A shoe shopper shared a hack that might save people shopping for women’s athletic shoes some serious money— buying from the kid’s section. However, some shoppers caution this would-be hack.
The advice came from TikTok creator Em (@thealmostvanlife,) who dubs herself “the exact opposite of a gatekeeper.”
This particular video, sharing a secret for people shopping for women’s Nikes, drew more than 921,000 views since going up on Sunday.
“Just a friendly reminder that a youth size six running shoe is also a size 8 ladies,” she confided. “The only difference is going to be about $100 price difference.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to the creator via TikTok comment.
@thealmostvanlife Whatever is the opposite of a gatekeeper that’s me….
♬ original sound – em 🪴
The youth-to-ladies conversion scale is one that’s been shared on a few websites already. The Krazy Coupon Lady claims, “Kids’ shoes sizes are split into two categories: Toddler and youth (or “kids” shoes). Youth sizes run from size 3.5 to 7. You can convert women’s shoe sizes to kids’ shoe sizes, but not toddler sizes.”
The website goes on to say, “Ladies, if you wear a size 8.5 or smaller in shoes, you’re in luck. Men, you’re only lucky if you wear a size 7 shoe.”
So, for example, if you wear a size 6 woman’s shoe, a size 4 youth shoe should fit.
“Cries in ladies size 9,” said one, thinking that she falls outside the zone.
But another commenter claims the hack stretches to size 9, saying, “Nike youth 7 fits a women’s 9. I do it all the time.”
Someone else quipped, “Light up shoes here I come!!!” which amused the creator.
“This has been my shoe hack for years,” another person claimed.
However, some commenters alerted viewers to some caveats to be aware of.
“There’s actually a difference in quality because kids are expected to outgrow their shoes faster,” one viewer remarked. “You can usually tell when you compare side by side.”
Another claimed, “I used to do this but found they don’t hold up well under adult weight and do not have the same support.”
“Definitely not a good plan to wear kids shoes daily, but it’s great for the occasional shoe,” one commenter advised. “I do it with all my converse.”
But someone pointed out, “They seem less wide as well. But it works great on StockX when I want $800 shoes and the kids sizes are cheaper.”
