EXHIBIT      31.1

**CERTIFICATION      PURSUANT TO**

**RULE      13a-14(a) UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934**

| (1) | I have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-Q              of CPI              Corp.; |
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| (2) | Based                on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement                of a                material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make                the                statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements                were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this                report; |
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| (3) | Based                on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information                included in this report, fairly present in all material respects                the                financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the                registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this                report; |
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| (4) | The                registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for                establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as                defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal                control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules                13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and                have: |
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|   | (a) | designed                such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure                controls and procedures to be designed under our supervisions, to                ensure                that material information relating to the registrant, including its                consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those                entities, particularly during the period in which this report is                being                prepared; |
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|   | (b) | designed                  such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such                  internal                  control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision,                  to                  provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial                  reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external                  purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting                  principles; |
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|   | (c) | evaluated                    the effectiveness of the registrant's disclosure controls and                    procedures                    and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness                    of                    the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the                    period                    covered by this report based on such evaluations;                    and |
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|   | (d) | disclosed                      in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over                      financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent                      fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an                      annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably                      likely to                      materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial                      reporting; and |
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| (5) | The                registrant's other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based                on our                most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting,                to                the registrant's auditors and the audit committee of registrant's                board of                directors (or persons fulfilling the equivalent                functions): |
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|   | (a) | all                significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or                operation of internal control over financial reporting which are                reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant's ability to                record,                process, summarize and report financial information;                and |
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|   | (b) | any                  fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other                  employees who have a significant role in the registrant's internal                  control                  over financial reporting. |
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|   | By:    | /s/              Renato              Cataldo                    |   |
|   |   | Renato              Cataldo                                     |   |
|   |   | President              and Chief Executive              Officer |   |
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