Payless ShoeSource Re-Opening 500 Stores With A New Name

Back in February 2019, Payless ShoeSource announced they would be closing all 2,300 of their stores, including their twenty locations in New Jersey. In January of this year, there was buzz going around that they were relaunching their online store, and were thinking about reopening some of their brick and mortar locations as well.

Who would have guessed that January of 2020 would have been a bad time to try and bring back your business?

After a bit of a delay, it turns out they were able to push through a pandemic, and will re-open 500 stores! My shoe-loving coworker Nicole gave the heads up.

According to NJ.com, the company relocated their headquarters from Topeka, Kansas to Miami, Florida. The first new location will open in Miami, and as of yet, no locations have been confirmed for New Jersey - but with 500 stores coming back, you would assume a few would return to our area.

The other "big" change surrounds the name. Going forward, "Payless ShoeSource" will be known as..."Payless". Did anyone ever actually say "hey I need to go to Payless ShoeSource to get a cheap pair of sneakers", or did they just say "hey I gotta go to Payless"? It may be the tamest rebrand since Dunkin' Donuts made the change to just Dunkin'.

As a parent, the allure of cheap shoes is strong. My oldest daughter is burning through shoes at an infuriating rate, and it seems like every month we have to buy her new shoes to accommodate her growth. My younger daughter is just three months old, but will be needing new kicks soon enough. Kids are expensive, man. Cheap shoes for everyone!