DSW is a chain, and so I’m sure not all of the stores look the same. The DSW on the north side of Chicago is located in the basement of an odd-shaped, vaguely triangular building. During the slow, methodic descent of the entrance escalator, a vast room filled with row upon row of shoes is revealed to you. Natural light is kept at bay by a series of fluorescent light fixtures and a total lack of windows. Much like a Vegas casino, this is a room built for people with only one goal: in this case, to compile mountainous heaps of bargain footwear. Women march through, glassy-eyed, one stocking foot exposed, hauling an ever-increasing stack of shoeboxes.

To my very great relief, I found that DSW is a self-serve outlet. No hard sell, no embarrassing shoe-removal encounters. Just dizzying stacks of fashionable togs and the odd box of complimentary footies. Display shoes help guide you through the various sections. If you see a shoe you like, you root through the pile of boxes beneath it and hope to find your size. Each display shoe boasts a small placard that tells you the name of the manufacturer and the “department store” price. Underneath this inflated figure, in bold red lettering, is the unfathomably low DSW price that will no doubt cause your wallet to fly open. In practice, the prices were anywhere from 10-30% cheaper.

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