The parents learned it from the store employees in the previous generation. Back in the day, a show store had people who were supposedly show professionals, not just stockers. They'd bring out that weird metal Brannock Device, do some shoe salesperson magic, go back into the stockroom, and come out with the perfect pair of shoes.
Each successive generation has moved further away from that model, and now we just gamble that the internet will send us the right size.
The funny thing is that after learning how to use a Brannock Device myself when working at a bike shop, I learned that everyone who used them on me had been giving me the wrong size shoes. Come to find out I have long arches, and should be in shoes two sizes larger than what I would wear if you’re only looking at length alone.
I purchased new hockey skates a couple years ago from a hockey equipment store. I expected them to measure my feet with the old school metal device, but instead they used a machine which scanned my feet and created a 3D model. It was both cool and a little weird. I knew my right foot is a half shoe size bigger than my left, but what I DIDN'T know was my left foot is like 1/4" taller. Technology!
I recall shoe salesmen when I was growing up (not just Al Bundy). They made us do this, and our parents just mimicked them after those jobs disappeared.
Brooks Shoes in Atlantic Square. Plus a balloon on the way out the door. My feet are narrow, so I remember not being able to get a lot of shoes I liked when I was a kid. Although the workers don't do all that anymore they still have knoweledge about how shoes should fit and will help you if you ask.
My Nan always made me run and jump up on the little benches as well. I grew up in the country and sometimes you have to run and jump when you weren't expecting to have to run and jump.
Started out behind the iron curtain, immigrated to the US…I don’t know what shoe salesmen you went to. The only “new” shoes I got were either from the black market or hand-me-downs. And my parents were professionals so we weren’t poor 😂😂
So that's what it is called, never knew it was called a brannock. Learned something new. I miss being young and having my feet measured on those cold metal brannock!
That's what my grandfather's parents did and all six kids has messed up feet because of it. The last '20s was a terrible time to be born poor (and rural).
Its the technique passed down parent to child since the time immemorial save for the brief time it was thought xrays were a nifty way to verify shoe fit.
you're like, "Huh... had trouble finding your toe there. It should be way up here near the front of the shoe. But anyway, found your toe, let's buy these ones."
That's really the main thing IMO, considering they're going to grow out of them in 6 months or less. As long as they feel good and their toes aren't being smashed (and they like the way they look), it's generally a lot quicker than trying on shoes for myself.
I still make them walk around for a minute too. I'm not sure why this meme implies we don't do that anymore, it's basically the process for buying kids' shoes.
Mostly ensuring kids aren't pulling a Stepsister maneuver and cramming their feet into a too small shoe claiming it is just fine and also estimating that they have space to make this pair of $70+ shoes will last at a minimum six months of growth.
The walk is to verify the shoes fit comfortably and aren't too big. If they are dragging the toe of the shoe on the ground they might be too large. If the shoes is effecting their gait or stride there might be something wrong with the fit or style.
I remember when I first joined Reddit someone said you don’t have to do the toe thing as an adult. Looking back it makes sense, but at the time it blew my mind
I did it to my kids. I will do it to their kids. In the future, robots will squeeze their robot offspring's toes. There is no escape from the toe squeeze.
What happened with them? I liked that you could get a pretty solid knock-off version of whatever the current shoe trends were there. I wanted to get some cheap-o casual shoes some years back which is when I learned they closed their stores.
I am not sure about the Brand in general but the two near me only sold $40-$60 shoes that wouldn't even last a month. The material that was on the bottom would start crumbling away like they were some kind of foam.
Oh no, sucks they went that way. I was checking their website and they sell on Amazon now and it looks like they've stayed at that price point you mentioned.
Bleh, well I guess I'll stick to Costco for any cheapo footwear.
I hated Payless. When I was around 4ish I was trying to tell my parents that my shoes were hurting my feet. Me being young with a limited vocabulary kept saying my feet were touching the bottom of my shoes. Weeks went by with me complaining about it and my mom finally realized that the insole had come out and all that was underneath was a hard plastic grid pattern underneath.
I always wore shoes and clothes a size or 2 too big so I could "grow into them". I took this into my early 20s, which was completely unnecessary. Most of the photos from that time make me look like a scarecrow
My mom got 6th grade me a job as a floor sweeper at a car show in the late 80’s that of course paid me under the table (I was 11!) for working like 18 hour days and I made a couple hundred bucks for a weekend gig. That’s the year my brothers broke out of the pro-wings chain and got Jordan’s. I, however, being a man of culture, bought myself NES’s “Ducktales” and a regular set of Nikes.
I got so much shit for my pro wings - I grew up in a neighborhood that wasn't affluent but I got busted up to one that was and I got so much shit about my shoes and clothes. The girls were the worst. It's like they were keeping track of what I wore because they would clown me - didn't you already wear that shirt this week? But even the guys gave me shit about pro wings.
my mom would only buy me like $12 shoes until I was like 13. One time I got a pair of nice shoes and I asked the shoe salesman ... like what's that bump near the middle-back of my foot? and he's like "what? oh... that's arch support"
Who knew? I only had fuckin pancake shoes my whole life
When I was 12 I needed new shoes for the start of the school year. It was a local Catholic school that required all black sneakers for PE. I had hit a growth spurt and my shoes from the previous year didn’t fit. My mom took my to Payless where I attempted to find something. A 10.5 wouldn’t fit even though the shoes I walked in wearing were that size. I tried an 11, then an 11.5 but to no avail. My mom got frustrated and accused me of being bougie for not wanting shoes from Payless.
We left the store with threats of “wait until your father gets home!” He did, we had dinner, and my mom was complaining about me not appreciating what they do for me. My dad was like “well he still needs shoes.” Payless was closed so they were forced to take me to Macy’s. A similar issue continued until the salesman was like “we should measure his feet.” As soon as my foot landed on the measuring tool they understood.
Turns out I was a size 13! I started messing with my mom because she often liked to say “act your age, not your shoe size,” and for this unique moment my shoe size was greater. Luckily that kinda proved that I wasn’t being needlessly difficult or bougie, but rather the shoes I had been wearing had stretched and I was just kinda dealing with it. I ended up with a cpl new pairs of shoes that night.
My husband was convinced he wore an 11.5 but bro really wears a 10. Like he’s also convinced he’s 5’9” but our 5’5” 12 yo is nearly his height so 🤷🏻♀️
I wonder if the little bit of room in front of the toes was necessary for a proper fit, or was just the right compromise between having cavernously large shoes versus needing to buy new shoes two months later because the kid's feet have grown again.
I get my kids slightly bigger if I can. My youngest has really skinny feet though so it’s hard to work with when his shoes of choice are Vans slip ons. But yeah, you’re supposed to have a little room.
You're supposed to have room. I went to have running shoes fit and was shocked at just HOW much room you're supposed to leave in a running shoe. The general wiggle/thumb space is not enough for a running shoe apparently. It felt like clown shoes at first, but it's been so much better for my feet.
Im in my mid 40s and all my mom wanted for mother's day was to buy me clothes and shoes. After slipping into a new pair, I walked around and stopped in front of her expecting her to check my toes. She never did, and looked up and asked if they felt good.
My dad was a Payless manager for 15 years. I always had the shoes I wanted. And...the giant shipping boxes they came in. Bigger than a refrigerator box! Those were some good forts!
The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money.
Take boots, for example. He earned thirty-eight dollars a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. Those were the kind of boots Vimes always bought, and wore until the soles were so thin that he could tell where he was in Ankh-Morpork on a foggy night by the feel of the cobbles.
But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that’d still be keeping his feet dry in ten years’ time, while the poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet.
Men at Arms
- Payless in a nutshell.
Source Sam Vimes ‘Boots’ Theory of Socio-Economic Unfairness - Terry Pratchett
Man back in the late 80's I got made fun of so bad for wearing Pro-Wings while all the cool kids wore Jordans, Rebok pumps, Fila, and British Knights. Builds character. LOL.
Also, how the hell were Nike and Reebok so successful in their marketing to kids? I remember envying the Nike Airs that had the visible little window in the heel, and the Reebok Pumps and stuff.
My mom needed to make sure it was at least a size bigger than my feet, because otherwise she’d have to buy new ones in a few months time. I was a teenager before I got shoes that were actually my size!
I only do this if I'm buying a different brand. I can walk in grab a pair of size 9 Chucks or size 10 NB and walk out without even opening the box. Bought a pair of Puma Suedes without doing the walk and regretted it for about a month.
Hard disagree. Just because they were inexpensive, and didn’t last long, and didn’t smell great, those champion shoes they had towards the end of their time in business were great. In fact, they were wonderful for kids.
I kinda wanted this list to hilariously continue:
“Just because they were inexpensive, and didn’t last long, and didn’t smell great, and were made of racoon hide, and brought the ire of your peers, and were involved in Iran-Contra, and were worn by Jeffrey Dahmer, and…”
They were inexpensive, and didn’t last long, and didn’t smell great, AND were blister machines!!
I HATED getting shoes from Payless. Especially any kind of special occasion shoe: Easter, Birthday, Picture Day, Christmas ... My feet got so tore up from those shitty made cheap Mary Janes.
I liked them, especially in the 90s. They should have leaned hard into that Paylessi stunt they pulled, made an entire ad campaign based on that. Could have bought them a few more years in business.
I think parents purposefully buy shoes that have room to grow in otherwise you would have to get new shoes monthly. So they want that extra room in the toe and have to check.
Source: I have a four year old who has shoes she wore once and can’t put back on..
My mom almost always bought my shoes a little big since that way they'd last a bit longer, so she had to feel the toe to see if there was some room to grow, but not so much it didn't fit.
As the parent of two children, I can tell you that this is absolutely necessary because if you don’t, you’ll get home and they will say the shoes you spent AT LEAST $40 on don’t fit.
Are you not a parent yet? By the time that you were old enough to remember your mom saying this to you, you'd already been through a half dozen or more pairs of shoes. Kids grow so fast, you've got to take stock of how long you expect these things to last.
Shit. My feet grew too fast. I went from size 9 to size 13 within a year. I told my mom to stop buying me shoes that fit and buy big. One hell of a growth spurt. I'm so glad it stopped at size 13.
That’s it. I never remember an employee using it. My dad was the one to measure us, but that probably because he was so particular about shoes and was one of those slide rule, T-square kinda guys.
I took my teenager to buy shoes and trusted him to do the right thing and he came out with a shoe that’s 2 sizes too big. I told his ass before he went in there he didn’t need to “grow into anything” anymore but he knows everything
It's so refreshing to learn I was not alone in this experience despite being from another culture. It was worse when in college, my older sister started working there and I could never get away from getting shoes from there.
As a kid I hated going. Always thought it was ridiculous we couldn’t just get Nikes. Then when my oldest daughter was super little, I totally understood! We went through so many shoes so quickly. And they were the best for the dance shoes. Don’t spend a lot to get me through one season.
pawogub@reddit
I hated clothes shopping as a kid.
grandma_millennial@reddit
Did you hide in the circular racks too?
pawogub@reddit
Yeah
inappropriately_long@reddit
At JC Penney.
EvenLettuce6638@reddit
Thought I was the only one
lsp2005@reddit
Yes, of course.
DrMcJedi@reddit
Was there a course that taught parents this routine? Seriously…that’s verbatim what my mom did when we went shopping.
Brave_Nerve_6871@reddit
I do the same exact routine with my kids. This is the only way, at least the only way I know
Three_Twenty-Three@reddit
The parents learned it from the store employees in the previous generation. Back in the day, a show store had people who were supposedly show professionals, not just stockers. They'd bring out that weird metal Brannock Device, do some shoe salesperson magic, go back into the stockroom, and come out with the perfect pair of shoes.
Each successive generation has moved further away from that model, and now we just gamble that the internet will send us the right size.
leicanthrope@reddit
The funny thing is that after learning how to use a Brannock Device myself when working at a bike shop, I learned that everyone who used them on me had been giving me the wrong size shoes. Come to find out I have long arches, and should be in shoes two sizes larger than what I would wear if you’re only looking at length alone.
dattaldo@reddit
I purchased new hockey skates a couple years ago from a hockey equipment store. I expected them to measure my feet with the old school metal device, but instead they used a machine which scanned my feet and created a 3D model. It was both cool and a little weird. I knew my right foot is a half shoe size bigger than my left, but what I DIDN'T know was my left foot is like 1/4" taller. Technology!
plotholesandpotholes@reddit
I remember the sound and the feeling of the cold metal.
theoptimusdime@reddit
Al Bundy had a home and family as a shoe salesman... times have changed
allisonrz@reddit
Have you ever bought shoes without trying them on this way? Moms just know it sucks to have the wrong size
Seattle_Lucky@reddit
I recall shoe salesmen when I was growing up (not just Al Bundy). They made us do this, and our parents just mimicked them after those jobs disappeared.
GirdleOfDoom@reddit
Sears had these guys when I was little
Peacock-Lover-89@reddit
Brooks Shoes in Atlantic Square. Plus a balloon on the way out the door. My feet are narrow, so I remember not being able to get a lot of shoes I liked when I was a kid. Although the workers don't do all that anymore they still have knoweledge about how shoes should fit and will help you if you ask.
polythenesammie@reddit
My Nan always made me run and jump up on the little benches as well. I grew up in the country and sometimes you have to run and jump when you weren't expecting to have to run and jump.
sravll@reddit
Same
_Xee@reddit
It must be evolution, a biological imperative. I live on a different continent, we were behind the Iron Curtain, and it was identical for us.
Peja1611@reddit
It's encoded in pregnancy hormones
Low_Face7384@reddit
Started out behind the iron curtain, immigrated to the US…I don’t know what shoe salesmen you went to. The only “new” shoes I got were either from the black market or hand-me-downs. And my parents were professionals so we weren’t poor 😂😂
Blue_Eyed_Devi@reddit
Damn, I didn’t think I’d see two folks argue about who had it worse in Eastern Europe prior to 1989
adamantcondition@reddit
The main thing I understand about Eastern Europeans is they love to argue about what it was like in those days
starmartyr11@reddit
You just discovered your parents were extremely thrifty...
maybe a good thing overall?
But still, be sure to treat your feet, knees, and back to the best shoes and beds you can afford! You can't replace them.
Low_Face7384@reddit
Well out of necessity. It was the 80s in the USSR 😂😂
RedRust@reddit
My mom is filipino so this transcends race as well...
Due_Addition_587@reddit
I do this now when I take my kid shopping ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
SLyndon4@reddit
Same!
flyingdodo@reddit
Orally passed down by tradition. I caught myself doing this with my kids.
lsp2005@reddit
My mom said the identical thing to me. I bought my own metal brannock device so I could measure my kids feet.
nickd1980@reddit
So that's what it is called, never knew it was called a brannock. Learned something new. I miss being young and having my feet measured on those cold metal brannock!
mildlyornery@reddit
Does kid walk normal? Is there room for growth?
melanthius@reddit
What's the alternative? "Fuck it let's just buy them without even trying them on. Close enough"
Hilsam_Adent@reddit
Pops: "What size are you now?"
Me: "Seven, I think?"
Pops: "You think? You better hope you're right because we're not fucking coming back here."
melanthius@reddit
You saw a video of me with my kids?
IbanezForeverll@reddit
That's what my grandfather's parents did and all six kids has messed up feet because of it. The last '20s was a terrible time to be born poor (and rural).
rosephoenix19@reddit
Same. They want to make sure you get at least a full year out of them.
koei19@reddit
To the letter. And it's how I tried on shoes with my kids.
lomi27@reddit
dude shoes are expensive. and boring. and kids are liars. i am on the other side now..
OneDimensionPrinter@reddit
And it's now what I do to my kids.
Tigerzombie@reddit
It’s what my mom did, it’s what I do with my kids. I make sure it’s the right size, I make them walk around the store. How else do you buy shoes?
DrMcJedi@reddit
I dunno, I usually measure their feet and then order stuff online with them picking out colors and stuff.
nerdylegofam@reddit
But even when I order shoes online they have to walk around in them at home to make sure they fit well before they go anywhere.
Ted_Fleming@reddit
Same
sumthymelater@reddit
Same
janellthegreat@reddit
Its the technique passed down parent to child since the time immemorial save for the brief time it was thought xrays were a nifty way to verify shoe fit.
AmputeeHandModel@reddit
It just makes sense.
johndicks80@reddit
Yep that’s it.
emptybeetoo@reddit
I make sure to feel my kids’ toes whenever they try on new shoes. I have no idea what else I’m supposed to look for, but I find their toes.
Roscoe_P_Trolltrain@reddit
you're like, "Huh... had trouble finding your toe there. It should be way up here near the front of the shoe. But anyway, found your toe, let's buy these ones."
hamburgler26@reddit
Same, I do this, I guess just to make sure you're not buying a pair of shoes where his toes are already rammed up against the front.
We actually even used that crazy foot measuring thing at an Academy Sports to figure out what size Soccer shoes he wore. He outgrew them in 3 months.
trumpsmellslikcheese@reddit
That's really the main thing IMO, considering they're going to grow out of them in 6 months or less. As long as they feel good and their toes aren't being smashed (and they like the way they look), it's generally a lot quicker than trying on shoes for myself.
I still make them walk around for a minute too. I'm not sure why this meme implies we don't do that anymore, it's basically the process for buying kids' shoes.
janellthegreat@reddit
Mostly ensuring kids aren't pulling a Stepsister maneuver and cramming their feet into a too small shoe claiming it is just fine and also estimating that they have space to make this pair of $70+ shoes will last at a minimum six months of growth.
The walk is to verify the shoes fit comfortably and aren't too big. If they are dragging the toe of the shoe on the ground they might be too large. If the shoes is effecting their gait or stride there might be something wrong with the fit or style.
jumboweiners@reddit
I remember when I first joined Reddit someone said you don’t have to do the toe thing as an adult. Looking back it makes sense, but at the time it blew my mind
davwad2@reddit
I just relived about half of the shoe purchases my parents did from 1989-1999.
StandardNerd92@reddit
Oh, so this is where Lady Gaga worked in that SNL sketch
mangotrees777@reddit
I did it to my kids. I will do it to their kids. In the future, robots will squeeze their robot offspring's toes. There is no escape from the toe squeeze.
SocialGirlGaming@reddit
This post just teleported me to 1990 Back-To-School shopping.
wrenwood2018@reddit
Same. My mom asks ne still if I do this when shopping for shoes with my kids.
ThanksALotBud@reddit
I was picked on so relentlessly in 6th grade because my parents bought me Payless sonic and hedgehog sneakers. Kids are fucking assholes.
Equivalent_Grand_593@reddit
How are the pants fitting?"
Lifting them until they are in my teeth
Now walk.
I_travel_ze_world@reddit
If you have wide feet then regardless of where your toes are the shoes probably hurt
It took me decades to figure out I have wide feet and your shoes shouldn't feel like they're squeezing your feet. It seriously made my life better.
Eziekiel23_20@reddit
Hell, my wife does this to me.
mhylas@reddit
Bro, wow, like the conversation and dialog is exact. Also, RIP payless!
RetroBerner@reddit
They weren't wrong though
Phyukredd_tit_gydlin@reddit
Yup
DiscoLibra@reddit
Putting on the little panty hose socks 😆
Tinyhulk27@reddit
I'd always try to put one over my head like a bank robber.
Not like when I was a kid or teen...
I mean as a 30-40 something adult picking up new shoes for my kids or teens.
TeddyAtTheReady@reddit
I can smell this memory.
gullyfoyle777@reddit
This is the exact process lol
Georgc@reddit
I can smell this image
Far-Bumblebee-7216@reddit
Oh man I miss Payless…they were the first shoe store that both had cute shoes in my size and were affordable.
Odd-Bend1296@reddit
I don't miss what they became before the end.
caramelpupcorn@reddit
What happened with them? I liked that you could get a pretty solid knock-off version of whatever the current shoe trends were there. I wanted to get some cheap-o casual shoes some years back which is when I learned they closed their stores.
Odd-Bend1296@reddit
I am not sure about the Brand in general but the two near me only sold $40-$60 shoes that wouldn't even last a month. The material that was on the bottom would start crumbling away like they were some kind of foam.
caramelpupcorn@reddit
Oh no, sucks they went that way. I was checking their website and they sell on Amazon now and it looks like they've stayed at that price point you mentioned.
Bleh, well I guess I'll stick to Costco for any cheapo footwear.
Rubicksgamer@reddit
I hated Payless. When I was around 4ish I was trying to tell my parents that my shoes were hurting my feet. Me being young with a limited vocabulary kept saying my feet were touching the bottom of my shoes. Weeks went by with me complaining about it and my mom finally realized that the insole had come out and all that was underneath was a hard plastic grid pattern underneath.
They stopped taking me there after that.
fresh_peetz@reddit
Way better than Paymore
BaconPancakes_77@reddit
Seconded! They had such a good selection of wide shoes for cheap. Now I just have to take my chances with the internet.
lavasca@reddit
IKR!!!
_hi_plains_drifter_@reddit
I miss it too. I bought one of my now long gone favorite pair of boots there like 20 years ago.
J-littletree@reddit
Every time! Mom and grandma. Grandma felt my toe at 19 lol.
Evening_Ad_1099@reddit
Walking out with brand new pair of pro wings was always a disappointment
Acceptable-Scale-970@reddit
As a kid, walking inside and smelling new shoe small all around was heaven. Haha.
Mudlark2017@reddit
I always wore shoes and clothes a size or 2 too big so I could "grow into them". I took this into my early 20s, which was completely unnecessary. Most of the photos from that time make me look like a scarecrow
No-Objective9174@reddit
Horrible shoes. In college I started getting New Balance, Sketchers, Nike and Reebok and my feet have been much happier
Deep-Ad4351@reddit
Has anyone else’s feet shrunk as they have gotten older?
cranberries87@reddit
Mine have gone up a size. 😩
Deep-Ad4351@reddit
Bodies are weird
kwitty11@reddit
Hank Hills narrow urethra agrees
Deep-Ad4351@reddit
cranberries87@reddit
They are indeed!
mutantbabysnort@reddit
Core memory unlocked
Agreeable-Chart-5561@reddit
I’m 44 and I still tell my 11 year old when I take him shopping for shoes.
PYCHYOUOUT97@reddit
lol you totally nailed buying shoes with your parents!
RedRust@reddit
Please don't remind me
physical0@reddit
When payless released Airwalks, that was game changer. I stopped being ashamed of my payless shoes and was hyped about my airwalks.
Industrial_Rivethead@reddit
Floppy ass Thom McAnn shoes hahahahaha
scizzix@reddit
I grew up wearing Pro Wings sneakers from Payless, thanks for this flashback. :D
FiveCrappedPee@reddit
We could only afford Pro Wings as other kids had Jordans. That sucked haha. But finally I think in like 89 my parents got me Jordans I was so happy.
fishtbone@reddit
I grew up always having Pro Wings but was always the fastest, always beating the kids with the Jordans in a race.
cid73@reddit
My mom got 6th grade me a job as a floor sweeper at a car show in the late 80’s that of course paid me under the table (I was 11!) for working like 18 hour days and I made a couple hundred bucks for a weekend gig. That’s the year my brothers broke out of the pro-wings chain and got Jordan’s. I, however, being a man of culture, bought myself NES’s “Ducktales” and a regular set of Nikes.
wmubronco03@reddit
And my kids get the same treatment!
Ok_Percentage5157@reddit
This tried and true method has been passed down to you by our elders, so that you may now pass this on to your children, and so on.
flowcharterboat@reddit
Dad's in the Radioshack next door
Holmes221bBSt@reddit
1000% accurate! Every. Damn. Time. 😂
BFS8515@reddit
I got so much shit for my pro wings - I grew up in a neighborhood that wasn't affluent but I got busted up to one that was and I got so much shit about my shoes and clothes. The girls were the worst. It's like they were keeping track of what I wore because they would clown me - didn't you already wear that shirt this week? But even the guys gave me shit about pro wings.
BeefistPrime@reddit
my mom would only buy me like $12 shoes until I was like 13. One time I got a pair of nice shoes and I asked the shoe salesman ... like what's that bump near the middle-back of my foot? and he's like "what? oh... that's arch support"
Who knew? I only had fuckin pancake shoes my whole life
nineinchplate@reddit
Buying XJ900 shoes instead of nike jordans. Always fell apart so fast... :(
throwawayfromPA1701@reddit
I miss Payless, oddly. Shoe shopping with my mom was actually kind of fun.
xxlouserxx@reddit
Then getting bullied at school for not having name brand shoes…good times
NimbexWaitress@reddit
I turned around and did this to my own kid
Intelligent-Salt-362@reddit
When I was 12 I needed new shoes for the start of the school year. It was a local Catholic school that required all black sneakers for PE. I had hit a growth spurt and my shoes from the previous year didn’t fit. My mom took my to Payless where I attempted to find something. A 10.5 wouldn’t fit even though the shoes I walked in wearing were that size. I tried an 11, then an 11.5 but to no avail. My mom got frustrated and accused me of being bougie for not wanting shoes from Payless.
We left the store with threats of “wait until your father gets home!” He did, we had dinner, and my mom was complaining about me not appreciating what they do for me. My dad was like “well he still needs shoes.” Payless was closed so they were forced to take me to Macy’s. A similar issue continued until the salesman was like “we should measure his feet.” As soon as my foot landed on the measuring tool they understood.
Turns out I was a size 13! I started messing with my mom because she often liked to say “act your age, not your shoe size,” and for this unique moment my shoe size was greater. Luckily that kinda proved that I wasn’t being needlessly difficult or bougie, but rather the shoes I had been wearing had stretched and I was just kinda dealing with it. I ended up with a cpl new pairs of shoes that night.
101violations@reddit
And I did the same with my kid 🤣 Glad he got to experience the joys of Payless before they disappeared.
woohhaa@reddit
This felt like déjà vu.
caramelcoldbrew@reddit
Just did this with my kids the other day. I need to get my fingertip wedged in between the big toe and the front of the shoe to ensure proper fit!
Pale_Preference_8239@reddit
I do this with my husband. Man doesnt know how a shoe is supposed to fit OR what size shoe he wears.
caramelcoldbrew@reddit
My husband was convinced he wore an 11.5 but bro really wears a 10. Like he’s also convinced he’s 5’9” but our 5’5” 12 yo is nearly his height so 🤷🏻♀️
whiskeytown79@reddit
I wonder if the little bit of room in front of the toes was necessary for a proper fit, or was just the right compromise between having cavernously large shoes versus needing to buy new shoes two months later because the kid's feet have grown again.
caramelcoldbrew@reddit
I get my kids slightly bigger if I can. My youngest has really skinny feet though so it’s hard to work with when his shoes of choice are Vans slip ons. But yeah, you’re supposed to have a little room.
Buttercreamdeath@reddit
You're supposed to have room. I went to have running shoes fit and was shocked at just HOW much room you're supposed to leave in a running shoe. The general wiggle/thumb space is not enough for a running shoe apparently. It felt like clown shoes at first, but it's been so much better for my feet.
Heavy_Weapons_Guy_@reddit
You're supposed to have a little room.
Scene_Dear@reddit
I was going to say! Like, is…is this not what we’re doing? I presume this is the only way for it to be done.
IchooseYourName@reddit
I only stopped buying shoes that were a smidgen bigger than my actual shoe size in my 30s.
generalberry666@reddit
My son was picking out shoes, he's 17, and I wasn't paying enough attention. He came over and made me check where his toes were on the fit.
starmartyr11@reddit
"No two people experience life the same way"
I beg to fucking differ
ItwasGenXprobably@reddit
For some reason that toe check was the same vibe as the inseem pull.
olduglysweater@reddit
Word for word
stonerghostboner@reddit
Yeah. I hated getting new pants.
ScreenTricky4257@reddit
But if you're out all day shopping for clothes, it is a chance to sit down.
Born_Local_1477@reddit
I still do this and my child is almost ready for college.
Edmxrs@reddit
And here’s my old xennial ass doing the exact same thing to my kids. Every time. 🤣 wiggle your toe fucker.
ofTHEbattle@reddit
I miss this store so much!!
Metamorphica_0226@reddit
Who are you and how did you experience this conversation from 30 years ago?!?
povertyandpinetrees@reddit
I was around 35 when I realized that I didn't need to leave room to grow into.
FullEstablishment104@reddit
Funny that here in Brazil it's EXACTLY the same (but in Portuguese lol)
82ndGameHead@reddit
Best thing about growing up is knowing Payless is now mostly online and I don't have to see another physical store of theirs.
JWF1@reddit
“Now show me how fast you are”… 🏃♂️ 🏃♂️ 🏃♂️
Immature_adult_guy@reddit
“I’m 37 mom it’s fine!”
Suicidal_Jamazz@reddit
Im in my mid 40s and all my mom wanted for mother's day was to buy me clothes and shoes. After slipping into a new pair, I walked around and stopped in front of her expecting her to check my toes. She never did, and looked up and asked if they felt good.
I...I think I need a moment, fellas...
Jolly-Persimmon-7775@reddit
I’m 45 and this still happens with my mom when we buy shoes at Costco 😬
Zulers_Sausage_Gravy@reddit
The last time my mom did this it was: Mom, these are steel toes...jeesh they're fine. I miss free boots
platypus_farmer42@reddit
THIS WAS A UNIVERSAL EXPERIENCE?!?!
CannedDuck1906@reddit
My dad was a Payless manager for 15 years. I always had the shoes I wanted. And...the giant shipping boxes they came in. Bigger than a refrigerator box! Those were some good forts!
Anathama@reddit
The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money.
Take boots, for example. He earned thirty-eight dollars a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. Those were the kind of boots Vimes always bought, and wore until the soles were so thin that he could tell where he was in Ankh-Morpork on a foggy night by the feel of the cobbles.
But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that’d still be keeping his feet dry in ten years’ time, while the poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet.
Men at Arms
- Payless in a nutshell.
Source Sam Vimes ‘Boots’ Theory of Socio-Economic Unfairness - Terry Pratchett
Sooooooooooooomebody@reddit
"Where's ya toes? Lemme see ya toes. Where's ya toes?" My toes are at the end of my fuckin feet lady! Where's your mind lady?
- Bobcat Goldthwait
C_est_la_vie9707@reddit
I do this to my kids. Bros will wear shoes 2 sizes too big and get blisters otherwise
ITwerkForDickJones@reddit
I miss the smell of Payless more than I miss my dad.
Miami_Mice2087@reddit
i still don't know what she was feeling for with the toe squeeze.
Truth_Seeker963@reddit
I did the same to my kids lol
DarthWeber@reddit
There is one thing my mom and I never saw eye to eye on was shoes. No they don't fucking fit right and they're fugly!
Codenamehardhat77@reddit
Man back in the late 80's I got made fun of so bad for wearing Pro-Wings while all the cool kids wore Jordans, Rebok pumps, Fila, and British Knights. Builds character. LOL.
calitoasted@reddit
Private equity is killing all of my favorite things. Get ready for Jersey Mike's and Birkenstocks to fall off n close soon
senorsmartpantalones@reddit
Being a parent now and how much new shoes costs you bet your ass I have them walk down that lane and I feel they're big toe.
whiskeytown79@reddit
This was also me!
Also, how the hell were Nike and Reebok so successful in their marketing to kids? I remember envying the Nike Airs that had the visible little window in the heel, and the Reebok Pumps and stuff.
Defiant_Jazz_Hands@reddit
Pro Wings 🙌
--Jester--@reddit
I do this myself now, but I don’t really know what I’m evaluating when I walk around the store in them. But I do it anyway.
RanklesTheOtter@reddit
Haha that's so true. Then I was like: "Yeah yeah they're great, now can we go to KB Toys?"
Thedapperpappy@reddit
I still remember the smell of this place.
Also, the time I had an allergic reaction to some plastic shoes I got from there, and my feet swole up like three sizes too big.
Ah, good ole Payless.
vanessabh79@reddit
My mom needed to make sure it was at least a size bigger than my feet, because otherwise she’d have to buy new ones in a few months time. I was a teenager before I got shoes that were actually my size!
Dextropic@reddit
I only do this if I'm buying a different brand. I can walk in grab a pair of size 9 Chucks or size 10 NB and walk out without even opening the box. Bought a pair of Puma Suedes without doing the walk and regretted it for about a month.
Specialist-Job-509@reddit
Still waiting for someone to love me this much…
MoviesFilmCinema@reddit
The orange and red tones feel like a warm bath to me
glyptodontown@reddit
No one has ever said that Payless shoes feel good.
bratikzs@reddit
Hard disagree. Just because they were inexpensive, and didn’t last long, and didn’t smell great, those champion shoes they had towards the end of their time in business were great. In fact, they were wonderful for kids.
munchonsomegrindage@reddit
I remember having a pretty sweet pair of LA Gear. Or at least I thought they were cool.
cid73@reddit
I kinda wanted this list to hilariously continue: “Just because they were inexpensive, and didn’t last long, and didn’t smell great, and were made of racoon hide, and brought the ire of your peers, and were involved in Iran-Contra, and were worn by Jeffrey Dahmer, and…”
RaspberryVespa@reddit
They were inexpensive, and didn’t last long, and didn’t smell great, AND were blister machines!!
I HATED getting shoes from Payless. Especially any kind of special occasion shoe: Easter, Birthday, Picture Day, Christmas ... My feet got so tore up from those shitty made cheap Mary Janes.
cranberries87@reddit
I liked them, especially in the 90s. They should have leaned hard into that Paylessi stunt they pulled, made an entire ad campaign based on that. Could have bought them a few more years in business.
EmmalouEsq@reddit
They used to have a black dress shoe that was comfortable to walk in and looked decent with a dark dress suit.
S_A_R_K@reddit
"good, you've got enough room to grow into them"
artbystorms@reddit
Always with the toe! I mean I get it, tight shoes suck and kids aren't good judges of fit but damn.
Major-Tension-674@reddit
I think parents purposefully buy shoes that have room to grow in otherwise you would have to get new shoes monthly. So they want that extra room in the toe and have to check.
Source: I have a four year old who has shoes she wore once and can’t put back on..
thatguy420417@reddit
Once moms figured this out, shoe salesman were out of jobs.Once moms figured this out, shoe salesman were out of jobs.
Spartan04@reddit
My mom almost always bought my shoes a little big since that way they'd last a bit longer, so she had to feel the toe to see if there was some room to grow, but not so much it didn't fit.
thatguy420417@reddit
Once moms figured this out, shoe salesman were out of jobs.
Aggressive_Economy_8@reddit
As the parent of two children, I can tell you that this is absolutely necessary because if you don’t, you’ll get home and they will say the shoes you spent AT LEAST $40 on don’t fit.
jtho78@reddit
In first grade, I wanted the checkered Vans so I could rock the shoe toss on Field Day.
We didn't have a lot of money and got the Payless knockoff. I was find with that but they barely lasted five months, just short of Field Day.
As soon as they made a resurgence in 2016, I bought a proper pair.
_____AMOK_____@reddit
I can smell this pic
greihund@reddit
Are you not a parent yet? By the time that you were old enough to remember your mom saying this to you, you'd already been through a half dozen or more pairs of shoes. Kids grow so fast, you've got to take stock of how long you expect these things to last.
Bastard1066@reddit
Hell, I did this with my OWN kid, the cycle cannot break.
sodapopstar@reddit
I’m the mom now, it’s me 😂
Also, I had the SICKEST patent leather mary janes with a chunky sole from Payless, still miss those shoes!
johnb300m@reddit
We were a Famous Footwear family. 💰
qwikh1t@reddit
Xennials don’t own this process
Affectionate_Emu335@reddit
The thumb to toe ratio is crucial
Whole_Engineer_3757@reddit
That's where I used to buy my airwalks
SilentReflection101@reddit
Shit. My feet grew too fast. I went from size 9 to size 13 within a year. I told my mom to stop buying me shoes that fit and buy big. One hell of a growth spurt. I'm so glad it stopped at size 13.
lavasca@reddit
That must have been Mom training 101!
ks7atl@reddit
I hated those XJ-220s my parents got me from Payless.
maggie320@reddit
Best to go in the afternoon after you’ve been walking to get that perfect fit. Don’t forget the Brannock Device.
panicinbabylon@reddit
Is that the measurement tool? I hated that thing. If an employee did it, so awkward.
maggie320@reddit
That’s it. I never remember an employee using it. My dad was the one to measure us, but that probably because he was so particular about shoes and was one of those slide rule, T-square kinda guys.
panicinbabylon@reddit
Every time, it always seemed to be a middle aged man employee with glasses.
Maybe not though. In those days, I prolly thought 30 looked old af.
archliberal@reddit
I took my teenager to buy shoes and trusted him to do the right thing and he came out with a shoe that’s 2 sizes too big. I told his ass before he went in there he didn’t need to “grow into anything” anymore but he knows everything
cid73@reddit
My mom AT PAYLESS when I wanted my school shoes to be the new Pro-Wings: “I’m not paying no $15 for a stinkin-ass pair of shoes!!”
smcg_az@reddit
Another victim of private equity 😠
still-not-a-lesbian@reddit
I miss this store so much ngl
reapersritehand@reddit
My first pair of tims came from here, of course long before they were popular
gaarkat@reddit
Seriously, did all moms do this?
TheCynFamily@reddit
Lol I do this with my adult-age kids when we go shoe shopping. I always say, "I don't really know what I'm doing but this is how my mom did it" lol
PancakeProfessor@reddit
You gotta leave a little room to grow into them.
DoriansSelfie@reddit
It's so refreshing to learn I was not alone in this experience despite being from another culture. It was worse when in college, my older sister started working there and I could never get away from getting shoes from there.
jstella118@reddit
As a kid I hated going. Always thought it was ridiculous we couldn’t just get Nikes. Then when my oldest daughter was super little, I totally understood! We went through so many shoes so quickly. And they were the best for the dance shoes. Don’t spend a lot to get me through one season.
AeonFluxIncapacitaor@reddit
I stopped buying shoes I would have room for my feet to grow in my fucking 40s.
Payless shoe shopping is a kind of PTSD.
CheerfullyCursed@reddit
I worked at a Payless when I was 19. I did that routine so many times.
Johhnynumber5ht2a@reddit
How fast can you run in them?
fifiloveg00d@reddit
Extra fast if they're light up
lazytranch@reddit
That still tracks and is still the process
grandma_millennial@reddit
Before it was Payless it was Pic-way! Damn I feel old now