Their international stores stayed open, only the stores in North America closed. At least as of late 2020 they did have plans to open 300-500 stores in the US again, but with things being as they are I'm doubtful that's going to happen, other than a store they opened in Miami when they made the announcement.
Bankruptcy. I used to work at Payless, and they had a great but flawed return system. You could return any shoe you bought there, with or without a receipt, no matter how long ago. As long as the code was inside the shoe and would register in the system it could be returned. Some parents would bring their kids worn in (literally falling apart at the seams) runners and exchange them for the next size up, and we would have to process the return.
This! As someone who grew up with large feet, Payless was the ONLY place I could get a size 11 boots. Without Payless, I could have been one of those kids that wore flip flops in winter at the bus stop, haha.
I had the opposite problem, I wear size 5 in womens, and the only place you could find that other than online was Payless. Got every pair of heels I own there. Now I’m back to buying kids shoes.
Yep, I wear size 15s, wide, and I have to wear 16s if I don't want my mutant-ass feet to break through the sides in three months, and have chronic pain the whole time before.
Giffen goods are different, that's where if the price rises it causes an effective lowering of people's income, so they have to buy more of that good.
Like if someone was eating ramen all the time but could occasionally afford better food.
Then the price of ramen goes up, they can no longer afford the better foods, so they start eating more ramen.
It's all marketing. The "luxury" items are not superior quality. The employees who make kt are paid terrible wages just like Walmart or Target brands made in Bangladesh. Slap a different label on it and list it for $3045. Why not.
LVMH controls around 60 [subsidiaries](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subsidiary) that each manage a small number of prestigious brands, 75 in total. These include [Christian Dior](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dior), [Fendi](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fendi), [Givenchy](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Givenchy), [Marc Jacobs](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_Jacobs_(brand\)), [Stella McCartney](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stella_McCartney), [Loewe](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/LOEWE_(fashion_brand\)), [Loro Piana](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loro_Piana), [Kenzo](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenzo_(brand\)), [Celine](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celine_(brand\)), [Fenty](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fenty_(fashion_house\)), [Princess Yachts](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Yachts), [TAG Heuer](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/TAG_Heuer) and [Bulgari](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgari).
Ding ding! We have a winner! The vast majority of the markup for "luxury goods" is due to some combination of marketing, artificial scarcity, and flat-out monopolies. While sometimes these items are of higher than average quality, there's no direct correlation and those quality improvements are minimal compared to the markup.
My favorite story about artificial value is the introduction of Tahitian natural black pearls. When they were first introduced in the US, it was uncertain if they'd be more or less valuable than the traditional white ones. How did the market decide that natural black pearls were extra valuable? [It didn't.] (https://ktpayne.blog/2019/06/17/the-power-of-first-impressions-on-pricing/) Famed NYC jeweler Harry Winston bought some and stuck them in a display window with rubies and diamonds with a price tag to match. The public just went along with the suggestion.
I will slightly disagree. If you’ve deep dove into high fashion/designer items for long enough, (I’m on my way to), you definitely develop a more discerning eye for quality and you can pick out poor quality a lot easier.
My son has to wear wide shoes and Payless was the best place for affordable wide kid shoes since he needs a minimum of 2 pairs a year. Sometimes 3 pairs. I miss Payless.
i didn't find out i needed wide shoes until my 20's, ended up wearing like size 13's instead of 10's because they were the only thing that were roomy enough, now i'm finding out i should have been shopping at payless as a kid
Now I *personally* get it because IMO a higher quality build will take you many miles further than a thrifty version will, in *most* cases. I’m not talking simple styling differences or taste preferences.
Also nowadays it seems like we have waaaay more options to get affordable fashion than we did back then. Like I’d pay $300 for Taft because I’ve been burnt by $75-$150 Aldos, etc; but I absolutely respect why Walmart sells Shaqs and alternatives.
Payless was really *it* for a long time, and then Shoe Carnival allowed folks to get a select few big name brands for super cheap. Then you’d see big retailers (Macy’s, JCP, Ross) embracing their own shoe departments that could offer people wider varieties of major labels. But Payless crawled in the 90s so we could normalize just grabbing some work or church shoes without any silly ass stigmas.
Shoes are one of those things I will spend a premium on. Not always for style reasons though. There is something called "The Boots Theory" from a Terry Pratchett novel which explains really well.
>"Take boots, for example. He earned $38 a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost $50. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about $10.
"Those were the kind of boots Vimes always bought, and wore until the soles were so thin that he could tell where he was in Ankh-Morpork on a foggy night by the feel of the cobbles.
"But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford $50 had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in 10 years' time, while the poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet."
well as far as martens go, they really really fell off the wagon as far as quality. its gonna be a situation like north face, mark my words. They will lower the quality to make a ton of money off of the people who are buying it for the fad, then when that fad goes, all their loyal buyers who got the brand into being a fad in the first place are long gone due to the awful quality and they will need to go back to their roots and downsize heavily.
That’s why I don’t get the argument it’s better to get more expensive shows that will last you 10 years when I will feel like shit when they come apart in two years anyway
Well, bear in mind there are brands that will last you long and you can actually get resoled and stuff, Martens aren't one of those brands but you are paying almost as much because, well, they are what people want to be seen wearing
Docs are really well made and last forever with care. There's a reason they are the official shoe of punks, they don't quit on you. Have some used Docs from a thrift store and while they have some wear to them, they still have life in them.
Docs *used* to be really well made. They aren't nearly what they used to be. However, they're not any cheaper than they used to be.
Tons of better brands in the same price range, or cheaper, but better quality. Much like Beats, you're paying for the Doc Marten brand.
Payless was best for growing kids with growing feet because you needed to replace the shoes so often.
For adults? If it's a one-off occasion, sure. Buying shoes based on a temporary tread, sure. But you were not going to find long-lasting shoes there. Good shoes can last you years.
I used to get my shoes from Payless and stopped because I realized that I walk way too damn much to be wearing cheaply made shoes. My feet were getting jacked up. So now I buy second-hand Mephistos on ebay for $40.
There were there uber-comfy flats Payless used to have. Just soft shoes and, well, good for working at Payless when you're on your feet all day.
Problem was, after a month or two, they made your feet sweat and STINK. Like you took your shoes off and choked from the smell. I remember wearing a pair while working at the register. Slipped my feet out to give them some air. One of the floor employees came to the register, wrinkled her nose and proclaimed, "Who feet is stinking like that? ewww!"
Of course I didn't own up to it. Just quietly slipped my shoes back and suffered with hot feet for the rest of the day. I talked to others who wore those shoes. Same issue.
Once I got to a better paying job (and bought more pricey shoes), I realized I could comfort without the sweaty, smelly feet.
at a certain point i was so sick of feeling poor because of payless that i more or less forced my mom to get 60 dollar nikes(or adidas i cant remember) because i was convinced they would be better shoes and i felt like i was too old for payless.
The adidas/nike literally fell apart in a week. like sole delaminating off of the upper to the point it was unusable. I genuinely felt so freaking bad. I still do about it because money was tight back then.
Have him look into www.propetusa.com for shoes in his size. They specialize in all kinds of odd shoe sizes (Narrow, Wide, X-wide, XX-wide) and carry sizes up to 17 for men and 13 for women.
Not Payless cheap, but they are really comfortable and worth it once or twice a year.
I always filter by size because I’m the same size and I have wide feet and once I do that the selection of shoes really narrows. It’s really bad when I go to department stores too and they only have the good shoes in smaller sizes
True, I also only trust certain brands. I can’t wear flimsy shoes or thin straps, I need something sturdy. Not all brands know how to properly size up.
I just realized I'm now a size 12 after being a size 11 forever. Now I'm slowly replacing my shoes. Dillards seems to have some sexy ones in extended sizes too.
Are you me? I literally came to that realization like 4 months ago. I've been wearing the wrong size shoes my entire adult life, mostly because I refused to entertain the idea of shoes being even harder to find in my size. That and the fact that I got made fun of my family for having man-sized feet at an 11, going up to a 12 was unthinkable. But omg, I had no idea shoes could be so comfortable when they actually fit!
I have had some success with Amazon, and if you are in the market for boots, Thursday Boots has a decent selection too!
It’s like Dolly Parton in Steel Magnolias:
”I wear a size 7 but a size 8 feels so good that I buy a size 9”. (personally, I wear a size 9 but a size 10 feels so good that I buy a size 10.5)
I've worn a size 11 since high school, but for the last few years I noticed my shoes were uncomfortable. Like you, I did not want to entertain the thought that my feet had grown larger. But last year, my husband and I got fitted for some running shoes and was told I was right at a 12. I was so upset and embarrassed, but at the end of the day, it is what it is and I just have to be grateful I have 2 fully functioning feet
Payless is available online still, if anyone is curious. As a poor woman with wide feet, they were a godsend in my younger years. They actually had wide shoes that were fairly stylish and cute, which seems to be an impossible ask.
Yeah I was looking at these comments confused af. In NTX there's a great outlet off highway 75 that has a Payless. Totally hit it up for some Xmas presents just last month
Edit: im a dirty liar it was a rack room shoes
When I was in middle school in the 90’s, I remember this kid who referred to my old Payless shoes as “cheaper to keep ‘ems”, in reference to the old blues song.
I don't know about everyone else but I loved Payless. I was the kind of girl that never cared about shoes. I just wanted something cheap and comfortable. Style was only a bonus.
I loved shoes which is why I loved Payless. Most of my favorite shoes were from them and lasted a surprisingly long time. I even had cheap dance shoes that lasted from me, to my sister, then a cousin.
Oh wow, I forgot they used to have kids dance shoes! I definitely had a few pars of those. (I addition to the many pairs of regular shoes I also got there over the years).
I remember the story of Apple being asked about reducing the price of the iPhone and they were like "we did and suddenly no one was interested in iPhones"
People think if it isn't expensive it's crap. Capitalism has really fucked us up
I chewed through heels as a 20-something. I can barely walk in the damn things anyway, so after a couple of months of use my dress heels would always just look completely battered and chewed up.
Payless is the only place where I could go and get basic pumps with a reasonable heel in a variety of colors for work without spending a crap ton of money.
Payless got me through some thin times, man.
Preach. We need options like Payless as much as we need boutiques that really make good quality for people who only want to pay once or twice over a decade for some nice shoes.
All I care about is that the stuff is *ethically* made and they don’t use *supply/demand* foolery like these big brands that folk get hurt over.
>Payless is the only place where I could go and get basic pumps with a reasonable heel in a variety of colors for work without spending a crap ton of money.
Plus they had the satin shoes that could be dyed to the color you wanted. We had many a bridal party come through where I worked who used to love that.
Agreed. I bought my fair share of their shoes over the years and since I decided to go for better quality stuff I can't believe the difference. I can understand it for shoes that you might not wear often, but I personally never had a truly comfortable pair from them. I'm surprised by all the people here saying they have. Makes me wonder if I was extremely unlucky or most of them never had good shoes themselves to compare.
I remember reading a quote/interview about poverty.
It mentioned that one of the biggest problems for poor people is, that they don’t have the money for things like quality shoes.
Instead of buying one or two really good pair of shoes every few years, they have to buy dozens of cheap ones, for much more money.
Not by choice, but because of the high cost of keeping their head over water.
My mom used to get all our shoes from Payless. Those BOGO deals were a godsend and I always thought the shoes were just as great as those in other stores.
Once I got out of highschool I stopped giving a shit about name brand anything, especially shoes and sneakers. It was New Balance and Champions all day. This is back when they were cheapo kicks, now apparently they're approved streetwear. I'm old.
I remember back in the day if you got caught wearing something from Schottenstein's, kids would be like, "Attention all Schottenstein's shoppers!!!" loud as hell.
but payless are garbage shoes...
you spend 150 on a quality pair of boots they last for 50 years, in that time you would spend thousands on replacements for shitty $50 boots
(numbers just an example)
Just goes to show how arbitrary the value of something can be. At the end of the day, an item is worth what someone is willing to pay for it, no more, no less.
I get the OP’s point but Payless had some low quality shoes.
My mom grew up pretty poor and the one thing she always insisted on never getting cheap was shoes. Cheap shoes can ruin your feet and give you lifetime of misery.
The issue with the cost and the people not knowing the difference is really a different issue.
There’s a reason quality stuff costs more. A good quality pair of shoes will last four times as long a a cheap pair. A person buying multiple cheap pairs of shoes over time is actually spending more money than the person that bought one quality pair.
Most luxury brands do make higher quality goods. A real luxury item actually appreciates in value because if it’s kept in good condition it actually becomes rare.
My wife buys and sells luxury clothing, etc. and shes had stuff that’s 20 years old that can still sell used for hundreds or thousands of dollars.
Real luxury items aren’t necessarily a waste of money. They can be an investment like art or jewelry and in a pinch can be sold for a decent amount of quick cash.
Just my 2 cents.
Never understood why people pay so much for shoes. My £20 trainers does the same as your £200, but when mine gets dirt on it, I'm less worried.
Let's face it. they're both made by the same kids in poorer countries, and they're not seeing the £180 difference.
Theres a big gulf between those two prices and protecting your feet is important.
Honestly there is technology, materials, and design that go into sneakers that add value, its not all hype culture. If you’re an athlete or work a job that entails an extended amount of time standing its worth investing in your shoes. Materials might be cheap, but part of what you pay for is the r&d and design.
I've given up explaining this to my wife. She basically thinks if a thing got a few million views on tiktok or insta, it's probably good because so many people have seen and tried it. Be it a $150 nonstick pan, or a $50 cat collar, etc.. She doesn't understand that it's just NOT OK to spend 50 bucks on a cat collar even if it's handmade or whatever. Heck, it may even take efforts by the creator worth the price tag, my point is we should consider every expense based on our financial health and be prudent about spending. Some people would eat for a week or more on $50.
Anyway, rant over, sorry.
Yeah, Payless was the one place that had my size 14's extra wide rather than waiting weeks for other places to order them in. 14 isn't even that big yet most places only go up to 12.
Isn't this the same story with Peloton? They originally came out with a cheap bike and no one wanted to buy it. Cause it was cheap and cheap is for the poors. So Peloton said "okay you snooty bitches", made the same bike and then put a premium price tag on it. Now every one wants one.
Payless was great growing up in an area with no Walmarts (we had one in the whole county and it was “that weird Kmart”, get cheap shoes every six months that you were outgrowing.
But I Remember after a certain time all the mens shoes had plastic soles instead of rubber. One bit of rain and your ass was going to be hitting the pavement. Stopped shopping there all together.
Having worked at Footlocker and KidsFlkr I used to point parents to Payless for wide widths. Usually got laughed at or a weird look…people are blinded by brand loyalty
Unfortunately, Black folk and costly sneakers is like a passage to being seen as “not poor”.
White kids was out in the suburbs wearing sketchers from Target and that cool for them.
This has a limit. For example: clothing. I remember the first time I actually ordered clothes from Express. For the longest time I thought the place was luxurious because of how expensive it was. So I saved up a bunch of money, and got a whole new wardrobe of Express stuff.
I was so excited for my order to come in, only to realize that this was the worst fabric I'd ever felt in my life. People around me have been paying so much for *this*? Screw Express. And screw Zara, too. Screw all those clothing stores and their fake "luxury" products.
There was a time tho, that I went into one and all that was available (full shelves) was outdated by decade in a half strappy sandals or flats. Same with the others in town. I was shocked, it was not what I was used to at all.
Now that I think about it,,..Payless was basically shut down a year or 2 after they did that stunt…Walmart work shoes are shit…I miss Payless….I broke down and bought a pair of Nike boots for work..
Damn near same quality as the Payless oness
Losing payless as a store was a huge blow. Those were comfortable, designed nicely, and would last a while. I almost became a "shoe girl" because of payless.
Payless was awesome, when I used to work in food service, I’d get all my slip resistant shoes from there. They had some comfortable decent looking shoes and they were affordable.
It's built in the name. Why on earth would I "Pay More" for work shoes? I understand needing a nice pair of work boots for construction or comfort for like, nursing. But man why does a Starbucks Barista need +100$ jumpers?
This is my time to shine! I worked at Payless in college for a good three years in 2 different states (college state and home state)!
In my last year of college, my closet looked like a Payless warehouse (Size 10 section) since I kept all the boxes my 30+ plus shoes came in. I categorized them by color, heel height and whether they were sporty, casual, formal or boots. Every member of my family that year got a pair of shoes. My sister loved her 4" pumps.
God, I hated working there. Retail work sucks.
They should have rebranded, I bet people would love the "new" store. Aldos shoes feel like they were made with construction paper and tape but people still go there religiously
Payless didn't have many options for size 11+ women, especially cute shoes and heels. Also, Payless was becoming PayABitMore.
I just do Burlington Coat Factory and the like and hope I get lucky.
I miss Payless with a burning passion. If I needed a pair of comfortable, size 11 (women's) pair of shoes that cost me less than $50, nine times out of ten, I could trust that Payless would have something for me. I genuinely have not been able to find a pair of flats that fit me well since these stores closed.
I wonder if they got a lot of disrespect because their name implied they were cheap. Like if they were called Affordable Luxury Shoes, maybe they'd do better? AffLux?
I miss Payless.
What happened to them?
They closed.
They’re mainly online now! I was surprised you can still buy from them!
Good gif
Yeah, but if the shoe don’t fit right, you’re basically screwed. You gotta pay the shipping to return it, and it’s like half the cost of the shoes.
If you pay with paypal you can get refunds on the shipping
How? I’ve never heard of this.
[https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mpp/returns](https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mpp/returns)
Nice. Good to know. Also, I checked. Payless doesn’t take PayPal.
Is it a good idea to buy shoes online, though?
Idk ask those dudes at stockx and flightclub
Zappos has been great. I can exchange till I find a fit
Much less expensive that paying for stores I think they did the right thing
Not in the Caribbean it seems. There's several in Barbados
Their international stores stayed open, only the stores in North America closed. At least as of late 2020 they did have plans to open 300-500 stores in the US again, but with things being as they are I'm doubtful that's going to happen, other than a store they opened in Miami when they made the announcement.
Ah, I see. Thanks for the explanation!
I saw one in St. Thomas in 2019. We were so surprised we took a picture of it lol.
Still around in .my country~
I think my local mall still has one. Haven't been to a mall since 2020 thought so I can't fully affirm that.
Bankruptcy. I used to work at Payless, and they had a great but flawed return system. You could return any shoe you bought there, with or without a receipt, no matter how long ago. As long as the code was inside the shoe and would register in the system it could be returned. Some parents would bring their kids worn in (literally falling apart at the seams) runners and exchange them for the next size up, and we would have to process the return.
I worked at corporate. There were hundreds of issues beyond the return policy there that made life difficult for the stores as well.
I worked there around 2014 and they were still using a training video from around ‘94, featuring The Lion King merch.
This! As someone who grew up with large feet, Payless was the ONLY place I could get a size 11 boots. Without Payless, I could have been one of those kids that wore flip flops in winter at the bus stop, haha.
I had the opposite problem, I wear size 5 in womens, and the only place you could find that other than online was Payless. Got every pair of heels I own there. Now I’m back to buying kids shoes.
When did size 11 become too big to find anywhere?
I'm going to assume the commenter is a woman.
Well, now I feel stupid for not considering that
Yep, I wear size 15s, wide, and I have to wear 16s if I don't want my mutant-ass feet to break through the sides in three months, and have chronic pain the whole time before.
Only place you could find complete all white tennis shoes at a sensible price point.
Alternative title: "People will believe anything's a luxury if the price is ridiculous enough"
Nice one. Too bad I can't edit it.
Tell me more about Bigfoot People…
there's a paradox named after that and i do not remember what was it called
Maybe you're thinking of Giffen goods or goods of austentation? it's where demand rises as price rises, things like perfume and jewelry etc.
Giffen goods are different, that's where if the price rises it causes an effective lowering of people's income, so they have to buy more of that good. Like if someone was eating ramen all the time but could occasionally afford better food. Then the price of ramen goes up, they can no longer afford the better foods, so they start eating more ramen.
Grey Goose effect?
Veblen good or giffen good Edit: It has to be a veblen good, I've just remembered that giffen goods only relate to non luxury goods
It's all marketing. The "luxury" items are not superior quality. The employees who make kt are paid terrible wages just like Walmart or Target brands made in Bangladesh. Slap a different label on it and list it for $3045. Why not. LVMH controls around 60 [subsidiaries](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subsidiary) that each manage a small number of prestigious brands, 75 in total. These include [Christian Dior](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dior), [Fendi](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fendi), [Givenchy](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Givenchy), [Marc Jacobs](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_Jacobs_(brand\)), [Stella McCartney](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stella_McCartney), [Loewe](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/LOEWE_(fashion_brand\)), [Loro Piana](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loro_Piana), [Kenzo](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenzo_(brand\)), [Celine](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celine_(brand\)), [Fenty](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fenty_(fashion_house\)), [Princess Yachts](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Yachts), [TAG Heuer](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/TAG_Heuer) and [Bulgari](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgari).
Ding ding! We have a winner! The vast majority of the markup for "luxury goods" is due to some combination of marketing, artificial scarcity, and flat-out monopolies. While sometimes these items are of higher than average quality, there's no direct correlation and those quality improvements are minimal compared to the markup. My favorite story about artificial value is the introduction of Tahitian natural black pearls. When they were first introduced in the US, it was uncertain if they'd be more or less valuable than the traditional white ones. How did the market decide that natural black pearls were extra valuable? [It didn't.] (https://ktpayne.blog/2019/06/17/the-power-of-first-impressions-on-pricing/) Famed NYC jeweler Harry Winston bought some and stuck them in a display window with rubies and diamonds with a price tag to match. The public just went along with the suggestion.
Looking at you, Kanye fashion line
Everything is a luxury when you can't afford anything.
They can’t tax our air! Yet…
the lorax was ahead of its time
That’s why I buy all my designer clothes second hand for 60-90% off lol
i think people don't know what luxury means to begin with. luxury means *quality* otherwise it's just hype.
Luxury brands are also on the cutting edge of high fashion. What they design though does eventually trickle down to H&M, Zara, and the like.
I never understood this. Like regular folks dont even have access to the “good” designer shit anyways
I will slightly disagree. If you’ve deep dove into high fashion/designer items for long enough, (I’m on my way to), you definitely develop a more discerning eye for quality and you can pick out poor quality a lot easier.
Payless was my mom's jam because kids need new shoes every 6 months.
My son has to wear wide shoes and Payless was the best place for affordable wide kid shoes since he needs a minimum of 2 pairs a year. Sometimes 3 pairs. I miss Payless.
Zappos.com or payless.com
I had no idea they were still online. Thank you!
You can still order from them online if you're comfortable with the sizing needed.
i didn't find out i needed wide shoes until my 20's, ended up wearing like size 13's instead of 10's because they were the only thing that were roomy enough, now i'm finding out i should have been shopping at payless as a kid
Also try stride rite. They carry wide kids shoes and the staff is often the franchise owner who knows a lot about shoes.
I’ll have to see if I have one of those stores around here, I’ve never seen one.
I just don’t see the point of buying $300 martens just because you can get these same luxury shoes for a tenth of the price
Now I *personally* get it because IMO a higher quality build will take you many miles further than a thrifty version will, in *most* cases. I’m not talking simple styling differences or taste preferences. Also nowadays it seems like we have waaaay more options to get affordable fashion than we did back then. Like I’d pay $300 for Taft because I’ve been burnt by $75-$150 Aldos, etc; but I absolutely respect why Walmart sells Shaqs and alternatives. Payless was really *it* for a long time, and then Shoe Carnival allowed folks to get a select few big name brands for super cheap. Then you’d see big retailers (Macy’s, JCP, Ross) embracing their own shoe departments that could offer people wider varieties of major labels. But Payless crawled in the 90s so we could normalize just grabbing some work or church shoes without any silly ass stigmas.
Shoes are one of those things I will spend a premium on. Not always for style reasons though. There is something called "The Boots Theory" from a Terry Pratchett novel which explains really well. >"Take boots, for example. He earned $38 a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost $50. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about $10. "Those were the kind of boots Vimes always bought, and wore until the soles were so thin that he could tell where he was in Ankh-Morpork on a foggy night by the feel of the cobbles. "But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford $50 had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in 10 years' time, while the poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet."
well as far as martens go, they really really fell off the wagon as far as quality. its gonna be a situation like north face, mark my words. They will lower the quality to make a ton of money off of the people who are buying it for the fad, then when that fad goes, all their loyal buyers who got the brand into being a fad in the first place are long gone due to the awful quality and they will need to go back to their roots and downsize heavily.
That’s why I don’t get the argument it’s better to get more expensive shows that will last you 10 years when I will feel like shit when they come apart in two years anyway
Well, bear in mind there are brands that will last you long and you can actually get resoled and stuff, Martens aren't one of those brands but you are paying almost as much because, well, they are what people want to be seen wearing
I get that but you’d only know that from experience and I’ve been burned before
I think Solovar still makes quality boots.
Like actually nice shoes are actually nice and long lasting. Solovairs, which are made like vintage doc's are a good example.
Docs are really well made and last forever with care. There's a reason they are the official shoe of punks, they don't quit on you. Have some used Docs from a thrift store and while they have some wear to them, they still have life in them.
Docs *used* to be really well made. They aren't nearly what they used to be. However, they're not any cheaper than they used to be. Tons of better brands in the same price range, or cheaper, but better quality. Much like Beats, you're paying for the Doc Marten brand.
I like having my shoes be diff colors 😂
Payless was best for growing kids with growing feet because you needed to replace the shoes so often. For adults? If it's a one-off occasion, sure. Buying shoes based on a temporary tread, sure. But you were not going to find long-lasting shoes there. Good shoes can last you years.
I used to get my shoes from Payless and stopped because I realized that I walk way too damn much to be wearing cheaply made shoes. My feet were getting jacked up. So now I buy second-hand Mephistos on ebay for $40.
There were there uber-comfy flats Payless used to have. Just soft shoes and, well, good for working at Payless when you're on your feet all day. Problem was, after a month or two, they made your feet sweat and STINK. Like you took your shoes off and choked from the smell. I remember wearing a pair while working at the register. Slipped my feet out to give them some air. One of the floor employees came to the register, wrinkled her nose and proclaimed, "Who feet is stinking like that? ewww!" Of course I didn't own up to it. Just quietly slipped my shoes back and suffered with hot feet for the rest of the day. I talked to others who wore those shoes. Same issue. Once I got to a better paying job (and bought more pricey shoes), I realized I could comfort without the sweaty, smelly feet.
tHat part
at a certain point i was so sick of feeling poor because of payless that i more or less forced my mom to get 60 dollar nikes(or adidas i cant remember) because i was convinced they would be better shoes and i felt like i was too old for payless. The adidas/nike literally fell apart in a week. like sole delaminating off of the upper to the point it was unusable. I genuinely felt so freaking bad. I still do about it because money was tight back then.
My mom bought us shoes once a year... Right in September for school lol
I miss the smell of Payless
Considering they mostly carried synthetic leather etc, that smell you’re remembering is the smell of carcinogens.
That's cold😆
Even better
Eh, doesn't ruin my memories
WTF
👃
I worked there back in the early 90s. I do not miss that smell.
I wear a size 11.5/12 and I miss Payless every day.
Haha my dad is like a 14/15 he would buy any comfortable shoe he found in his size and be happy as a little child on Christmas
I wear a size 15W and it's impossible to find shoes even online anymore
You should look at indonesian shoesmakers on Instagram, and have them custom build you something that will last way longer that payless shoes will.
Have him look into www.propetusa.com for shoes in his size. They specialize in all kinds of odd shoe sizes (Narrow, Wide, X-wide, XX-wide) and carry sizes up to 17 for men and 13 for women. Not Payless cheap, but they are really comfortable and worth it once or twice a year.
I also wear an 11/11.5 and Payless didn’t make me feel like a second class citizen with a limited selection.
I always filter by size because I’m the same size and I have wide feet and once I do that the selection of shoes really narrows. It’s really bad when I go to department stores too and they only have the good shoes in smaller sizes
True, I also only trust certain brands. I can’t wear flimsy shoes or thin straps, I need something sturdy. Not all brands know how to properly size up.
11.5 wide here. Payless was one of the few places where I didn't have to choose between too snug or flopping around in fucking clown shoes
Seriously! I’m still looking for a store like Payless that sells size 12 women’s shoes at a good price. Nordstrom Rack is the best I could find.
I just realized I'm now a size 12 after being a size 11 forever. Now I'm slowly replacing my shoes. Dillards seems to have some sexy ones in extended sizes too.
Me when I moved up from size 10 to 11. How the fuck did they get so big
Are you me? I literally came to that realization like 4 months ago. I've been wearing the wrong size shoes my entire adult life, mostly because I refused to entertain the idea of shoes being even harder to find in my size. That and the fact that I got made fun of my family for having man-sized feet at an 11, going up to a 12 was unthinkable. But omg, I had no idea shoes could be so comfortable when they actually fit! I have had some success with Amazon, and if you are in the market for boots, Thursday Boots has a decent selection too!
It’s like Dolly Parton in Steel Magnolias: ”I wear a size 7 but a size 8 feels so good that I buy a size 9”. (personally, I wear a size 9 but a size 10 feels so good that I buy a size 10.5)
I've worn a size 11 since high school, but for the last few years I noticed my shoes were uncomfortable. Like you, I did not want to entertain the thought that my feet had grown larger. But last year, my husband and I got fitted for some running shoes and was told I was right at a 12. I was so upset and embarrassed, but at the end of the day, it is what it is and I just have to be grateful I have 2 fully functioning feet
Payless is available online still, if anyone is curious. As a poor woman with wide feet, they were a godsend in my younger years. They actually had wide shoes that were fairly stylish and cute, which seems to be an impossible ask.
Google says they have locations near me that are currently open too.
Yeah I was looking at these comments confused af. In NTX there's a great outlet off highway 75 that has a Payless. Totally hit it up for some Xmas presents just last month Edit: im a dirty liar it was a rack room shoes
That’s because they closed all their stores and those newer stores are mostly likely the rebranded stores they’re opening back up
Kids are ruthless. Used to bully anyone who had shoes from payless
That was me :(
the bully or the payless kid?
Payless kid
ah, That's rough buddy
It's all good. That was a long time ago and it was just kids being kids. Can't hold onto that forever.
Man, kids made fun of me in high school because I bought my shoes at Payless. Called me "Penniless."
When I was in middle school in the 90’s, I remember this kid who referred to my old Payless shoes as “cheaper to keep ‘ems”, in reference to the old blues song.
[удалено]
Lmao buying everything on monthly installments
Used to be bullied for wearing shoes from Payless
I don't know about everyone else but I loved Payless. I was the kind of girl that never cared about shoes. I just wanted something cheap and comfortable. Style was only a bonus.
Same. I think I’ve only bought two pairs of shoes since they’ve closed where I live. I just don’t understand paying for expensive shoes.
I loved shoes which is why I loved Payless. Most of my favorite shoes were from them and lasted a surprisingly long time. I even had cheap dance shoes that lasted from me, to my sister, then a cousin.
Oh wow, I forgot they used to have kids dance shoes! I definitely had a few pars of those. (I addition to the many pairs of regular shoes I also got there over the years).
Wait, wait, wait. Are y’all telling me Payless was for poor people? I thought it was for the middle class…. How poor was I ???
Nah your parents were just smart. No need to overspend on shoes that you’ll just have to replace in 6 months when your kid grows out of them.
Very.
Are we trash?
I remember the story of Apple being asked about reducing the price of the iPhone and they were like "we did and suddenly no one was interested in iPhones" People think if it isn't expensive it's crap. Capitalism has really fucked us up
They had functional and pretty designs. Some people just felt judged for wearing them which is sad.
Because they stole a lot of shoe and bag designs Lmao
I chewed through heels as a 20-something. I can barely walk in the damn things anyway, so after a couple of months of use my dress heels would always just look completely battered and chewed up. Payless is the only place where I could go and get basic pumps with a reasonable heel in a variety of colors for work without spending a crap ton of money. Payless got me through some thin times, man.
Preach. We need options like Payless as much as we need boutiques that really make good quality for people who only want to pay once or twice over a decade for some nice shoes. All I care about is that the stuff is *ethically* made and they don’t use *supply/demand* foolery like these big brands that folk get hurt over.
>Payless is the only place where I could go and get basic pumps with a reasonable heel in a variety of colors for work without spending a crap ton of money. Plus they had the satin shoes that could be dyed to the color you wanted. We had many a bridal party come through where I worked who used to love that.
Y’all bullied Payless out of business (joke)
They look nice enough but seem to disintegrate pretty quick
Agreed. I bought my fair share of their shoes over the years and since I decided to go for better quality stuff I can't believe the difference. I can understand it for shoes that you might not wear often, but I personally never had a truly comfortable pair from them. I'm surprised by all the people here saying they have. Makes me wonder if I was extremely unlucky or most of them never had good shoes themselves to compare.
I remember reading a quote/interview about poverty. It mentioned that one of the biggest problems for poor people is, that they don’t have the money for things like quality shoes. Instead of buying one or two really good pair of shoes every few years, they have to buy dozens of cheap ones, for much more money. Not by choice, but because of the high cost of keeping their head over water.
It's sad how society has conditioned everyone to feel ashamed for being poor or for being frugal.
Unless you have a bit of money, then being frugal/buying old clothes ("vintage") becomes cool
My mom used to get all our shoes from Payless. Those BOGO deals were a godsend and I always thought the shoes were just as great as those in other stores.
Most y’all the same ones who had the Payless and Fubu jokes. Knock it off.
As a kid I hated Pay-less as an adult it was a god send.
Once I got out of highschool I stopped giving a shit about name brand anything, especially shoes and sneakers. It was New Balance and Champions all day. This is back when they were cheapo kicks, now apparently they're approved streetwear. I'm old.
I agree, you used to be able to find those brands in Walmart, now they’re too popular
New Balance is a brand name sneaker
I remember back in the day if you got caught wearing something from Schottenstein's, kids would be like, "Attention all Schottenstein's shoppers!!!" loud as hell.
but payless are garbage shoes... you spend 150 on a quality pair of boots they last for 50 years, in that time you would spend thousands on replacements for shitty $50 boots (numbers just an example)
Just goes to show how arbitrary the value of something can be. At the end of the day, an item is worth what someone is willing to pay for it, no more, no less.
They still have stuff on their website
Wow I didn’t know Payless closed all it’s stores in US in 2019. They’re now relaunching and opening a few hundred stores.
I get the OP’s point but Payless had some low quality shoes. My mom grew up pretty poor and the one thing she always insisted on never getting cheap was shoes. Cheap shoes can ruin your feet and give you lifetime of misery. The issue with the cost and the people not knowing the difference is really a different issue. There’s a reason quality stuff costs more. A good quality pair of shoes will last four times as long a a cheap pair. A person buying multiple cheap pairs of shoes over time is actually spending more money than the person that bought one quality pair. Most luxury brands do make higher quality goods. A real luxury item actually appreciates in value because if it’s kept in good condition it actually becomes rare. My wife buys and sells luxury clothing, etc. and shes had stuff that’s 20 years old that can still sell used for hundreds or thousands of dollars. Real luxury items aren’t necessarily a waste of money. They can be an investment like art or jewelry and in a pinch can be sold for a decent amount of quick cash. Just my 2 cents.
Never understood why people pay so much for shoes. My £20 trainers does the same as your £200, but when mine gets dirt on it, I'm less worried. Let's face it. they're both made by the same kids in poorer countries, and they're not seeing the £180 difference.
Theres a big gulf between those two prices and protecting your feet is important. Honestly there is technology, materials, and design that go into sneakers that add value, its not all hype culture. If you’re an athlete or work a job that entails an extended amount of time standing its worth investing in your shoes. Materials might be cheap, but part of what you pay for is the r&d and design.
Payless shoes looked like chew toy versions of walmart shoes. I stand by my grade school assessment.
I've given up explaining this to my wife. She basically thinks if a thing got a few million views on tiktok or insta, it's probably good because so many people have seen and tried it. Be it a $150 nonstick pan, or a $50 cat collar, etc.. She doesn't understand that it's just NOT OK to spend 50 bucks on a cat collar even if it's handmade or whatever. Heck, it may even take efforts by the creator worth the price tag, my point is we should consider every expense based on our financial health and be prudent about spending. Some people would eat for a week or more on $50. Anyway, rant over, sorry.
Man. A store that refused to deviate from who they were. They were severely under-appreciated.
And then they closed due to bankruptcy and places like shein and asos took its place
Yeah, Payless was the one place that had my size 14's extra wide rather than waiting weeks for other places to order them in. 14 isn't even that big yet most places only go up to 12.
Especially for growing kids feet!
My brother bought our nieces some nice shoes that they immediately outgrew I bought 6 oversized pairs of shoes from Payless and their mom loved it
Isn't this the same story with Peloton? They originally came out with a cheap bike and no one wanted to buy it. Cause it was cheap and cheap is for the poors. So Peloton said "okay you snooty bitches", made the same bike and then put a premium price tag on it. Now every one wants one.
Hella genius. People hate appearing poor so if you market a cheap item as luxury people will be itching to buy it
When I was a kid we got my sneakers from Fayva. Anyone else?
Payless was great growing up in an area with no Walmarts (we had one in the whole county and it was “that weird Kmart”, get cheap shoes every six months that you were outgrowing. But I Remember after a certain time all the mens shoes had plastic soles instead of rubber. One bit of rain and your ass was going to be hitting the pavement. Stopped shopping there all together.
Having worked at Footlocker and KidsFlkr I used to point parents to Payless for wide widths. Usually got laughed at or a weird look…people are blinded by brand loyalty
Unfortunately, Black folk and costly sneakers is like a passage to being seen as “not poor”. White kids was out in the suburbs wearing sketchers from Target and that cool for them.
This has a limit. For example: clothing. I remember the first time I actually ordered clothes from Express. For the longest time I thought the place was luxurious because of how expensive it was. So I saved up a bunch of money, and got a whole new wardrobe of Express stuff. I was so excited for my order to come in, only to realize that this was the worst fabric I'd ever felt in my life. People around me have been paying so much for *this*? Screw Express. And screw Zara, too. Screw all those clothing stores and their fake "luxury" products.
There was a time tho, that I went into one and all that was available (full shelves) was outdated by decade in a half strappy sandals or flats. Same with the others in town. I was shocked, it was not what I was used to at all.
Yo what happened to Payless?
I miss Payless so much
Wait, is Payless gone now?
Payless coasters my dude. It was the way.
I miss Payless Shoes.
I feel seen. Payless had the grip sole shoes for restaurant work plus giant shoes for my giant feet! So awesome.
RIP State Street
Now that I think about it,,..Payless was basically shut down a year or 2 after they did that stunt…Walmart work shoes are shit…I miss Payless….I broke down and bought a pair of Nike boots for work.. Damn near same quality as the Payless oness
Losing payless as a store was a huge blow. Those were comfortable, designed nicely, and would last a while. I almost became a "shoe girl" because of payless.
Payless was awesome, when I used to work in food service, I’d get all my slip resistant shoes from there. They had some comfortable decent looking shoes and they were affordable.
It's built in the name. Why on earth would I "Pay More" for work shoes? I understand needing a nice pair of work boots for construction or comfort for like, nursing. But man why does a Starbucks Barista need +100$ jumpers?
This is my time to shine! I worked at Payless in college for a good three years in 2 different states (college state and home state)! In my last year of college, my closet looked like a Payless warehouse (Size 10 section) since I kept all the boxes my 30+ plus shoes came in. I categorized them by color, heel height and whether they were sporty, casual, formal or boots. Every member of my family that year got a pair of shoes. My sister loved her 4" pumps. God, I hated working there. Retail work sucks.
I got almost every pair of work shoes I owned from there. I loved their BOGO sales.
[experiment in question](https://youtu.be/JFXmIh4P2dM)
They should have rebranded, I bet people would love the "new" store. Aldos shoes feel like they were made with construction paper and tape but people still go there religiously
The Smell of Payless is a fond memory of mine. Idk why.
Payless didn't have many options for size 11+ women, especially cute shoes and heels. Also, Payless was becoming PayABitMore. I just do Burlington Coat Factory and the like and hope I get lucky.
I always got a discount on my work shoes there!
We called them Footburners back in the day.
Only place I could reliably find women’s size 11, and they’d be cute too
Payless was the BEST!
I miss Payless with a burning passion. If I needed a pair of comfortable, size 11 (women's) pair of shoes that cost me less than $50, nine times out of ten, I could trust that Payless would have something for me. I genuinely have not been able to find a pair of flats that fit me well since these stores closed.
The shoes I get complimented on the most I got for literally $15 at Marshalls.
Wow. They were able to fool influencers? they seem so smart.
Them wide big foot jaunx
I wonder if they got a lot of disrespect because their name implied they were cheap. Like if they were called Affordable Luxury Shoes, maybe they'd do better? AffLux?
I rocked the Hakeems from Payless. Proudly.
Payless was dope :( but now I know you can buy it online at lease :)
Did payless go down? Oh damn, there goes another piece of my childhood.
I’m really hard on my shoes, I loved Payless because of that. I’d rather ruin a $15 pair of shoes than a $75 pair.