Goodbye Payless, The Cheap Shoe Store Has Called it Quits

Story by Christian Outten and Kamari Wright. Photo courtesy of Washington Post.

APR. 10, 2019: We continue to hear about all of these businesses closing down. Well, today another company has announced it is calling it quits, and this time it is Payless Shoe Stores. Payless said last week that they have officially closed down for good. The company will shut down over 2,500 stores in North America alone. This famous shoe store has been around for years to serve families who do not have much money to spend on shoes is finally saying goodbye.

All of its stores in the United States and Puerto Rico will close in April, and the online stores are said to close by May. According to the Washington Post, their online stores have not been bringing enough money to keep the company from closing its doors.

The closing is not a surprise because many companies are having a hard time trying to compete with online retailers. Why is that? Many people do their shopping now online. Where does a person go when they want just about anything?

Today it is online when it comes to buying shoes, clothing, perfume, and just about whatever is needed. There is not a need for a person to drive across town to make purchases when there is online shopping. Not having to drive is especially true because Amazon has taken over the shopping world.

It is sad in a way because customers expressed visiting Payless a month ago during the holidays could not find anything interesting. I am kind of happy to see Payless go because their merchandise is not what it used to be. They even raised their prices and most of the items can now be found cheaper with higher quality at the mall. In the past, parents could find huge deals during Back to School shopping on uniform shoes and everyday wear.

All we can do is shake our heads at all of this. Times are changing, and nobody wants to “pay less” anymore, but instead, pay more!

Christian Outten and Kamari Wright are both fourth-grade scholars at Friendship Woodridge International School.