Sales Associate applicants have rated the interview process at Payless ShoeSource with 2 out of 5 (where 5 is the highest level of difficulty) and assessed their interview experience as 68% positive. To compare, the company-average is 63.5% positive. This is according to Glassdoor user ratings.
Candidates applying for Sales Associate roles take an average of 11 days to get hired, when considering 199 user submitted interviews for this role. To compare, the hiring process at Payless ShoeSource overall takes an average of 13 days.
Common stages of the interview process at Payless ShoeSource as a Sales Associate according to 199 Glassdoor interviews include:
One on one interview: 36%
Skills test: 12%
Drug test: 11%
Background check: 11%
Personality test: 8%
Presentation: 6%
Group panel interview: 5%
Phone interview: 4%
IQ intelligence test: 3%
Other: 2%
Here are the most commonly searched roles for interview reports -
I applied in-person. The process took 5 weeks. I interviewed at Payless ShoeSource (Ottawa, ON) in Apr 2013
Interview
I was very happy and pleased with the manager at this certain store but I was NOT pleased with the amount of time of the interview process. It took a total of 4 weeks. I applied in-store and he called me about a week later asking for an interview. We made that interview for a week later. This interview was good, I started by filling out a questionnaire on the computer and then he talked to me for about 30 minutes about the store. The way he was talking to me it seemed like he was willing to hire me and was most likely going to. He then said that the interview went well and he will call me back in 4-7 days after he gets the results of the questionnaire. He called me back about 5 days later and asked me to come in for another interview which he scheduled again a week later. At the time of this interview, more than a month had passed. I went in and the manager I had the first interview was not there and it seemed like no one was expecting me. Someone looked at the calendar and realized that I did indeed have an interview that day. This interview was a roleplay where I had to sell a sales associate a shoe. I don't have any experience in sales so I did the best that I could. After the little role play the sales associate told me that I did it all wrong (even though I did everything that was asked; e.g. give promotion, suggest different styles). Apparently I have to be a master at selling shoes BEFORE I can even be considered for a job there. It just makes me mad that the process took so long and I wasn't offered a job because I didn't suggest a shoe right away (instead I asked questions such as which colour would you like?).
I passed and started quickly. The process was simple and not intimidating. Everything felt straightforward, and I would definitely recommend it to others looking for an easy experience. I enjoy working here.
I applied in-person. I interviewed at Payless ShoeSource (Anchorage, AK) in Aug 2025
Interview
Easy basic questions like job history, availability, and why you chose to interview.
Interview was less than 30 minutes and hired same day. They will almost always hire on the spot im a teenager and they still gave me a job.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Whats youe job history and do you have customer service experience?