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The Looming End of Payless ShoeSource

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Re: The Looming End of Payless ShoeSource

#2

Post by hprotagonist »

In those days, anywhere you found a Payless, you found kids who knew they were getting subpar shoes, but also knew to appreciate them because they were better than not getting new shoes at all.

Yup. That's exactly it. ( I wore my fair share of really crappy gym-class shoes, too.)

Re: The Looming End of Payless ShoeSource

#3

Post by themodelplumber »

> we racked up hours roaming fluorescent lit aisles, inhaling the smell of off-gassing pleather.

Funny. And if I had to bet on one term that could completely change the materials of which consumer products are made, possibly sparking a consumer materials revolution, "off-gassing" would be it. Once you learn about it, it's always there, nagging you to ventilate or throw out.

In fact I'd say that along with terms like "gaslighting" and "toxic relationship" enjoying recent prominence, times have never been better for terms capturing the psychological rejection of toxins driving humans headlong toward life change.

Re: The Looming End of Payless ShoeSource

#4

Post by Animats »

themodelplumber wrote: post #3

> we racked up hours roaming fluorescent lit aisles, inhaling the smell of off-gassing pleather. Funny. And if I had to bet on one term that could completely change the materials of which consumer products are made, possibly sparking a consumer materials revolution, "off-gassing" would be it. Once you learn about it, it's always there, nagging you to ventilate or throw out. In fact I'd say that along with terms like…

It's "out-gassing", as the plasticizers leach out of the vinyl. The "new car smell".

Re: The Looming End of Payless ShoeSource

#8

Post by toomuchtodo »

godzillabrennus wrote: post #6
Paperweight wrote: post #5

[flagged]

You better own the robots or the land. It’s going to be bad news bears for people who don’t own either.

Or plan on “borrowing” the plans and software for the robots. The story of Robin Hood never goes out of style.

I propose Keanu Reeves plays the protagonist in the film adaption, a spiritual successor of Johnny Mnemonic.

Re: The Looming End of Payless ShoeSource

#9

Post by debatem1 »

The point about both helping create the race to the bottom and also catering to those it leaves behind is, I think, an important and often overlooked one.

It's why Walmart is beloved in many of the small southern towns where I grew up. Sure it relentlessly exploited poor people elsewhere, but when you're poor yourself you can't help but be grateful for its low prices. And the belief that finally, finally someone is giving you the good end of that deal is terribly reassuring-- like maybe, for once, someone has your back.

This, of course, quickly assumes a political dimension. At the time conservatives (many of whom now back Trumpian protections, how times change) railed against the so-called "latte liberals" who supposedly fought Walmart from the comfort of their Mercedes-- not that anyone knew one of them personally, of course. And we, the rank and file, ate it up: we needed our cheap shoes, our cheap food, etc.

Now, as a liberal, when I hear people advocating for the breakup of Amazon or Google, I can't help but think back to how I would have felt about that when I was poorer, and when I didn't have the option of simply paying more for a better cause. I think I would have fought quite hard to keep my costs low, possibly to the point of voting against many of my other interests or beliefs. And especially in this era of polarization and high-stakes politics, I'm not sure it's a good idea to bet on people in general viewing that differently.

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