Since the demise of the Payless shoe store chain, I have received emails asking what do I do now to put new shoes on my feet.
I miss Payless. Their prices were very reasonable, they had stores everywhere and they carried shoes in larger sizes to fit ladies like us.
On the other hand, their sizes were inconsistent. I recall trying on shoes at a local Payless and finding shoes that fit me in three different sizes! That is not a big deal if you shopped in the store, but that made shopping online a crapshoot. Luckily, they had an easy return policy – you could ship returns back to Payless or return them to a local store.
Those days are gone with the wind. So, I took Horace Greeley's advice: Go West, young woman! That is, Go
Nine West to be specific.
Actually, I have been purchasing shoes from Nine West for years; just not as often as Payless.
Nine West has a couple of things going for it. The quality of their shoes is very good, whereas the quality of Payless shoes occasionally failed. Their sizes are very consistent – I never had to return a Nine West purchase because the shoe size was unfit (or for any other reason). And like Payless, they have shoes for ladies with larger feet.
On the other hand, they have few, if any, local stores. (There was a Nine West store in a local mall, but not anymore). Also, their prices are higher than the Payless experience. But, they always have sales and I just wait to purchase that shoe to-die-for until it goes on sale.
And so my feet go.
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| Wearing Nine West |
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| Massimo Bellinzoni (left) in the 1992 Italian film What A Night (Nottataccia). |
