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Payless to close in Marianas
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Posted on Jun 03 2019
The Payless ShoeSource store in San Jose.
(Mark Rabago)
Payless ShoeSource will cease operations in the Marianas, with its stores on Saipan and Guam closing down like the more than 2,000 shops in the U.S. mainland and Canada that will also be closing within the year.
The Saipan store is currently holding a closing out sale that started last Friday, offering as much as a 30 percent discount. The store is open from 10am to 9pm, Monday to Saturday, and from 10am to 8pm on Sunday.
In a Facebook post, Saipan store manager Flor Deleon Guerrero said they are experiencing mixed emotions and sadness with the expected closure of the Saipan and Guam branches of Payless.
“I guess it has come to an end. Over the years, Payless Shoes is the only place I buy shoes for my kids and my family,” said Deleon Guerrero. She added that all of her seven kids grew up using Payless shoes.
Deleon Guerrero thanked their loyal customers that supported them through the years since Payless began operations on Saipan in 2004.
Saipan Tribune sent separate inquiries to Payless Communications director Lauren Jeffords and also Deleon Guerrero, but they have yet to respond as of press time.
Jun and Emi Abellon Marilla are both sad that the store will be closing down. “It is such a waste, since they are the only shoe store on the island that offer quality shoes at an affordable price.”
The couple said they have been regular customers, especially when their son, J.K., was born. “We usually buy a pair of shoes about two to three months a year. But now, every three months, since J.K. is growing fast.”
Payless filed for relief under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code early this year at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, with some subsidiaries under Payless Canada also seeking protection “pursuant to the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act in the Ontario Court of Justice.”
Jeffords told Saipan Tribune in an earlier email that Saipan, along with its Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, will be not affected by the Chapter 11 filing.
Payless is known as a specialty discount shoe store that regularly offers “Buy One, Get One” promo and other special offers.
