Yearly Tradition Has Ended

[jetheelsfan]

Nine years ago, I made my foray into what had become a tradition for me at this time of year.  I went shopping for a pair of heels at Payless for a Halloween costume theme.  It varied from year to year but was comfortable with that premise of asking and trying on heels in the store.  I had many good encounters with the sales associates.  But alas, Payless is gone and others stores which have the 13's available are few and far.  It was fun while it lasted and regret not having started that many years earlier.

[RonC]

Definitely miss Payless and their wide range of sizes.  Kind of surprised that no other retailer has stepped up to fill that void....

[Jkrenzer]

It's hard for brick and mortar. But honestly payless wad filled with the worst rubbery shoes. I'm old enough to miss Picway. They had large sizes in the late 80's in 5 inch classic styles, hard soles, and stilettos. Many size 11's and larger.  They cost a few dollars more but were bought out by i think payless and that was it. I cut my teeth on pickway and mail order catalog Sexy Shoes otherwise known as Lesley Shoes in Rogers Michigan. Both lost there way. In the old days Sexy Shoes had their own styles and construction long since lost.

Sexy Shoes is still around but just a shadow of it's former self. They probably make more money now but they put no effort into it. Mostly sell Pleaser and highest heel like everyone else. The few styles of their own are trash compared to their 80's and 90's selections.

[SF]

Yessir.....   Losing Payless was / is a blow...  I miss 'em too.  I had been a Payless customer since the 1970's...  Target has some nice shoes to size 12 in many styles.  And Marmi has shoes / sandals to size 13.  A bit pricy but worth it.  

Good luck....    sf 

[JeffB]

The loss of Payless was, and remains lamentable. Not many brick and mortal stores carry size 13 which I wear, hell, most don't go up to 12 these days. Already I miss being able to go into Payless to peruse the aisles for shoes that catch my eye. Those were the good old days.

[crossfire238]

Payless did carry up to 13 the were very inexpensive.  Not many stores up here in Maine carried that size.  We have a Nordstrom Rack about an hour away from me and the have a decent selection of 12/13. Pricing, the most I have paid, was $65 fopr a pair of Steve Madden pumps.  Most have ranged in the $40-50 range.  

[JeffB]

In retrospect, I’m surprised Payless didn’t just go the online only route like Radio Shack, Ritz Camera and Sharper Image, all of whom closed their brick and mortar stores to become internet retailers. I guess Payless was in such bad shape that a complete shutdown was the only option.

[chesterx]

Payless was the 1st store where I found a pair of heels that actually fit. Just a pair of classic black round toe pumps, but I could wear them for more than just 30 minutes. I wore them so much that a seam let loose on me last weekend. Used to be so hard to find shoes that were even close to my size. Got a nice little wardrobe of shoes going. Having a bit of an issue finding a pair of black patent stilettos in a size 12w. If anyone has any leads plz let me know...

[HappyinHeels]

I made the occasional visit to Payless and that's where I got my "Cosmic" wedges that some of our members have talked about. Fortunately I can fit most size 10 shoes so more is available to me. As for the rest this is a situation where one needs to adapt to the changing environment. There are other offerings out there but it will require effort. Don't forget Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack which always have larger sizes, make a wider search of internet sites, and don't be afraid to take a trip outside the USA where shoe markets are different and thriving. One such place is Mexico. I'm amazed just how robust the shoe market is there. Lots of higher heels and nice colours. Larger sizes may be an issue but a friend of mine in Chicago has carried the "Vice-Versa" brand which are Mexican-made heels actually sized in mens. They look good and and fit well.

Jetheelsfan,

It's too bad your yearly tradition ended but you can start a new one by finding a different store. Just because Payless went under does not mean your desire to wear heels also went under. You valued your interaction with Payless employees and that's what you'll miss. Now you must look anew to forge new connections. It's what we humans are wired for. HappyinHeels

Edited October 10, 2019 by HappyinHeels
missing word

[pumps13]

Too bad about Payless and Sexy shoes.  Agree that the old Rogers shoes/SexyShoes was the best.  They don't even seem to try now.  Quality size 13 and 14 is hard to find.

[RonC]

On 10/7/2019 at 11:07 PM, SF said:

Yessir.....   Losing Payless was / is a blow...  I miss 'em too.  I had been a Payless customer since the 1970's...  Target has some nice shoes to size 12 in many styles.  And Marmi has shoes / sandals to size 13.  A bit pricy but worth it.  

Good luck....    sf 

Target has size 12 ib store in your area?  11 is the highest they go around me.

[chesterx]

17 minutes ago, RonC said:

Target has size 12 ib store in your area?  11 is the highest they go around me.

Same for my area, no 12's...

[Puffer]

Alas, there is not (and has not been) any true equivalent to Payless in the UK.   (I have been to Florida three times and a visit to Payless there was rewarding.)   It is almost impossible to find anything of reasonable quality and fit in larger sizes (UK10 or greater) 'off the shelf' here, affordable or otherwise, and most internet sources are risky in terms of fit, if not quality.   I don't ask for much: a modest selection of non-extreme boots, loafers and sandals in UK11-12 that can be comfortably and discreetly worn in public and don't break the bank. 

[at9]

In Germany rather than the UK but this site has a lot of decent looking, non-extreme, larger sizes: https://www.schuhplus.com/damenschuhe/

Has anyone here bought from them?

 

[Puffer]

2 hours ago, at9 said:

In Germany rather than the UK but this site has a lot of decent looking, non-extreme, larger sizes: https://www.schuhplus.com/damenschuhe/

Has anyone here bought from them?

 

Thank you - but nothing there that would fit me (Eu45/46) is either appealing or affordable.

[jetheelsfan]

On 10/9/2019 at 11:16 AM, HappyinHeels said:

 

Jetheelsfan,

It's too bad your yearly tradition ended but you can start a new one by finding a different store. Just because Payless went under does not mean your desire to wear heels also went under. You valued your interaction with Payless employees and that's what you'll miss. Now you must look anew to forge new connections. It's what we humans are wired for. HappyinHeels

I have looked around but a 13 is about as plentiful as reliable "Big Foot" sightings.  DSW, Target, Shoe Carnival and a couple others have an occasional 12 but those are just too tight.  Most are large warehouse types and are not as cordial as the compact Payless organized by size instead of style.  Still fun to look and admire what is available to so many.

[p1ng74]

On 10/8/2019 at 4:25 AM, JeffB said:

The loss of Payless was, and remains lamentable. Not many brick and mortal stores carry size 13 which I wear, hell, most don't go up to 12 these days. Already I miss being able to go into Payless to peruse the aisles for shoes that catch my eye. Those were the good old days.

Have you been to the Nordstrom Rack outside of KOP mall?  I was just there and they have a wall full of 12 and some 13s...

[JeffB]

7 hours ago, p1ng74 said:

Have you been to the Nordstrom Rack outside of KOP mall?  I was just there and they have a wall full of 12 and some 13s...

Not lately, but I might give the place a looksee soon.

[JeffB]

Took this picture while downtown yesterday. Of all the Payless locations I visited over the years, and I had been to more than a few, the store near the corner of 16th and Chestnut Street in center city Philly was the one I shopped in the most, and I bought a lot of shoes and boots there. It's very sad to see this once favorite chain having disappeared from the retail landscape.

[chesterx]

On 10/17/2019 at 9:15 PM, p1ng74 said:

Have you been to the Nordstrom Rack

Thanks for the heads up about Nordstrom Rack. I have one I drive by all the time & never thought to try them. Was a good excuse to break in my new winter boots, so i stopped by after getting my nails done. Found a pair of Sam Edelman black patent stilletos at half off & a pair of charles david wedges for 14 bucks. A nice lady asked me where I got my boots & we ended up trying on shoes together. The check out girl raved over my nails. That was so fun, best shopping experience i have had...will definitely be stopping by once a month from now on.

Edited October 27, 2019 by chesterx

[jeremy1986]

9 hours ago, chesterx said:

Thanks for the heads up about Nordstrom Rack. I have one I drive by all the time & never thought to try them. Was a good excuse to break in my new winter boots, so i stopped by after getting my nails done. Found a pair of Sam Edelman black patent stilletos at half off & a pair of charles david wedges for 14 bucks. A nice lady asked me where I got my boots & we ended up trying on shoes together. The check out girl raved over my nails. That was so fun, best shopping experience i have had...will definitely be stopping by once a month from now on.

Lucky you!

Don't forget to share some pics of your good deals!

[chesterx]

8 hours ago, jeremy1986 said:

Lucky you!

Don't forget to share some pics of your good deals!

Sure, the pumps are run of the mill black patent, except these fit. These are the wedges I found. Also, EEEEK! I have spiders in my house!

 

[jeremy1986]

6 minutes ago, chesterx said:

Sure, the pumps are run of the mill black patent, except these fit. These are the wedges I found. Also, EEEEK! I have spiders in my house!

 

Not sure about the spiders.... but these wedges are great! Totally my style too! 

[chesterx]

54 minutes ago, jeremy1986 said:

Not sure about the spiders.... but these wedges are great! Totally my style too! 

Funny, for the longest time I never really had, or even thought about, a style. It was always take what you could get, & it rarely, if ever, even fit. We live in a golden time where we can find what we want & expect that we can actually wear them. Except for designer shoes, they are never large enough for my foot. Would love a pair of Louboutin pumps...

[jeremy1986]

7 hours ago, chesterx said:

We live in a golden time where we can find what we want & expect that we can actually wear them. 

totally! 

7 hours ago, chesterx said:

Would love a pair of Louboutin pumps...

Funny, never really had motivation to get a pair (not that I could afford it anyway!) 

[Cali]

14 hours ago, chesterx said:

Would love a pair of Louboutin pumps...

 

6 hours ago, jeremy1986 said:

Funny, never really had motivation to get a pair (not that I could afford it anyway!) 

But @jeremy1986 don't you want to feel what an expensive heel feels like?  There's fun in just trying on heels. I sometimes I take 3-4 hours and go shoe shopping, try on 20+ pairs. When I was at Sydney International a few years back with time to kill there was a Jimmy Choo store in the Duty Free area. The space was empty, so I went over to look at the heels. I wanted to know what a $2000 shoe felt like ON.  I asked to try on a pair and was told that they only had tiny sizes, under size 7. The sales woman couldn't even try them on herself. The store only stocked for the Chinese/Asian market. We talked for a while as I was wasting time.

[jeremy1986]

Well @Cali - I guess that might be fun, yes. Are expensive heels that much more comfortable that cheaper ones?

I'm not at the stage though, that i'd be comfortable trying on heels in store

[Cali]

3 minutes ago, jeremy1986 said:

Well @Cali - I guess that might be fun, yes. Are expensive heels that much more comfortable that cheaper ones?

I'm not at the stage though, that i'd be comfortable trying on heels in store

I haven't tried on a Jimmy Choo or a Louboutin yet. I have several that started around $300 (not what I paid) and they are very comfortable. I also have some $40 heels that are also very comfortable. 

[maninboots]

2 hours ago, jeremy1986 said:

Well @Cali - I guess that might be fun, yes. Are expensive heels that much more comfortable that cheaper ones?

I'm not at the stage though, that i'd be comfortable trying on heels in store

I go into stores all the time to try on heels, everywhere from primark to Selfridges, boots ranging from £20 to £2000 or more, it’s one of my favourite pass times and the chance to talk heels with various assistants, it really is great fun, you should try it, and yes you can definitely feel the difference between £20 and £2000, just wish i was able to afford those prices so trying on in stores is the nearest i get to wearing such expensive boots 

[p1ng74]

3 hours ago, jeremy1986 said:

Well @Cali - I guess that might be fun, yes. Are expensive heels that much more comfortable that cheaper ones?

I'm not at the stage though, that i'd be comfortable trying on heels in store

In my experience, the answer is "sometimes".  If you have the time, it is fun to shop around and find out.  The Stuart Weitzman highland boots literally feel like socks on my feet - it is an experience like none other I have tried on.  After I tried them on I just had to have them - fortunately it was at an outlet store and I only paid a fraction of the $798 MSRP.  If you go to an outlet store like Off Fifth and Nordstrom Rack they are all out on shelves, self service, and you can try on a lot of different nice shoes without bothering anyone.