Unattractive shoe displays, big competition from fast-fashion brands and larger retailers, and a lack of an e-commerce presence has contributed to the end of Payless, and of an era of value shoe store shopping.Katie Canales/Business Insider
But Payless has had to compete with other fashion brands across the board in recent years, from fast-fashion stores like Forever 21 to larger retailers like Walmart and Target.
Some of the styles seemed outdated, too, like these glittery Birkenstock look-a-likes.
Katie Canales/Business Insider
Despite the bargain prices, Payless' unattractive shoe displays, lack of an e-commerce presence, and inability to keep up with other fashion labels point to why it's struggled in recent years.
Katie is a tech and crypto reporter based in Austin, Texas. She joined Insider in 2018 and focuses heavily on NFTs, blockchain technology, major crypto players, and the booming Web3 space.She has also covered the many happenings in the tech industry, from content moderation and data privacy to antitrust issues and regulation. Katie graduated from Texas A&M University in 2017 with a bachelor's degree in journalism. She began her time at Insider in the company's San Francisco office before moving home to Texas in 2021. You can find her paddleboarding most Saturdays.Reach her at kcanales@bjinnox.com, or follow her on Twitter @KatieCanales1.
