i find that serious shops , i mean those selling hardware, plumber tools and spare parts, electrical or building stuff like concrete, glues bricks etc, in brief all those shops who sell equipment and materials for workers, hardly give you a second look if not even the first one when you come in barefoot and never say a word. dont know if it is because the average customer is a rude and tired working man and usually doesnt feel like allowing some friggin'clerk 2 mess with him or because they are accustomed to dirty and businnesslike people or what.
Same experience here. I've been shopping barefoot at my local hardware store for years and there has never been a single glance or comment.
With what's left of our local hardware stores here, I have the same good treatment. Last week at the one in Bar Harbor one of the guys said to make myself at home. He then said, " I see you already have made yourself at home, bare foot as always!" Otherwise, not much more than the glance of being checked out. Home Depot, on the other hand, went from being tolerant, to Nazi like, at least at the Ellsworth, Maine store! About 3 years ago. I'll have to see if the new Lowes is better.
I've been in 5 different HD stores more than 40 times with not one problem. Lowes stores even more frequently. The last ones were in Missoula, MT. I love the smooth concrete and walking thru the aisle with bagged concrete mix that gets spilled on the floor. Our local hardware store is in a very old building with wood plank floors. It's really cool to feel the irregularities in the floor. My favorite buiding supply store has a huge NSx3 sign in the front window. I haven't broken their rule...yet. I might soon though since I just plopped down $4000 with them on composite decking.
I went into a local Home Depot last week - no problem! They've got the "shoes required" sign out front, but hey, I was barefoot! I wasn't going to run home just to get flip-flops without at least giving it a try. I was buying a garage door opener. As I entered, there was a female greeter just inside the door. I thought, "uh-oh, this may not be good." I grabbed a cart, went right up to her and asked if she knew where I could find the garage door openers. She didn't know, so we walked together over to the Customer Service counter. I got my directions and headed off barefoot down the aisle directly in front of the Customer Service counter. There's no way they didn't notice my feet. I grabbed what I needed and then did a "grand tour" of the store to see if I could find anything else I needed (I love gizmos & gadgets in hardware stores!). When all was said and done, I walked past the female greeter again on my way to the checkout. I thanked her for her help. She said she could check me out right there. Great! No line! I've found that bare feet sometime get a level of politeness and courtesy I don't get otherwise.
I had a bad incident at the Ellsworth, Maine Home Depot. Closest I've ever come to getting into physical confrontation. Really, most of Ellsworth (our shire town) is nasty. As for old floors, I get that pleasure from an old grocery store in nearby Blue Hill, Maine, where there's no sign, and no one has spoken to me, in fact, I see other barefooters on those irregular wooden floors, and the occasional shirtless person. Regrettably, I've found here in Maine at least, that most of the control freaks I so disdain, are fellow liberal boomers, my age or thereabouts. So much for my generation of flower children. I get much better treatment from local conservatives, even hicks, about my attire, than from the more educated and yuppified members of my generation. MAJOR disappointment. MAJOR! There are exceptions to everything, however. And most of my high-powered clients are fine with it. The Home Depot thing doesn't seem to fit into either category above. Just some stupid corporate policy. I haven't tried the new Lowes, which was built almost next door.
I don't shop much at hardware stores, but locally I have been to True Value, Lowes, and Home Depot all without incident. Neither the Lowes of True Value had signs against bare feet. The Home Depot did have the sign, but I have been in there on 3 occasions all barefoot, and they never hassled me. Its just some corporate sign that most of the store employees themselves have probably never noticed or cared about.
i've never had an issue in the lowes, home depot, and true value stores i've been in here in california. although i do keep a sharp eye out for metal shards and the like.
Never a problem at Home Depot, Lowes, Ace, or True Value IF you don't count the time I was walking out to my truck from Ace and felt something stuck to my foot and looked to discover a small wood screw stuck in my right foot.
Went to Home Depot barefoot today. I couldn't find what I wanted, so I went to the Customer Service counter. The guy on duty walked with me to find the item and never said a word about my feet. I've had similar experiences at other Home Depots/Lowes. I wonder if the "No Bare Feet" sign they have at the entrances is a legal thing? In other words, I wonder if it's a case that they really don't care if people are barefoot in their stores, but if something happens (someone gets their foot cut, etc.), the store can always defend itself by pointing out that a sign is prominently displayed at the entrance. That's fine with me as long as they let me shop there!
I've gone into Mac's several times this past year to get stuff I need; The employees there know me by name and I've never been kicked out for being barefoot.
I've never had a problem with any hardware store either. Also at the big stores like Lowe's and Home Depot have never had a problem there. My soles are always black when I leave these stores too.
