Upon learning about Nike Minds, a futuristic sneaker purported to enhance focus through stimulation of the soles of the feet, Jonah Seidenberg was compelled to acquire a pair.

On a recent Saturday, the 12-year-old from the Chicago suburb of Northbrook and his mother scoured StockX, an online sneaker marketplace, along with other sites in pursuit of a bargain, yet came up empty-handed.

Eventually, they located the final remaining pair in his size on Dick’s Sporting Goods’ website, albeit at the full price of $145.

They purchased it regardless.

“It was half past ten at night when we finally conceded defeat,” remarked Lisa Seidenberg, a publicist.

“To my eye, it resembled a Tesla crammed into a shoe, yet something about it resonated with him.”

The sum exceeded what she and her husband had earmarked in their budget, prompting Jonah to contribute $40 from his own savings.

As summer ends and children go back to school, the need to stand out or fit in with the right shoes is meeting higher prices.

This is putting pressure on family budgets already stretched by rising costs for food, gas, and other basics, so parents and kids are spending more time looking for deals or buying fewer pairs, according to analysts and retailers.

And many parents are simply saying no, whether it's for $150 soccer cleats, Adidas Sambas redesigned as Mary Janes, or the $300 Kobe Bryant sneakers Jonah initially hoped to get.

Children frequently outgrow their footwear more rapidly than other garments, and shoes tend to be considerably more expensive.

According to the Footwear Distributors and Retailers Association, shoe prices climbed by 3.2% during the first half of the year, positioning the full-year increase to accelerate at its swiftest pace in 34 years, excluding the pandemic-affected years of 2021 and 2022.

Some parents, such as Elizabeth Powers, a 37-year-old real estate agent from San Francisco, expressed frustration at witnessing shoe prices continue to escalate while, in her view, quality has deteriorated.

“Their feet grow so fast as it is,” said Powers, who has two children, ages 7 and 11.

“It’s incredibly frustrating to have to replace shoes before they’ve grown out of them due to poor quality.”

Powers stated that she intends to limit her spending to a few hundred dollars per child annually, footwear included.

She is also on the lookout for DSW and Zappos discount codes, opting instead for more versatile shoe purchases.

Selecting footwear for children proves more challenging than choosing the rest of their wardrobe, which can be easily adjusted.

Shoes must fit precisely to accommodate growing feet, as stated by Priya Parthasarathy, a partner at the U.S. Foot & Ankle Specialists in Silver Spring, Maryland, and national spokesperson for the American Podiatric Medical Association.

She noted that children between the ages of seven and ten typically require new footwear every six to nine months, while adolescents generally outgrow theirs on an annual basis.

According to the footwear trade group, prices for shoes show no signs of stabilizing in the near future, owing to President Donald Trump’s tariff policies and the conflict with Iran, which is inflating the cost of petroleum-derived materials used in footwear.

Just as with adults, footwear serves as a marker of social status among children.

According to Casey Lewis, a trend analyst based in New York, many young people experience greater pressure to wear the right sneaker brands than they do with other types of clothing.

“Shoes are so immediately identifiable as a marker of belonging, as if to say, ‘I’m part of the crowd,’” she remarked.

Jonah Seidenberg, a native of the Chicago suburbs, noted that he and his mother frequent thrift stores to procure specific clothing labels such as Hollister and Polo Ralph Lauren, thereby cutting costs and freeing up funds to allocate more generously toward his footwear collection.

"You can wear any kind of clothing and it would be fine, as long as it’s the right size," said Jonah.

"It doesn’t matter what brand it is.

But shoes could be... high-tops, low-tops.

Whatever the person likes better is what will make them feel confident."

He noted that ill-fitting, worn-out, or unfashionable footwear can render a child susceptible to bullying.

Such footwear can also deter children from participating in team sports or even attending school.

Worn-out, ill-fitting shoes remain one of the most conspicuous indicators of childhood poverty, according to Almi Guajardo Abeyta, the school superintendent in Chelsea, Massachusetts.

Abeyta noted that families in her community are increasingly struggling to make ends meet, and she has observed students resorting to repairing their shoes with duct tape.

“When forced to choose between feeding your family and buying a pair of shoes, you will invariably prioritize your family,” Abeyta stated.

Lucila Castillo, a food service worker in the Boston suburb, said she’s struggling to afford shoes and other back-to-school items for her 14-year-old daughter and her 19-year-old daughter, who is starting community college.

Castillo, who relocated to the U.S. from Nicaragua with her family over four years ago, stated that she earns approximately $700 per week and serves as the household's principal provider.

After allocating $2,200 monthly toward rent and utilities, she noted that roughly $600 remains to cover other expenditures for her husband and daughters.

When her younger daughter requested Sambas or a fresh pair of soccer cleats, Castillo found herself compelled to decline.

“We are obliged to settle the rent,” she remarked.

As shoe prices climb, shoppers are becoming increasingly discerning, according to Beth Goldstein, an industry advisor for footwear and accessories at the market research firm Circana.

From January through June, adult footwear sales edged up 1% compared with the same period last year.

Unit sales, however, declined by 7% as the average selling price climbed 8%, according to Circana.

In the children’s segment, revenue slipped 3%, with unit sales dropping 9% and the average price rising 7%.

Children’s footwear sales should remain steady, given that children outgrow their shoes more rapidly than adults, yet the data indicates parents are purchasing fewer pairs, Goldstein said.

Retailers, including Target and JCPenney, are launching back-to-school promotions, with footwear featuring prominently among the discounted merchandise.

“I can’t say the gas price is impacting this sale or that thing, but you just feel it,” said Michelle Wlazlo, JCPenney’s brand chief executive officer.

“And so they’re being choiceful.”

Wlazlo noted that the sneakerina, a hybrid of a sneaker and ballet slipper, is gaining traction among certain shoppers seeking versatile footwear suitable for a range of occasions.

Lisa Will, the founder and operator of Stonz Shoes, a children’s outdoor footwear company based in Vancouver, British Columbia, observed that customers are increasingly opting for neutral-toned shoes designed to be handed down to younger siblings.

She added that versatile options, such as insulated rain boots that serve a dual purpose as snow boots, are also performing well.

Secondhand retailers such as Goodwill and ThredUp likewise report a surge in demand from consumers seeking gently worn footwear for the back-to-school season.

Children's footwear represents a small but rapidly growing segment of ThredUp's business, as shoppers seek steep discounts on popular shoe styles that have been discontinued, according to Kristen Brophy, the online retailer's senior vice president and head of marketing.

Adidas is counted among the most coveted sneaker brands for children, she observed.

"We do see the back-to-school trend clearly taking shape on ThredUp," Brophy said.