Payless shoes may be no more..

[bailey]

Reading as of today Payless shoes may be filing for bankruptcy. The story claimed they may be closing up to 400 stores in the US alone. There might be some good sales but at the cost of jobs lost and local economies being effected. Online shopping is causing a decline in retail businesses making a go of it and eventually will hurt the small private retailler too. Its either catch up with the latest in technology or be left behind. Places like Amazon are the big winners.

[jeremy1986]

That's quite sad... both on the larger level, but also on my own selfish level... I have a couple of real winners from Payless :-)

[maninpumps]

I hate to see anyone loose jobs . Payless has lost business just because all larger sizes have to be ordered . Shopping should be fun and one should try the shoes on in the store . Honestly , what's the fun in getting a package and trying heels on in the living room or kitchen ? Looking forward to seeing new styles was a great pleasure and now it's like here it is online . Do they ever change the styles ?  Zappo's is getting to be the same way . Why bother to wear high heels if you can't go shopping for them ? Just my opinion . I wish all the best to the Payless employees .

 

[Heelster]

As much as I hate to see businesses like Payless struggle, if they closed the nearest one to me, it would be no big issue. Selection was limited beyond the typical flats, and the sales people were rather pissy when I walked down the aisle. You could tell they didn't approve of men wearing heels. It's the only store I have experienced this, and frankly - - good riddance.

 

[JeffB]

Payless isn't alone in having had their legs cut out from under them by the likes of Amazon. Sears, JCPenney and Macy's has also suffered with all three chains in the process of trimming dead wood by closing stores while Sears could go under altogether. Regarding Payless, I won't deny that I've bought the bulk of my shoes online where the selection in women's 13 wide is far larger than in brick and mortar stores with their limited space, in fact, I rarely visit any actual stores anymore, it's just not worth the time because I rarely if ever find anything I like. While it's a sad day when workers lose their jobs, the hard truth is that online shopping is the way to go these days, what's frustrating to me is that I'd love to buy from Amazon or Zappos, but they offer next to nothing in my size, leaving Payless as my main resource for shoes. If Payless were to go to being an online retailer only like The Sharper Image had after closing all their physical stores years ago, I'd be happy with that rather than have the chain disappear.

[Logjam]

JeffB, my thoughts and circumstances almost exactly! Finding size 13 in a brick and mortar store is pretty much a once in a blue moon thing for me. I've ordered "ship to store" a few times but usually just have them come directly to my home.

Logjam

[HappyinHeels]

The reason this story is quite relevant is because Payless carries size 11 and 12. So many shoe stores follow the 6-10 business model and may get sizes 5.5 and 11 on a subsequent order of a good seller.

[blueparrot]

We used to buy our kids shoes at Payless when they were younger.  They outgrew shoes so we didn't care that they didn't last.  The youngest daughter is now addicted to Vince Camuto, Sam Edelman, Michael Kors, Steve Madden, etc.  (I wonder who she got that from?)  I haven't been in any of their stores in a long time.  I suspect in addition to Amazon if DSW hasn't hurt them as well.  They have stores all over the place now.  That's where we have been taking the girls to shop the past few years.  I can find good name brand real leather shoes for Payless prices if I time it right during clearance sales at Dillards, Nordstrom, DSW, Saks off Fifth, Bloomingdales, and other stores.  $35 for $200 boots is just one example (Dillards).  Why sweat in polyurethane? Nordstrom especially carries 11 and 12.  The others have some 11's.  I take either 10 or 11 myself depending on brand. 

 

Edited April 8, 2017 by blueparrot

[alphax]

People losing real local jobs is never good, but just about every pair I bought from Payless turned into goo before its time.  Cheap polyurethane.

Some stores did carry large womens sizes, particularly those in areas with a large black population.  It was particularly noticeable between stores in San Francisco and Oakland.

Edit:  The black population thing is purely my own guess as to why Payless had larger sizes in one location as opposed to the other.

Edited April 9, 2017 by alphax

[Heelster]

2 hours ago, alphax said:

People losing real local jobs is never good, but just about every pair I bought from Payless turned into goo before its time.  Cheap polyurethane.

Some stores did carry large womens sizes, particularly those in areas with a large black population.  It was particularly noticeable between stores in San Francisco and Oakland.

Our local pretty much stopped at size 10, and anything at Payless was less expensive at Walmart.

 

[alphax]

2 hours ago, Heelster said:

Our local pretty much stopped at size 10, and anything at Payless was less expensive at Walmart.

 

Just to clarify, are you saying Payless carried larger sizes and your local non-Payless shoe store didn't, or are you saying your local Payless didn't stock larger than size 10?

[JeffB]

6 hours ago, alphax said:

People losing real local jobs is never good, but just about every pair I bought from Payless turned into goo before its time.  Cheap polyurethane.

Some stores did carry large womens sizes, particularly those in areas with a large black population.  It was particularly noticeable between stores in San Francisco and Oakland.

Edit:  The black population thing is purely my own guess as to why Payless had larger sizes in one location as opposed to the other.

I can verify what you said. I live in the inner city, and Payless stores in predominantly black neighborhoods do indeed have sizes up to 13 while stores in mainly white suburbs barely crack 11, maybe 12.

[Heelster]

3 hours ago, alphax said:

Just to clarify, are you saying Payless carried larger sizes and your local non-Payless shoe store didn't, or are you saying your local Payless didn't stock larger than size 10?

Local carries up to, but nothing beyond a size 10. The Brash heels discussed here often were only in 6,7,8.

[alphax]

2 minutes ago, Heelster said:

Local carries up to, but nothing beyond a size 10. The Brash heels discussed here often were only in 6,7,8.

Ah okay (Brash being a Payless-affiliated brand).  I don't really blame Payless for not carrying larger sizes.  Even in Oakland, a locally owned indy shoe store that carried large sizes, Rocsil's/McB's went out of business, which probably would have happened eventually due to competition from the web.

[Heelster]

1 hour ago, alphax said:

Ah okay (Brash being a Payless-affiliated brand).  I don't really blame Payless for not carrying larger sizes.  Even in Oakland, a locally owned indy shoe store that carried large sizes, Rocsil's/McB's went out of business, which probably would have happened eventually due to competition from the web.

I don't buy shoes online. Some brands and styles I'm a size 9 - - others, a size 10, and frankly, I would rather try them on first.

[maninpumps]

Payless update ....by mail ? Just received a letter from Payless corporate offices Topeka , KS . The letter contained two 40% off coupons for their St Mathews Mall and Bashford Manor locations , next closest locations to my home . Looks like they will be closing Town Fair Center store that is closest , by the end of the month . Shame they wasted more money on postage . 

[jetheelsfan]

Very sad to see this trend for several reasons.  One is stuck with what comes and not easy to try different styles and compare fit in real time. Payless has been the only location I have been able to try styles and compare fit between sizes. It has always been fun to engage the SAs foir help in making decisions.  I have not had a bad experience there and hope they find a way to hang on.
The thing is, Sears and Roebuck made their place in business with the catalog - the forerunner to the internet sales and they missed the boat that Amazon launched.  I fully expect people will sooner or later decide that being able to see the product, feel the product, compare the product and inspect the product will again bring the circle back.  I had someone tell me today that the product they bought off the internet was a cheap inferior item that had to be replaced in a very short time at a great expense of time and toil.."I will go back to purchasing where I can get personal service" was his comment. The web store had no warranty available nor would they answer questions - figures.

[Lime15]

As another of the Size 13 Club, I have mixed feelings on this.  While the size 13 assortment in most Payless stores that even stock them is pretty poor (just the most basic plain pump or flat - or if you get lucky a pair someone returned to the store), they are one of the few retailers that manufacture nearly every one of their styles up through size 13 and make them available online.  Additionally they always have some sale or promotion so their shoes are often very affordable.  Sure, they might not be of the highest quality but in my experience most styles are quite acceptable for the price.  In the case of a few pairs I've had over the years there have also been some surprisingly high quality shoes from them.  While it would be nice to see the full assortment of size 13 shoes in their stores, the prices are still often far better online.  I would also venture a guess that discontinuing most of their socks, hosiery and shoe accessories (traditionally EXTREMELY high-margin items) both online and in many stores a couple years ago robbed them of some solid profits.

I'm sorry but unless you require the larger sizes (especially 13) you really can't thumb your nose at Payless outright.  They meet a demand.  Most mid quality brands (Nine West, BCBG, etc.) go up to 12 in many of their styles but that extra tick up to 13 is where the pickings truly become slim and unless you wear that size you have no idea.

Torrid sizing has become a complete crapshoot now that they seem to be heavily leaning toward extreme width.  Additionally they've continued to nearly completely bail on their earlier pinup and classic styles.  Then you have their ridiculous prices unless on clearance, and have you seen their new shoe line with the insane $100+ price tags?  It's freaking Torrid!!  Come on!!  Of course they also only ever go up to size 12 in store, most of the time stopping at 11 and many of their offerings are now online only.

Nordstrom Rack is getting better after earlier killing off the size 13 section in most stores (along with a large portion of size 12) and improving their website, but the selection is still very small and prices are still near full what I call "realistic retail."  It's like buying a new car, no one pays the sticker price.  Half the time a pair of shoes at Nordstrom Rack is 'marked down' to a higher price than the same pair in a more common size would go for brand new online or in-store at the same time. 

Everyone used to sing the praises of Zappos but again, you're paying full "realistic retail" or higher on most of their shoes.  Additionally you don't see the size 13 selection that was around a few years ago due to so many manufacturers stopping at 11 or 12.  Even when size 13 is included, they're always made in much smaller quantities although there's a huge demand there.

DSW's prices are outrageous for larger sizes, again, generally absolutely full sticker retail for a style that can be found much cheaper in more standard sizes, and cheaper still out of their in-store clearance area.  I used to be able to, on rare occasion, find a pair of size 13 shoes in their in-store clearance, or at least some solid candidate 12's.  However last year many stores compressed down their clearance section to make space for their new kid's assortment.  And you've guessed it, size 13 and most of the 12 were the first casualty.

I hate buying things on Amazon for the simple reason that their entire operation has become so bloated and convoluted over the past five or so years.  There's simply so much garbage you have to wade through even if you know exactly what you're looking for.  When they combined Endless.com (remember that, Amazon's amazing separate shoe site) into Amazon.com it was the beginning of the end in my opinion.

[Cali]

One of the questions I get asked a lot is where I find my shoes. They see a man in heels and assume we have large feet/shoes. Usually the woman has large feet or has a daughter or friend with large feet.  They on and on about how hard it is to find shoes to fit.  Then I have to disappoint them when I tell them what size I am, a normal US women's 10 (please don't hate me).  But the trouble you are having is the same I use to experience trying to find men's shoes that fit.  I'm really a size 8.5 in men's but had to buy 9.5 4E's just to get my toes in.  My heels would then slide around with an extra inch of width, clown shoes.

[Heelster]

I'm a men's size 7 to 8D depending. I have a hell of a time finding work boots that small. I end up ordering women's boots.

Funny this is - - the women's work boots are usually cheaper, and have more padding.

I'm a 9 to 10 in women's.

[Cali]

44 minutes ago, Heelster said:

Funny this is - - the women's work boots are usually cheaper, and have more padding.

I call that a WIN-WIN.

[robbiehhw]

Retail is a tough game. I've noticed DSW and Famous Footwear stores seem to be pretty busy lately.

[bluejay]

I agree on DSW. I was there last night near closing time. Many shoppers in the store. I saw a young couple ,both in their 20's a guy and gal, that were both trying on heels. They were trying on matching pairs of white, chunky heels. I commented to both of them, nice choice. They both smiled back. It reminded me of my wife and I wearing matching heels together. I'm glad to see the younger generation following in the foot steps of us more experienced heelers!

Happy Heeling,

bluejay