I got kickwd out of a Pilot Flying J Store

Good or bad my fellow barefoot comrades have motivated or influenced me to start a movement. I've seen posts about Food Lion, Walmart (which does not have a policy against barefoot) and other establishments.
Thursday I stopped at Wendy's Hamburger restaurant that is attached to a Pilot Fuel Center in Fremont Indiana. I went inside the Wendy's entrance and several other customers were in the store a few of them immediately noticed that I was barefoot. There was a lady worker mopping the floor (I didn't want to walk in that nasty mop water but it was too late I was committed) The shift manager came back in from her cigarette break who I know she had to have called the Pilot manager over to the Wendy's to intercept me.
I ordered my food and was told that it would be a 2 minute wait for fresh fries. I sat down and saw the manager walk inside looking around. He then went back into Pilot. I got up to check on my order and instantly the manager from Pilot comes running in there yelling at me that I could not be in there without shoes. This dud was an asshole he was loud and thought he was putting me in my place. I quietly explained to him that on the doors that there weren't any signs barring barefoot customers. This guy just rudely told me it was against the company's policy. Bingo!! I knew I had something to fight with. He told me to get out and then when the Wendy's clerk handed me my bag he snapped at her and said 'you already served this guy?' He then told me to take my order to go.

I drove the hour to Fort Wayne and decided to call both Pilot Flying J's corporate hotline and Wendy's corporate hotline. Of course neither call center associates could do anything but apologize and take my information.

Friday the regional manager from Pilot Flying J called me. I gave him the details and listened for him to respond. He apologized and said it was wrong how his associate handled the situation. He said it was a safety and food issue as well as their policy. I then explained to him that
1) I've been in retail food for over 25 years that I Food Saver Certified and that I've worked with many local board of health offices. I explained to him that there does not exist a so called health code form the board or health.
2) Furthermore I told him about all of my years of filling out customer accident forms as well as witness statements that there has never been a reported injury from a barefoot customer however there have been countless reports of incidents from subjects getting injured from slips and falls while wearing flip flops, high heel shoes, etc.
3) I asked him to examine his company's policy and see if such a policy actually exist or if it was just an old wife's tale.
We were on the phone for 40 minutes. he kept trying to send me coupons and other such things which I refused. I told him bluntly. You don't have to try to bribe me with these offers. Just do the research and then train your staff accordingly.
It takes time as does reading this long post but if we do it the right way we can start impacting the discrimination we receive when we we trade.

 

Sounds like fun for you, I guess you could make bare-foot activism a way of life huh?

In the grand scheme of things who gives a fuck.

 

It's one thing if what they cited were fact or law. It's another when folks make a decision based on prejudice or falsehoods. No different than walking around outside wearing a hoodie.

 

Actually it is. Walking outside is public. A business' property is private.

 

That's the only perk that most big companies have over small private ones. Not only are there shareholders for publicly traded companies but most of them have a set of guidelines that are set. I'm confident that once Steve the regional manager that called me gets done researching my harassment by his store manager that he will ensure that this issue becomes a non issue. You can't just mistreat folks.

 

Nice one...glad to hear it worked in your favor. I wish these satteilite stores could understand 'policies' versus hearsay, rumors and the wives tale.

 

Don't know what it's like over where you are but here in the UK some retailers and shopping centres will refuse to sell or evict people with a hoodie up. Their premise is that anyone with their head covered in that way is itimidating and up to no good. I can kinda understand this but then again who am I to make assumptions based on someone's appearance. I'm sure people do that to me everyday

 

I Hope This Includes Members Of The Muslim Community....



Cheers Glen.

 

We are a dumbded down, brainwashed culture. We don't even make shoes in this country any more, and we think we've got to wear them all the time.

 

I love the idea of a barefoot revolution, throwing of the shackles of footpression.

Also I hope Glens just being 'funny', not a racist jerk.

 

Ahahaha! Glen you racist jerk, you!!

:hide:

 

glen is hipforums' resident hatemonger after all. he's just pissed because he got kicked out of a store for wearing his white hood.

i've seen signs on store entrances around here saying that you can't go in with your hood up, but i don't think they're really enforced, just like the no backpacks signs or the only 2 students at a time signs, or in most places, the no shirt no shoes no service signs.

 

and i wonder if this rule is going to be enforced against monks and friars LOL

 

No Manager ever has a right to get like that!!! I dont care if there was a plain as day sign right in front of your face! I had a somewhat similar incident at a Food Lion about a month ago (not as rude as that manager) but i was escorted out of there like a child....Somebody ent me a link where Food Lion was now bf freindly but when i e-mailed them they acted like they had no idea what i was talking about..

I wish you luck my fellow bf friend..i wouydlnt go back to that Flying J/Wendys but dont let it stop you...but then again you already felt that way