Payless opens fake luxury store, shoppers pay $600 for shoes

CALIFORNIA — Would you pay hundreds of dollars for a pair of shoes from Payless? Probably not, but some fashion influencers recently did when they thought they were attending the opening of a luxury shoe store called Palessi.

Payless decided to launch a clever experiment to see how much people would pay for their $20 shoes if they thought they were a high-end brand. So the shoe retailer took over an Armani store in Santa Monica, California and displayed Payless merchandise on the racks. They called the store “Palessi” and threw a  launch party for the fake brand.

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Fashionistas snatched up the shoes, paying up to $600 for some that are usually priced at Payless for under $40. They even commented on how ‘sophisticated’ and ‘high-quality’ they were!

“I would pay $400...$500. People would be like ‘where did you get those?’” said one duped shopper.

More than $3,000 worth of shoes were sold within just a few hours. When shoppers learned the truth behind the experiment they were given their money back, but their reactions are priceless.

“Shut up!” said one woman who couldn’t wait to show off her new Payless leopard-print sneakers ...that she had just shelled out $500 for. “Did I just pay too much?”

Payless says the goal was to remind customers that they are a great place to shop for affordable fashion. The string of videos showing buyers reactions will appear in ads on social media and TV.

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