Payless Shoes Closing...

[SF]

Just heard on Fox Business News that Payless Shoes is making plans to file its second bankruptcy and close ALL of its stores by the end of March.  Very sad news, I love Payless Shoes.  No mention of continuing an online business.  Reuters article below....  Bummer....   sf

 

Retailer Payless ShoeSource set to shutter its U.S. stores

 (Reuters) - U.S. discount retailer Payless ShoeSource Inc plans to close all of its approximately 2,300 stores when it files for bankruptcy later this month for the second time in as many years, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday. 

The move would make Payless one of the most high-profile victims of the string of bankruptcies that have hit the brick-and-mortar retail sector as more shopping is done online. Toys “R” Us and The Bon-Ton Stores are among the retailers that shut their stores in liquidations in the last 12 months.

Payless had been trying unsuccessfully to find a buyer. After no such deal could be clinched, the Topeka, Kansas-based company has decided to initiate preparations to liquidate, the sources said. 

There is still a small chance a buyer could emerge after Payless files for bankruptcy, the sources said. In the meantime, the company is preparing to run going-out-of-business sales at its shops in the next week, one of the sources said.

The sources asked not to be identified because the liquidation preparations are confidential. Payless declined to comment. 

Payless filed bankruptcy once before in April 2017, and exited 18 months ago, with about $400 million in loans, after slashing its debt pile from over $800 million, according to court papers. A group of creditors, including hedge fund Alden Global Capital LLC, took over ownership, according to bankruptcy court records. 

[RonC]

Oh wow.  That sucks.  One of the few places I can always find size 11W or 12M shoes to fit me.  Yes, the quality of their products is typically marginal, but it's always been a great place to shop and try stuff on.  I will be very disappointed if they don't get bought up.

[Heelster]

Actually, I'm not surprised. Everyone I pass is empty. The only two women in two plants I work in called it "worthless".

My past experience at the one nearest me was terrible. They kept insisting I was in the wrong aisle, talked about me in the next aisle over, and avoided me like the plague. I was a lot happier at a Nine West outlet store before they shut down their brick and mortar - - spent more money there too. It was the closest store within a hundred miles of home too.

Now, the only option in the nearest city is Walmart. They have nothing but cheap sneakers, flip flops and slippers.

It's pretty much DSW from here out.

[Cali]

42 minutes ago, Heelster said:

Now, the only option in the nearest city is Walmart. They have nothing but cheap sneakers, flip flops and slippers.

It's pretty much DSW from here out.

I'm sorry Heelster that you have such a hard time finding stores near you, but your location says it all, "The sticks". Brick and Mortar stores are important, I want to try the shoes on before I purchase them. I found a pair of knee high leather boots in Last Call at Macy's the other day, nice 4 inch heel, full zipper...but I couldn't get the zipper all the way up. 

[Heelster]

5 minutes ago, Cali said:

I'm sorry Heelster that you have such a hard time finding stores near you, but your location says it all, "The sticks". Brick and Mortar stores are important, I want to try the shoes on before I purchase them. I found a pair of knee high leather boots in Last Call at Macy's the other day, nice 4 inch heel, full zipper...but I couldn't get the zipper all the way up. 

You are correct in that I live out in the sticks. I have noticed that once I travel out into other metropolitan areas, I see more, but frankly, I saw a hell of a lot more in your world.

[AZShoeNut]

Oh man, that really sucks.  They did it to themselves.  During the early Brash days Payless was totally rockin.  Then all of the sudden their heel heights seemed to come down, there were fewer and fewer wide widths, and the styles became fairly mediocre.

Serious bummer though as I always loved going into a Payless and trying on shoes.  I usually didn't walk out empty handed.

[6inchheel]

1 hour ago, AZShoeNut said:

Oh man, that really sucks.  They did it to themselves.  During the early Brash days Payless was totally rockin.  Then all of the sudden their heel heights seemed to come down, there were fewer and fewer wide widths, and the styles became fairly mediocre.

Serious bummer though as I always loved going into a Payless and trying on shoes.  I usually didn't walk out empty handed.

That’s the same thing I said!!.....I remember purchasing Christian Siriano and Brash styles with 5 1/2 and 6 inch heels. Now every style is what I call “ Grandma Heels”. I usually go in Payless wearing 6 inch and seven in heels and the sales associate always says they never get any heels as high as I wear.

[hhboots]

Yeah, some of my very first (and nervous) in-store heel purchases were from Payless more than 25 years ago.  It is a shame to see them go, and you can already see that they have changed their website such that buying from them online is no longer an option.

[alphax]

My last few pairs of heeled boots and shoes from Payless turned into flaky goo, so that was the end of my shopping there.

I think they were done in by a better economy reducing demand for ultra cheap shoes.  Online shopping also knocked them down, as that continues in all retail sectors.

[HappyinHeels]

Heelster,

It's hard for me to wrap my head around anywhere in northern Ohio being that remote but maybe I'm mistaken. Ohio is not so big a state that the capital city of Columbus can't be reached within two hours which is headquarters for DSW. There's also a Nordstrom Rack in the Eaton Center on the east side of the city. I noticed the same decline in heel heights at various Payless locations and an overall increase in uninspiring and boring-looking footwear. Cali makes a great point, which cannot be overstated, that trying them in-person, is much more satisfying than trying to guess what will fit online only to have to return them later. Rather than six or seven trips to your closest Payless or Walmart (yuck) I think you'll find one or two trips per year to Columbus may actually work out better. Save that overtime cash!  HappyinHeels

[ChipsHH]

Sucks that this is a thing! I recently just bought a couple of pair from their BOGO sale, and was planning on another two (until one size ran out of the style I was eyeing). They're also where I've gotten most of my work [gym] shoes from, which have all averaged a length of about six months to a year. Given the prices, it's quite fair. They were also my most frequented place compared to the likes of DSW and Shoe Carnival and some small-name places in my area.

Now I feel like I need to run to the nearest one soon & stock up on more work shoes! I'm thinking ten pair should suffice, and maybe a pair of heels or three, yeah?

[jeremy1986]

4 hours ago, ChipsHH said:

Now I feel like I need to run to the nearest one soon & stock up on more work shoes! I'm thinking ten pair should suffice, and maybe a pair of heels or three, yeah?

Not living in the US, I cant comment on their stores... but I have a few pairs of theirs, and really like them, good solid shoes, though not top quality - but definitely work their price... for the casual heel wearer I am  

and yes - watch out for sales, I guess. I assume they might also just shut their doors and some point and ship off all their stock to outlet warehouses. 

[AZShoeNut]

18 hours ago, HappyinHeels said:

It's hard for me to wrap my head around anywhere in northern Ohio being that remote but maybe I'm mistaken. 

I used to work for a gal from the southern part of OH, close to KY.  Both she and her husband describe their part of OH exactly like Heelster does.  When they moved back to OH, some family came out to help and I sure as heck wouldn't be wearing heels out if they were representative of the local ambiance.  Not intending to talk trash in any way however they could take the term, "old school," and multiply it times 10.

[JeffB]

For someone like myself who wears a size 13, losing Payless will make for quite a blow as that size isn’t found in brick and mortal stores. Between Payless and Shoes of Prey having gone belly up, my choices for footwear have decreased considerably.

[maninpumps]

JeffB , you may want to check with Lane Bryant , Woman Within or Torrid . I have great luck with all of them .  

 Just sitting here thinking about getting rid of more Brash and American Eagle brands from Payless , maybe they will sell on ebay as "vintage" then I could sell them for double what I paid . Just kidding , I plan to post them here first in groups of two when I get pictures taken of them . 

[jetheelsfan]

I noticed there has been no weekly deals sent to the phone for the last month - wondered what was happening.  Sad to hear.

 

[Cali]

Am I the only US member here that has never been to Payless Shoes?

[HappyinHeels]

Southern Ohio I could understand but Heelster lives in the northern third of the state and that's the part that has my head spinning. I don't doubt what he says, he lives there after all. My suggestion now is to make one or two trips a year to Columbus and really make it worth the while owing to one less choice in his area. I doubt many people here though have lived in really remote areas of the USA. When I worked the border in Arizona we drove 150 miles to Phoenix, or sometimes Tucson also 150 miles distant, to do our bi-weekly shopping. I installed a 40-ft antenna to bring tv stations the 135 miles as the crow flies to our house. We were beyond the range of fm radio stations and most am radio stations on the US side of the border.  We made that trek to Phoenix every two weeks for nearly three years before moving back to the Midwest in 1992. Beautiful desert area but very remote indeed. I guess it's a relative degree of isolation. HappyinHeels

[Shyheels]

I’ve spent time up in the Gulf Country and in The Kimberley - both of which are areas in Australia - and they are seriously remote. 

[HappyinHeels]

I limited my scope to the United States. Sure, Australia would have some gold-medal-winning places for being remote given the layout of the country/continent. Now Canada I am quite familiar with and the mind-boggling distances involved especially north of 52 north latitude in 2/3rds of the country. There are places where signs indicate distances in excess of 1000 km to the next major place. That's probably why satellite functions on phones are much more utlised there. I would think Australia may be similar. The most thing I seem to remember about Australia is a stretch of railroad which runs absolutely straight for an insane distance. Crossing Australia must be something akin to crossing the Gobi Desert in China close to the Mongolia border or crossing Siberia. HinH

[Shyheels]

Yes, there is a stretch of tracks on the Nullarbor Plain that runs for 298 miles without even a bend, dead straight all the way and nothing out there but scrub farther than the eye can see. And that 298 miles is just the straightaway. The tracks bend a little and continue on into a still empty horizon. I have cycled across the Nullarbor. It takes some doing...

[JeffB]

The Payless website is no longer accepting online orders, gotta go to the stores now.

[AZShoeNut]

9 hours ago, HappyinHeels said:

Southern Ohio I could understand but Heelster lives in the northern third of the state and that's the part that has my head spinning. 

Yeah, I hear you on that.  I have a ton of family in Lorain and the surrounding areas.  Been there a few times, mostly as a kid.  I do want to head back for the next big (500+ people) family reunion  Also been to Cincinnati and Urbana for business with a side trip to Dayton for the Museum of the US Air Force.  Not so sure I would be walking around in heels in Urbana.

I just wasn't sure how the "energy" of the folks spreads throughout the state.

[Lime15]

18 hours ago, JeffB said:

For someone like myself who wears a size 13, losing Payless will make for quite a blow as that size isn’t found in brick and mortal stores. Between Payless and Shoes of Prey having gone belly up, my choices for footwear have decreased considerably.

This is the key.

If you wear a size 13, Payless was one of the few retailers that had constant seasonal stock of new shoes in a standard 13.  Not whatever oddball version of "wide width" Torrid is deciding upon as the definition this week, not the overpriced and limited selection of Lane Bryant, and not the rare unsold scraps the discounters get.  Payless wasn't always the best quality, but they were absolutely comparable to those other choices at 1/3 the cost, which made it perfectly acceptable - especially when they would have an occasional great fitting above-average quality style (Brash, some Christian Siriano, the old Christian Siriano Gold Collection).  Importantly as well, Payless shoes generally would fit the same, which made ordering online easy.

I hated going into their stores - they never had any variety in my size, but I ordered online from them all the time.  Sure, Payless hasn't had very many incredible styles recently like they did not too long ago but the plus size retailers (Torrid, Lane Bryant, etc.) have become the very definition of frumpy shoes over the past few years.

18 hours ago, maninpumps said:

JeffB , you may want to check with Lane Bryant , Woman Within or Torrid . I have great luck with all of them .  

 Just sitting here thinking about getting rid of more Brash and American Eagle brands from Payless , maybe they will sell on ebay as "vintage" then I could sell them for double what I paid . Just kidding , I plan to post them here first in groups of two when I get pictures taken of them . 

If / when you list those shoes, please send me a message here as I would be most interested as well! Thanks!

[Himark]

Another business worth looking at is Avenue. They specialize in large size women's clothing, including a selection of shoes. They sell online and also have physical stores in some areas. 

[Cali]

I have heard that Long Tall Sally also sales size 12 and 13 shoes.

[alphax]

Nordstroms and Dillards sell heels up to size 13 and up. 

 

Woman Within only goes up to 12, the styles are all flat or low heels, and their designs are meh.

Avenue, does go up to 13, but flat or low heels, again meh designs.

Long Tall Sally's best designs in 13 are from Nine West, so you might as well just go to the source.

[ChipsHH]

There's also ShoeDazzle and JustFab (might as well combine them eventually because they both do the same thing). Up to Size 12 - lucky me! - but they want you on a subscription-type plan BUT you can skip months to avoid a charge, which is my game plan. They price shoes FAR below 100$, especially on sale dates (which have been happening a bit recently; don't know if it's because I'm on the sub or not), and a wide range of styles available.

I can finally vouch for them since buying a pair recently through them. I had always been curious but scared of the Sub program. Now that I can skip months, I'm a bit at ease & ready to buy more. Like this pair, named "Having Fun":

[Heelster]

On 2/17/2019 at 12:40 PM, AZShoeNut said:

I used to work for a gal from the southern part of OH, close to KY.  Both she and her husband describe their part of OH exactly like Heelster does.  When they moved back to OH, some family came out to help and I sure as heck wouldn't be wearing heels out if they were representative of the local ambiance.  Not intending to talk trash in any way however they could take the term, "old school," and multiply it times 10.

Your not - - and other than maybe Cincinnati in the south Ohio area - - - - Your in the sticks. 

[jeremy1986]

14 hours ago, ChipsHH said:

Love these wedges!