I learned all I needed to know about Payless after I bought a pair of shoes there and had to walk from the NYC Port Authority to 129 west 27th(it’s not all that far). My Achilles area/heels were bloody. I took a copy of The Village Voice and stuffed a bunch sheets in my shoes and limped back when I was done.
And, as many things in the "new economy" and the "new America" they got too expensive for what they were.
Payless was the place where you picked up a pair of $10 shoes or $2 flip flops.
Last time I went in there, my son needed a pair of shoes for a function he had to attend. I think they wanted $40 for a plastic pair of cheap looking shoes. I walked over to Nordstrom Rack, picked up a NICE pair of Cole Haan shoes on clearance for $55.
My reasoning is always, if I am going to buy something cheap, it better be cheap.