Frugal….not cheap!

When I was a kid, I had special shoes for my flat feet.  A very boring fact, but true.  My parents didn’t have the liberty of buying regular shoes for me and they would put out about $12.00 for these special shoes to help my feet.

Fast forward to today.  I need a new pair of tennis shoes because my very flat feet cause brutal wear and tear to shoes.  They are so flat, I would swear, they are the same size width-wise as length-wise.  Funny, but it makes it very hard to find a pair of shoes.  I absolutely have to buy the wides, because I can’t get even my toes into a regular width shoe.  I sometimes compensate by buying them a couple of sizes larger or even buying a pair of men’s shoes to find me something that fits.

Anyway, back to today, I went over to Payless Shoes to look for a pair of tennis shoes.  I have many different types of tennis shoes.  Good, going out tennis shoes, hanging around the house tennis shoes, and even garden tennis shoes.  Today I needed  a pair that I can wear around the house and garden in.  Not something that I needed to spend a lot of money on, so Payless would serve my purpose.  I found a couple of pairs that would work and was shocked when I saw the price, $34.99.  What!  I tried another pair $34.99.  Come on, now!  They are not even name-brand.   Everyone on the planet knows Payless shoes are not known for their quality and they are temporary shoes.  This is the place you go when you need a pair of shoes to take you to church or a prom or use in the garden.   Payless shoes usually cost around $15.00 and if they were on sale they would be even cheaper at $9.99.   I kept checking boxes looking at the prices on the other shoes and couldn’t find anything under $20.00.  What was going on here?

In the past I have gone to Kohl’s or Footlocker for my shoes, so I know what a good pair of tennis shoes should cost.   Remember, I am frugal not cheap, but to pay the same amount for a pair of non brand cheap shoes, was not frugal.

So, tell me, what would possess Payless to hike the  price of their shoes up during these economy times? Do they think consumers will think that their product is more valuable if they charge that?  At this rate, Payless will need to do some price reduction real fast or we will hear Payless announcing that they will need to shut down some of their stores.  I am sure they will blame it on the economy, just like all the others.  Starr Jones, where ever you are, wipe that smile off your face.