Death of the shoe salesman, finally

Customers serving themselves from stacks of boxes is the new norm

Another storied occupation is on its way out and the replacement is neither robots nor foreign workers. We’re witnessing the death of the shoe salesman.

Macy’s recently said it would convert more shoe departments to an “open sell” format, where customers serve themselves from stacks of boxes. J C Penney is experimenting with the format. It’s the way sales have long worked at stores like D S W and T J X Co’s Marshall’s and T J Maxx.

From Victorian-era evangelist Dwight L Moody to comedian Kevin Hart, selling shoes has been the original calling of many a sweet talker. Before World