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The Looming End of Payless ShoeSource

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Re: The Looming End of Payless ShoeSource

#111

Post by prolikewhoa »

icelancer wrote: post #12
debatem1 wrote: post #9

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 g…

Very well said. I grew up in a below-average income family and this is exactly the viewpoint much of my extended family has. Yet they're just considered dumb for voting against their own interests and told they don't know what's good for them. Leftists have an odd way of convincing the very people they're trying to help by making fun of them; it hasn't worked out too well in the last 20 years and I don't expect it wi…

[dead]

Re: The Looming End of Payless ShoeSource

#112

Post by astura »

srj wrote: post #103
omegaworks wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>geographical balancing against population density was the Great Compromise That's flowery language to disguise what was essentially a pact between wealthy industrialists and slavers. It's long past time to dismantle that "compromise."

From what I recall being taught it was to get the smaller states on board. These weren't necessarily slave states (e.g. Rhode Island). It's been effective. If presidential elections were just driven by popular vote candidates would only campaign in the top population centers. Entire regions of the country would be ignored.

>If presidential elections were just driven by popular vote candidates would only campaign in the top population centers. Entire regions of the country would be ignored.

This is definitely 100% false; this goes against the mathematical population distribution of the United States. The top 100 biggest cities in the United States combined only make up less than 20% of the population.

But even if it were true, it's not any different than the current status quo where candidates simply only campaign in "swing states," ignoring the vast majority of the rest of the Unites States. In fact, it would be better, because more Americans live in population centers than they do swing states.

https://youtu.be/7wC42HgLA4k?t=108

The other problems:

Many people who live in solidly blue or solidly red states don't even bother voting for president - they know their vote doesn't matter. I know this because I've literally heard people say it.

This it not even considering electoral college also entirely ignores 4 million Americans because they live in territories, not states.

Re: The Looming End of Payless ShoeSource

#113

Post by astura »

odessacubbage wrote: post #105
omegaworks wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>geographical balancing against population density was the Great Compromise That's flowery language to disguise what was essentially a pact between wealthy industrialists and slavers. It's long past time to dismantle that "compromise."

if you think politics are bad now, just imagine what they'd be like if you only had to pander to the interests of a few coastal metros and maybe also chicago & dallas. the interests of rural voters would lose out every time. just look at france to see how this can play out. ime things like water rights and public land mean nothing to urbanites but they impact us immensely.

The top 100 biggest cities in the United States combined only make up less than 20% of the population; you can't possibly win and election pandering to the interests of a few metro areas.

Re: The Looming End of Payless ShoeSource

#114

Post by ErotemeObelus »

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.

Labor is not zero-sum. This is a myth promoted by the upper class to scare workers away from unionizing.

Re: The Looming End of Payless ShoeSource

#115

Post by Hydraulix989 »

tropo wrote: post #85
Hydraulix989 wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a shame how true this is. My wife went through three pairs of Nike shoes -- all of them were over $100 and they caused bruises and wounds on her feet. I have a pair of Nikes as well that is one of their higher end shoes, and even they are extremely uncomfortable to wear for walking. As an aside, Payless Shoes also has bittersweet memories for me. When I was young, I didn't fully comprehend what shopping there me…

Now you can be judged for wearing Nike, especially if you step out of that city or travel back to visit the American midwest. New Balance is a far better choice. https://www.newbalance.com/made-in-us-and-uk/

I don't think that's actually true.

Re: The Looming End of Payless ShoeSource

#116

Post by rchaud »

> My middle school was a cruel place where girls would sneak up behind you and grab the collar of your shirt to see if it was a “real” Esprit, or if you’d just sewed a tag onto the pocket of a knock-off (which I totally did).

I'm male, and an equivalent of this would happen in high school in my country as well (late '90s). What is it about human society that causes others to try to bully someone on the basis of their consumption choices? Kids have been brand-aware for generations now, but to use these arbitrary perceptions of brand value to shame someone who doesn't have access to them, is beyond grotesque.

Re: The Looming End of Payless ShoeSource

#117

Post by rchaud »

I'm starting to notice that I need to replace shoes at a rate of nearly once every year. Granted, I buy cheap sneakers from Marshalls/TJ Maxx and spend 4 winter months walking across semi-icy rock salt laden streets.

Part of me wants to buy walking shoes over the $75 mark to figure out if they last longer, but the other part feels that at that price point, they aren't designed to last any longer than the sub-$50 brands.

Re: The Looming End of Payless ShoeSource

#118

Post by dunnevens »

odessacubbage wrote: post #106
dunnevens wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Those voices are far from unheard. If anything, they've been the dominant political voices for the past 40 years. Sure, California and NYC's cultural output is the loudest voice in the country. But, politically speaking, they're largely ignored. Obviously ignored by Republicans, but the timid national Democratic leadership will also ignore them in their relentless centrism. The political system makes it pretty easy t…

gay marriage and liberal sentiment don't put food on the table. arms manufacturing and resource extraction does. things like gun ownership also take on a completely different meaning in places where weapons have a greater association with hunting & family tradition than to crime. these people are not stupid, they simply have a different reality than you do and our country will only become more divided until people be…

I never called them stupid. But I live in Kansas. I'm seeing this stuff on the front lines. The infrastructure is crumbling. The schools are starting to recover but are still in terrible shape after 8 years of Brownback and his ilk. The farmers are suffering, and many going out of business, due to Trump's tariffs. The state as a whole has trouble retaining young people due to much of the above.

The people here aren't stupid. Brownback's approval was in the mid 20's by the time he left. His policies are deeply unpopular. But, they keep voting for the party that originally pushed such disastrous policies, and is now trying to push them through again, despite popular opposition. I honestly don't understand it.

Perhaps they really do think guns are more important than the health of their community. Though even that makes no sense because state level Democrats are as pro-gun as the Republicans, and national level Democrats are zero threat.

I have no idea why you bundle up schools, roads, and social programs into "liberal sentiment". Guns may be loved, but they're not going to educate their children. And for many of the people in my rural district, what's putting food on the tables is the subsidized food programs and other aid offered. No arms manufacturing jobs and few resource extraction jobs here.

Re: The Looming End of Payless ShoeSource

#119

Post by jeff_fenz »

I think a lot of companies has been pushed out of business because of Amazon. It's a repeat situation of Wal-Mart. This is what happens when there's a monopoly. Payless wasn't very good in the first place so I'm sure that attributed a large amount to their dissolution.

Re: The Looming End of Payless ShoeSource

#120

Post by YUMad »

joe_the_user wrote: post #98
pard68 wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Never been to PayLess, is it any good, or rather was it? Also, should mention TJMaxx has decent stuff. Never bought shoes there but I get pants, shirts, and random stuff for the house. My wife gets plenty of clothes there though.

Payless has been my favorite shop for years. I buy shoes that look like leather loafers but as basically as floppy as slippers. This is exactly what I want and need . They are respectable enough to wear in work situations but I can also use them for martial arts or any other physical activity. Basically, they're nearly as good as barefoot, which isn't practical for various reasons. I find it ironic that a lot of folk…

Can you give any links or pic of those shoes?
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