude and cold, the whole experience felt very rushed and stressful. One lady was getting very inpatient and frustrated with my daughter and measured her feet the incorrect size and wasn’t able to tell me what size my daughter is. My daughter was very stressed and overwhelmed which isn’t like her at all, and they didn’t take any time or effort to talk or interact with her to help her feel at ease. It seemed they had no experience working with children . The staff were getting annoyed with my daughter looking at the shoes and picking them up , when she’s just a baby it was keeping her occupied whilst they were looking for sizes for her to try and helping her to get used to feel of shoes etc and we would have obviously put them back but they were getting really annoyed with her for this. I was also told it was my fault my baby is so ‘traumatised’ because I should have got her shoes earlier apparently before she couldn’t even walk , which doesn’t seem right ,
It felt like a very uncomfortable frosty atmosphere and we couldn’t wait to leave. We definitely won’t be returning in future unfortunately.

Had a brilliant experience in the Southampton Store. Thank you Sara C for sorting our boy with his first pair of shoes with care, humour and diligence.

Desperately need more store staff like this - generally across the industry not just in Clarks! 🙏🏻

I have not stopped thinking about this incident for several weeks to the point I need to raise my concerns....
I am very disappointed following a visit to your Southampton store. My experience was negatively impacted by the conduct of the manager ( Sara ) on duty.

Regrettably, the manager’s behaviour was consistently unhelpful, highly unprofessional and to be completely honest it was entirely unacceptable. Her interactions with both customers and staff were extremely rude, condescending and dismissive. She is creating a hostile and distressing atmosphere. A particular concern was the manager’s practice of pressuring customers into purchasing items they did not want or need which I found aggressive, inappropriate and contrary to the standards one would reasonably expect from Clark’s.

What was most troubling, however, was the obvious negative impact this individual’s conduct had on your staff. The team, with the exception of the manager, displayed professionalism, politeness and commitment throughout. However, it was painfully clear that employees were visibly worn down, indicating behaviour that went far beyond firm management. In my view, you could clearly see bullying and harassment behaviour from the manager. Staff should feel supported but this is definitely not the case at this store.

Frankly, I am absolutely appalled that someone would freely treat both staff and customers the way that she does and still holds a managerial position within your organisation. It is my firm view that this manager ( Sara ) is clearly unsuited to the role she occupies and should be strongly considered for dismissal. Sara's continued presence in a position of authority is, in my opinion, detrimental to your team’s morale, your customers’ experience and Clark’s reputation which she is tarnishing.

I would very much like to visit your establishment again in the future; however, I will not return until I am confident that this manager is no longer in post. Additionally, I intend to make others aware of my experience with this individual, as their conduct made what should have been a pleasant visit a deeply shocking and unwelcome one.

Whilst I sincerely appreciated the efforts and professionalism demonstrated by the rest of your faithful staff, the conduct exhibited by this manager was unacceptable and a huge disappointment. I trust that you will address this matter with the seriousness it deserves, to ensure that such behaviour is not tolerated going forward.
On a positive note the rest of your staff were amazing and deserve credit where it is due, as they are great at their jobs!

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

*Please note I do not remember the exact date but it was in December 2025

Edit to add: I an even more concerned that I have found this online;

"Clarks has an explicit Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Policy which promotes a working environment free from bullying, harassment, and discrimination. The company also has a Code of Practice and a Consumer Conduct Policy that detail a commitment to fair treatment and zero tolerance for unacceptable behavior."

"Key aspects of their policy include:
Zero Tolerance: Clarks does not engage in, support, or tolerate mental or physical coercion, bullying, or harassment of any kind, including sexual harassment.
Fair Treatment: All workers must be treated with respect and dignity."

Absolutely speechless! Clark's please do better for your employees and customers.

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Edit to address Clarks feedback -

Thank you for your reply. However, it is not the employees who require any further training. The staff were exceptional and carried out their duties with great care, professionalism, and attention throughout.

Training will not make this any better.

The issue lies entirely with the manager, Sara. Based on our experience, she should not be working within the Clark's brand or in a retail career at all. She is clearly being paid for a role she is unable to perform competently, and her conduct does not meet the standards expected of a manager.

From other comments it is evident that we are not the only customers who have noticed these issues.

If we, as customers have found Sara's behaviour - particularly the bullying and rudeness - to be intolerable, it raises serious concerns about how your employees are coping under her management.

This issue needs to be addressed, so you can demonstrate that the treatment and well being of your employees are taken seriously. You are enabling this treatment to continue whilst Sara holds on to her role as manager.

served a few weeks ago by a young lady on the kids floor as i was buying for family members. she was brilliant with her service and made the experience amazing but the manager at the store was appalling. seems to be a big bully more concerned with making staff feel stupid with condescending words. my heart broke for the lady who helped me. i think clarks needs to have a review of who manages the stores because the blonde woman manager just looked like she’d be horrible to work with. not sure how the sales lady put up with it but i could never. also pushed me to buying waterproofing spray for shoes even though the sales lady explained i didn’t want them. seems concerned with making the sale than providing good service.

The purchase on internet was smooth and easy. My husband has swollen feet, after trying many internet shops, he found this pair of wide fitting shoes in Clarks. His feet fell in love with them straightaway. This is the third pair I bought for him. Thank you, Clarks, it is life saving for people with wide and swollen feet!

Uma was incredible with my autistic son. She was kind, listened and asked him before doing anything. After may disastrous shoe fittings she was phenomenal.

It’s a shame that the stores rarely have my son’s shoe size in stock so I have to order on line which means they might not fit well in arrival.
It’s worrying to hear that you only go up to size 10 and after that adult shoes would be required which aren’t width fitted.

Great service and sturdy shoes! Just so pricey.

Came in to do exchange staff were more than helpful Chloe released helped us find right shoe she was brilliant 10/10

Me and my 6 children went down to Clarks Southampton. Abdullah assisted me and was absolutely brilliant! He was patient and smiley. Will definitely recommend

Went in to Southampton High Street branch late, Thursday afternoon before BH weekend. It wasn't busy at all. Straight to kids section as we wanted school shoes. Charlotte was waiting upstairs, gave us some time to look before approaching us which was nice. I needed some help with sizes so she kindly brought several different models and 2 different sizes for my son to try. My son is not the easiest one when it comes to buying shoes. Charlotte was patient, tried with us few different styles, she did it with a smile . We left the shop happy with a pair of new school shoes. Happy days!

We were served Ieuan who was very good and helpful.

We visited Clarks in Southampton. Charlotte made our first babies shoe fitting experience so lovely and made us and Leo feel at ease. We left with two pairs of shoes ready for the adventures ahead. Thanks Charlotte from Leo and family 🧡

Excellent service by saara

Great service - served by Ayesha

Our helper Charlotte took very good care of our daughter, measured her feet, collected some school shoes and ask our daughter (6) her opinion.
Marvellous 😁 would definitely go back to this store again.

Excellent staff really helpful

Maria was a star

The superb advice and assistance of Maria in the Southampton store is worthy of congratulations. She helped my disabled husband find shoes that were the correct fit, were easy for him to manage and as importantly were easy for me to assist him with. She was cheerful, knowledgeable and there was no sense that she was pushing for a sale. She is worth the 5 stars.

Today we used the Southampton branch to have our babies first shoes fitted (10months old) & our 2 year olds measured. The lady was called Saara and she was amazing. She was so patient with both children and gave some really good advice for if we wanted to buy more shoes from other shops. She chatted to the kids and made a fuss when they both stood in their new shoes.

My friend and visited your Southampton store while passing through town this early March. We don't have these stores in our area, so it was a pleasant surprise.
Both of us found exactly what we were looking for in wide sizes, with the expert help of our sales associate, Maria.
Maria was very pleasant, thorough, and professional throughout both of our sales, very greatly appreciated.
Thank you.