Payless

A mini-runway, lined with stiletto heels, glistens in bright fluorescent lighting. Shoes of various types sit neatly in individual glass shelves. A statue of an angel carrying several shopping bags stands in the middle as Los Angeles fashionistas mill about, trying on shoes, posing on the red carpet, drinking champagne served in tall, slender glass...

In an elaborate social experiement, an American discount footwear brand tricked fashion influencers into paying hundreds of dollars for shoes that are normally priced anywhere between $20 to $50.

It was a routine shopping excursion - a Friday night outing to get a pair of shoes at Payless ShoeSource for a little girl. Then, there was a crash, and shellshocked family members saw her lifeless in a pool of blood.

A mini-runway, lined with stiletto heels, glistens in bright fluorescent lighting. Shoes of various types sit neatly in individual glass shelves. A statue of an angel carrying several shopping bags stands in the middle as Los Angeles fashionistas mill about, trying on shoes, posing on the red carpet, drinking champagne served in tall, slender glass...

In an elaborate social experiement, an American discount footwear brand tricked fashion influencers into paying hundreds of dollars for shoes that are normally priced anywhere between $20 to $50.

It was a routine shopping excursion - a Friday night outing to get a pair of shoes at Payless ShoeSource for a little girl. Then, there was a crash, and shellshocked family members saw her lifeless in a pool of blood.