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Buying shoelaces - an exercise in futility


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Old 03-01-2017, 14:10
Soundbox
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Over the Christmas break I set myself a challenge - to get new laces for the several sets of Clarks shoes that are in the cupboard with broken laces. They were £60+ a pair, not exactly cheap. But just as when I tried to buy laces in the past, they are just as hard (well, impossible) to buy now. In my search I came across empty pegs with no sign of restocking and loads of odd lengths left.

So I visited Clark's, took a shoe off the rack and said please can I have some laces the same as these. No, I could not, as Clark's only supplies shoes, not the laces for them. Could I order some up please? No, I could not, the only option was new shoes - did I want to buy them? I actually laughed!

My only option seems to be to buy some laces the wrong size and cut some out and tie the ends together like a tramp would do. Asking at work it seems I am not alone - broken laces means the end of the life of the shoe - in the bin they go. Seems I am a bit weird for wanting to even think of fitting new laces.

Why is this? Is broken laces the end of life for your shoes?
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Old 03-01-2017, 14:12
Girth
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Have you tried Amazon? What size laces do you need?
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Old 03-01-2017, 14:13
Bedlam_maid
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Just go to Amazon. All colours and lengths.
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Old 03-01-2017, 14:16
davidmcn
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Woolworth's.

Oh wait...

Pound shops are usually good for this sort of thing. Maybe not an exact match but something that will do.
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Old 03-01-2017, 14:18
Harvey_Specter
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Shoe Zone.
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Old 03-01-2017, 14:18
gomezz
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Shoe repair / key-cutter shops / kiosks are the usual places to go to for laces. Our local one also does a fair choice of walking sticks, house number plates and Zip lighters too.
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Old 03-01-2017, 14:21
njp
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Just don't try to order shoelaces with your online grocery shop. A friend of mine tried that, and they substituted Odour Eaters...
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Old 03-01-2017, 14:21
Evo102
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I usually buy my laces from Mister Minit, they always seem to have a good selection of styles and lengths.
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Old 03-01-2017, 14:24
Inkblot
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Shoe repair / key-cutter shops / kiosks are the usual places to go to for laces.
Yes, they are by far the best place to get laces. My local shoe repairer keeps a tape measure handy to measure the old laces so you can get the correct size (as long as you have the old laces).
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Old 03-01-2017, 14:25
Madridista23
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If, in the garden of earthly delights, you happen to have a Timpson shop near you - you'll find more laces than you can shake a stick at.
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Old 03-01-2017, 14:30
spiney2
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I've had no problems getting shoelaces at poundshops, and timpsons (kiosks), as already mentioned above. Probably, wilkinsons would also hav them.
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Old 03-01-2017, 16:17
Soundbox
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Cheers for the comments - all noted. I ended up cutting over long ones and tying together to tide me over but looks a right mess. But why the shop that sells the shoes cannot sell the laces fitted to the shoes they are selling is a bit odd to me.

Also, some of the replacement laces are pretty thin - the ones that came with the shoes feel tough and do up tight - well they did until they snapped!
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Old 03-01-2017, 17:01
gomezz
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. I ended up cutting over long ones and tying together to tide me over but looks a right mess
What I do if the laces I have are too long is lace up the shoe with the right length free ends showing with any spare coming down from the first eyelets in a loop, tie a knot in the loop and tuck the loop under the lacing. Looks neater and you still have both aglets.
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Old 03-01-2017, 17:07
Jimmy Connors
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I get them in the supermarket. Morrisons have packs with different lengths and thickness. From boot size to those little spindly laces used on shoes with only about two eyelets on each side. I have seen these packs of laces in Lidl as well.
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Old 03-01-2017, 17:13
gomezz
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Just thinking that someone should invent an aglet-fixer so the wearer can fine tune the lace length to their own preference then add a new aglet on the cut end. Or replace the aglets with custom ones (eg death heads ).
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Old 03-01-2017, 17:15
wns_195
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I had this problem and did manage to buy some laces, which weren't the same as the ones I had before but did what I required them to do. However, although I bought them offfline, I can't remember where.
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Old 03-01-2017, 17:17
Miss XYZ
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I always get new laces off ebay where there's almost unlimited choice.
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Old 03-01-2017, 17:18
Nodger
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I had this problem and did manage to buy some laces, which weren't the same as the ones I had before but did what I required them to do. However, although I bought them offfline, I can't remember where.
A chandlery?








(..... it's a rope joke, but would also apply to wicks I suppose).
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Old 03-01-2017, 17:20
TheEricPollard
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My great-grandma used to work in a shoelace factory so my family always had a drawer full of free laces. They lasted until about 10 years after she died. My mam was fuming when she first had to buy some.
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Old 03-01-2017, 17:57
Tiger Rag
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I can't tie my own laces properly and have a drawer full of laces. Multicoloured ones mostly!

Sports Direct do them.
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Old 03-01-2017, 18:04
stud u like
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Just don't try to order shoelaces with your online grocery shop. A friend of mine tried that, and they substituted Odour Eaters...
A friend of mine got shoe polish instead of the fruit.
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Old 03-01-2017, 19:05
CollieWobbles
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No way! I find it too difficult a task to find shoes that fit properly, are the right size, the right material, the right heel height and comfortable to wear to throw them for something as simple as needing new laces! I have sewn up a pair of shoes before now and re-stitched the soles in an attempt to extend their lifespan, so the laces would be a doddle. 2 equal lengths of picture cord, dye to match the shoe colour, slightly melt the ends with a match to seal them and trim to tidy. Job done.
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Old 03-01-2017, 19:10
Stompa
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I've always found buying shoelaces rather difficult. The cheap pound shop ones are generally pretty poor quality and don't last long. There's a huge variety available online, but again I've yet to find anywhere that sells laces that last very long.
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Old 03-01-2017, 19:53
TUTV Viewer
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Have you tried Amazon? What size laces do you need?
Amazon are very good, they'll also replace shoes if the laces snap unreasonably quickly!
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Old 03-01-2017, 20:00
muggins14
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I find them in places like Timpsons (the shoe repair shop, any shoe repair shop really), Wilkinsons, Sports Direct.
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