Payless Used to Be Everywhere, but One Day It Disappeared — Is It Still in Business?

For decades, Payless ShoeSource was a staple in hometowns across the United States. They were conceived of as an all-access shoe stop for people who might otherwise struggle to find shoes, bringing accessibility to millions of Americans by being present in the most bizarre places at times. They weren't high fashion, exactly, but they were easy to find and fairly reasonably priced.

And then one day they seemed to simply disappear. Childhood memories became yearnings as people longed to revisit their Payless experiences of yesteryear. TikTok is filled with people reminiscing about what it was like to stroll down those tightly packed aisles. But the stores suddenly seemed to be nowhere to be found. So, is Payless even still in business? Here's what we know about the beloved retailer's fate.

Payless first opened their doors in 1956. According to Business Perch, the store's early goal was to offer stylish footwear at prices that the average person could afford.

Although they started modestly, it wasn't long before the company opened thousands of stores all across the world and put them in places that increased accessibility to people who hadn't previously had access to budget-friendly footwear.

For decades, they remained the ubiquitous presence for many small-town Americans and people around the world who didn't want to shop at less specialized stores, wanted options, and weren't looking to spend specialty store prices.

However, just like it devastated many other specialized businesses, e-commerce hit Payless hard. It wasn't long in the 2000s before Payless failed to compete with big online retailers like Amazon, and even other shoe stores, which pivoted quickly to online sales and closed storefronts.

Payless's brand had always been about the ease of finding the stores and the variety you could browse through. So, the model didn't seem to translate well in the world of internet shopping.

In 2017, they filed for bankruptcy for the first time. They filed again in 2019, closing all of their North American stores. However, the store relaunched in 2020 with a focus on online sales. Payless is still in business, but it may be more difficult to find an actual physical storefront these days.

Now, Payless sells through Amazon with a partnership, and their online storefront reads, "Have you missed us? We missed you!" So, if you want to hit up those Payless prices and options, you'll probably end up on Amazon.

However, TikTok makes it clear that people really miss that nostalgic experience of strolling down the Payless aisle while your parent eyes your new shoes and squeezes the toes to make sure they fit.

Under one video, one user wrote, "I haven’t known where to buy shoes since Payless closed."

Another added, "'Do they make you jump higher? Run faster?' The determining questions."

One user mused, "I feel like I can smell the store through this post. I’m not mad at it."

Unfortunately, while those days of easily hopping down to the local Payless to buy a new pair of shoes, complete with scent, may be mostly in the past, at least you can still buy the products with just a few clicks.