13w

[t-strap lover]

Here's a nice pump at Payless that comes in a 13w which might fit someone that needs a size 14r. If this post is in the wrong section feel free to move it.

[roniheels]

I saw a pair like those at my Payless last week. I commented in another post, Payless is providing larger variety in larger sizes of high heels, probably for men.

[ShockQueen]

I've found Payless sizing to be a bit more "generous" than others, so I've been keeping a feverish eye on their site for more moderate styles to fit into my everyday wardrobe - and I LOVE it when they arrive at the store, because the ladies and I enjoy talking about all the different styles while I size up my purchase to make sure the fit is good.

[jwhite44]

I've found Payless sizing to be a bit more "generous" than others...

That's the truth. I'm about a sz 12.5 male, and a 13W 4" pump I bought at Payless was too big! I ordered it in a 12W, I'm waiting for it to come in. Unfortunately by the time I got around to placing my order, they no longer had 13 regular, which I would have ordered, figuring one of them would provide the best fit.

[heelma]

I saw a pair like those at my Payless last week. I commented in another post, Payless is providing larger variety in larger sizes of high heels, probably for men.

I think even at Payless, it depends on the brand name. "Designer for Payless" seem to run smaller than "Fioni".

Do you really think those larger sizes are for men?

One interesting thing I found was that when I went to a store with some "harmless" looking 3" block heels, the guy who came to asked if he can provide any help looked very closely at my shoes, when I was looking in the women's section. Sooooo .... I wonder how many men do really come to Payless stores to buy heels for themselves.

[jwhite44]

For what it's worth (and I don't mean to start a race discussion here), two Payless's near me that had 'full' sz 13 sections (shoes on all shelves, x 4-5 shoes 'wide'), and one that had perhaps a 'half' sz 13 section, were in sections of my city where there is a predominance of African-American's living nearby. The store that had the smaller sz 13 section had an A/A woman looking at the 12's-13's (I think the only customer in the store at the time!), which made my detailed looking at the sz 13 invention awkward (and consequently brief).

Regarding, "Do you really think those larger sizes are for men?", I think the answer is no. I picture Payless as more of a women, perhaps family store. While I did see men in some of the stores, they were always with families or woman (wife, girlfriend). Assuming this demographic is correct, it wouldn't seem to make sense for Payless to encourage 'crossdressing' (technically what we all are to some degree) men to actively hang around in the women's shoe section.

If their merchandise was more expensive, they may not care what gender is buying it. However it's not. I bought a pair of 4" sandals for $6 - although the salegirl was fine with me being there (asking if I needed help several times), I'm sure at a corporate level, me standing in the sz13 area for 10+ minutes is not what they'd really like.

I'd go so far as to say that while other posters have reported positive shopping experiences at women-only stores (Victoria Secret, Bakers, etc), I have to think they'd rather not have men buying women's clothing for themselves. I have to think there's just too much of a chance that it may bother 'ordinary' woman, that it's not worth whatever sales men would provide.

That's not to say that any of these stores discourage men buying women merchandise for their own wearing. I don't think they can (curious - are VS dressing rooms women-only, M/F, or unisex?). At a store level, my feeling (from personal exposure, and shopping trips others have posted) is that most salespeople don't seem to have a problem with it. At a corporate level though, I just don't think they encourage it.

An interesting poll (more for the Guys section) would be, "What size shoe size are you?" (I'd sort of be surprised if one hasn't already been done). I'm about a sz 12.5 male, so I need a larger, wider woman's shoe to provide a halfway decent fit. I'm not sure there's anywhere else I could go where I'd actually have a chance of find a shoe in stock which would fit me.

But for guys that have smaller feet, up to 8, maybe 9, it's almost scary (for me) to think that they could buy almost any woman's shoe available at any store. Not to mention it's almost impossible to spend a lot of money at Payless. I could drop some serious cash at Victoria Secrets or Bakers if their full shoe lineup was available to me.