Discount shoe brand Payless set up fake luxury store to prove it's all 'perception' and people are losing it

A discount shoe brand successfully tricked people into thinking that its products were designer.

While I personally love a bargain, some people are more inclined to spend vast amounts of cash on things like sneakers.

Sneakers are a staple in anyone's closet, with some of the rich and famous forking out eye-watering amounts of money on them.

A collection of shoes worn by Michael Jordan sold for over $8 million last year (Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)

Some of the most expensive sneakers ever sold were from what was dubbed as 'The Dynasty Collection' - a set of six individual Air Jordan sneakers worn by Michael Jordan during some of his most career-defining basketball games.

It's thought they were sold for a staggering $8 million, says GQ.

Elsewhere, in 2022, a pair of Louis Vuitton and Nike Air Force One sneakers that had been designed by the late Virgil Abloh were sold for $352,800.

However, if you shop at stores like Payless, you're much likely to pay less than 40 bucks for some shoes.

But some shoppers are put off by the shoe brand's discounted prices, so Payless decided to do a social experiment.

Back in 2018, the company created a fake luxury store and temporarily rebranded to be 'Palessi'.

It then invited a host of VIPs and fashion experts to the Los Angeles store opening and conducted interviews at the event.

A lot people who attended gushed about the quality of the products on the shelves, and said they'd be willing to pay north of $200 for them.

Little did they know that the shoes had been marked up as much as 1,800 percent, and that Payless staffers had simply put a fake Palessi sticker over the original logo.

Some shoppers were so convinced that they proceeded to buy the shoes at the dramatically inflated prices.

The store made $3,000 in sales before Payless came clean and revealed that it was all just a hoax.

Those who had paid were refunded and went on the receive the shoes they'd bought for free.

The fake store was opened in Los Angeles (Payless/YouTube)

The whole thing went on to be part of a series of Payless commercials, as people's reactions to learning that the shoes were from the fashion brand were caught on camera.

One person said after offering to pay as much as $500 for some sneakers: "Shut up! Are you serious?"

Another commented under a Youtube video uncovering the experiment: "Luxury brands are basically doing this 'prank' since forever."

So, step aside Balenciaga and your $800 sneakers, there's a new (affordable) footwear brand that's taking over the show.