Spotted the Headline While Grocery Shopping
I was standing in line at Walmart yesterday flipping through my phone when this headline popped up: “Famous Footwear Going Out of Business”. Thought to myself – dang, not another one. Just last month it was Bed Bath & Beyond closing down.
Grabbed my cart and drove straight to the local Famous Footwear. Parking lot was packed like Black Friday. Saw handwritten signs taped all over the entrance saying “STORE CLOSING – EVERYTHING 60% OFF”.
Inside the Chaos
Pushed through the crowd and wow – place looked like a tornado hit it. Shoes everywhere – boxes ripped open, mismatched pairs lying around. Employees looked exhausted. One guy told me they’d been flooded since the announcement dropped.
Checked the shelves and found decent Nike running shoes originally $120 marked down to $48. Almost bought ’em but the box was crushed. Asked the manager which locations were getting axed first. He shrugged: “Corporate ain’t telling us nothing. We just got the shutdown notice Tuesday morning.”
Checking Other Spots
Hit three more locations after work. Found:
- The mall store already had metal gates half down
- Outlet location still operating but picked clean
- Standalone store had “Closing Forever” banners
Struck up convo with cashier at the outlet. She whispered: “Heard corporate filed Chapter 11 last week. They’re shutting 30% of stores by Christmas.”
What’s Next?
Honestly this got me worrying. If shoe chains are folding now, who’s next? Saw similar empty shelves at Shoe Carnival last week. Remember when Payless vanished overnight? Feels like retail apocalypse part two.
Gonna check these spots next weekend:
- Shoe Dept. near the dead Sears
- Local Foot Locker that remodeled last year
- That sketchy mall with Journey’s and no customers
My gut says we’ll see more “closing” signs before Halloween. These storefronts are dropping like flies.