A few days ago I wrote about “Can Good Shoes also be Cheap Shoes?” This post will continue that theme – from a different vantage point.
A month ago, an Associated Press story described the pairing up of discount shoe retailer Payless ShoeSource and Exeter Brands Group, a subsidiary of Nike. They are pairing up to produce and sell a “high performance $34.00 running sneaker.” The bottom line is that both companies want to take advantage of a highly lucrative market.
Nike will produce the shoes under the label Tailwind Collection and Payless will serve as the 
exclusive retailer. The Tailwind shoes will feature a honeycomb gel that compresses on impact. The Collection includes one running shoe, an athletic sandal, and slip-ons. The line is expected to be in all 4600 Payless stores by year-end. Click on the link above and then the "Tailwind" logo on the Payless Web site to see the new line.
Several years ago, Nike formed Exeter to make inroads in the low-price athletic shoe market. Their Starter brand is sold in Walmarts and the SHAQ basketball shoe is sold to multiple mass retailers.
Clare Hamill, the president and CEO of Exeter, claims the honeycomb gel in the Tailwind shoes is about 20% more expensive than footwear without much technology. Cohen said, “This takes the low end to a new extreme…. and pushes the edge of technology.”
So there you go. You can soon buy your running shoes and athletic footwear at Payless ShoeSource. No course, there will be no salesperson who knows anything about footwear and nothing about how to fit shoes, and are likely not athletes either.
Note also that the Nike Air Tailwind will be disappearing from stores. How else can Nike and Payless promote the new Tailwind Collection when the name is so similar to an existing Nike shoe? Will people be confused?
I will make a note to check out these shoes at my local Payless store. If your running is very casual and very low key, these shoes may be Ok for your feet. If you hate spending your next paycheck on shoes, they may also be a good choice. The Payless Web site shows the product line, and unless I missed something, the line is only for women. Oh yea, two of the shoes do not have laces – but Velcro. I thought Velcro was on shoes made for the much older generation! Cool.
Be forewarned however, your feet can tell the difference between good fitting and good shoes, and poor fitting and cheap shoes.
