:$ I was going shopping this afternoon to pick up a few things. I entered my local Wal-mart. Upon entering fucking retail hell, the greeter informed me I could not enter the store barefoot. I stated I had entered the store previously barefoot, without a problem. She stated store policy requires shoes to be worn by all patrons. I informed her I did not have shoes with me. She gave me a half assed fucking apology and she and the New Orleans Police Officer working the security detail stated, I could only shop if I had shoes on. I said fine and left. I have never fucking liked Wal-mart because it destroys small businesses. In a way it is a good thing, because I'll never spend my money in a Wal-Mart again. Have any of you encountered a similar problem at a Wal-Mart?
Oh yeah, wal mart is notorious for that! Seriously, people need to worry about more important things than feet not covered by shoes! I know they're trying to cover their asses incase of falling stuff, but seriously! I could go on till the cows come home about this. Good on ya for changing your shopping location! I mean, sometimes I go there if no one else carries what I'm looking for, but that's about it. Theres just too much crap they do that I don't agree with.
in california nobody in the stores really seem to give a shit if you're barefoot. i only go to walmart like once every month (like to cash a check or get pics developed or something) but i always walk up in there without shoes & they dont say jack shit to me.
I posted about my Walmart experience just a year ago. I prevailed, but I never knew if that one "Greeter" made up his own ignorant policy or not. I was sure it was his own, AS IS SO OFTEN THE CASE WITH CONTROL FREAKS. Well, recently, I was in our Ellsworth, Maine Walmart, in flops this time, and I happened to meet a lady who works there who I've known for years (we're both locals from the area and we pre-date Walmart) I sort of pulled her aside and asked, "as a friend I've known since before Walmart, I suspect you'll give me a straight answer. So tell me, IS there a no bf policy here, or not?" She said she thought there was a state health rule, so I said, "really, there isn't" and she seemed to see that I was serious, not BSing. She offered to call the store manager to get an answer. I had to find "shopping" to do for an hour. The manager finally came to our location. He was all smiles and he said: "I can't find ANYTHING about this." He said there just HAD to be something, for our protection against objects falling on our feet. (I flashed my flops at that moment, and he saw the fallacy of that kind of protection.) I was not in there to argue that day. This was a fact finding mission. He said he'd have to look it up in corporate policy and he'd email me about it. Need I even bother saying it's been 3 weeks and there's still not a word? Also, he mentioned something about the liability. I said, I expect the responsibility to be mine. There are no signs at that Walmart (NSNSNS) but if there were, I said it should read: "Barefoot at OWN Risk." In other words, this is a case where they don't know. I've also been where they DO know.Clearly, all of this manager's associates are WAY out of line when they say "you hafta have shoes on in heah--" and everyone everywhere is out of line citing a state regulation. I checked that out thoroughly last year. I have a love-hate affair with Walmart, mostly hate. I know some good folks at our local store, say, half a dozen out of the hundreds. I told the store manager I needed consistency, not a "each associate makes up his/her own rules wrt barefooting." He agreed. Since he was nice, I told him I'd let it go awhile before coming in barefoot again, but it's now about time.
I've actually had unusually good luck when going barefoot in walmart. Of all times I was there, only ONCE was I talked to by an employee - and he wasn't even on shift. He was an older guy on his break or something shopping around. He suggested I wear shoes for safedy, and I said (sarcastically) "yeah, because I might slip in a puddle or step on the broken glass you have lying all over your store." He nodded and wandered off...
I usually have good luck, too. But as I mentioned in my rather long post above, at least in Ellsworth Maine, I now have proof that the few employees who said anything the past year are making up their own dress code, my favorites, the control freaks. My worst problem is a couple of convenience stores, and two stores down in Southwest Harbor. I understand the owner of the Southwest Hrbr grocery store had the police remove someone for being barefoot. I had been spoken to by that owner. I will look into this. That store cites the phantom "health department" law. I'm friendly enough with the town's PD, so I'm going to ask about this. What's needed now is to finally find out, once and for all, if these sorts of stores have the right to tell their customers how they will dress. There's no law, just store law. How much power does it have---can they REALLY refuse service for something like that?
Sadly, yeah they have both the right and the authority to set policy on their property, and according to their standards. It will take a monumental effort and much legal wrangling to get acceptance for being barefoot on private property. We would have to dismantle their arguments one facet at a time, and I have no doubt that with the right representation that things CAN be changed...but it would take one person or one group of people to stand up to make that change a reality. The best thing to do is to get support from a politician who is hoping to be re-elected, who can garner some real support. Also, I don't think that the discrimination argument is the angle to take, as a lot of barefooters seem to champion that aspect...but rather we should argue it from the perspective of harrassment, because that's actually provable on different levels. Just as we now have sexual harrassment laws, barefooters (and other concerned citizens) should be fighting to eliminate harrassment based on appearance/lifestyle. If we cloak ourselves in the cause of discrimination, I think that feels too grand a cause, as if by asking us to put on shoes a store or employee or manager are actually oppressing us. I don't think it's even close to oppression (at least how I define it), but it definitely rates as harrassment, which should not be acceptable either. That's my two cents anyway.
Thank you barefoot kristyn, Barefoot Matthew, Cool Spruce, karuberutsu, balloonatic for replying to my rant. Yesterday, was beyond aggravating. This is something that needs to be addressed. I know these policies are designed to cover their asses. If you are wearing a pair of flip flops, you are less protected than if you are barefoot. As a barefooter you pay more attention to where you walk. You will not walk through any aisle with "broken glass", for example. If you walk on a slippery surface you are more likely to maintain your balance, if barefoot than if wearing flip flops.
DON'T SHOP AT WALMART! And not just because they are fickle about barefooters. It's one of the worst box stores on the planet when it comes to the treatment of their employees, both in Japan (where most of their stuff is made) and here in the US. PLEASE educate yourself on where you shop!
Well, I live in Texas, and there's not a store in the state that will allow you in to shop, eat or do anything else if you are barefoot-it's not just WalMart. Most of the merchandise that is sold at WalMart is made in China, not Japan. But again, that's not true just of WalMart, that's true of any retailer today, because China has become the manufacturing capital of the world, and that's just the way it is. The WalMarts in my part of Texas have lower prices and a much bigger selection of products than any other store, period. On top of that, they're all open 24 hours, when most of these stores in this sleepy-ass little place I live close not too long after the sun goes down. They also have a policy of giving you a refund on anything you bring back to the store with no questions asked, which most store don't do. As to how terrible that WalMart treats its employees, I don't get the impression that they treat their employees worse that any other retailer. I continually hear them bashed for not giving their employees health insurance, etc., when hardly any department or grocery stores in this state do that either. I'm not saying that's good, I'm just saying that in reality, WalMart isn't really any worse than any other retailer. They've just become the big conglomerate that everybody loves to hate at the moment.
If it's a problem you've crossed in your life, being mad because you can't shop when you are berefoot.... Well I'd love to have your life. Because it's kinda normal, don't start telling me about natural order and everything. I know that, understand it, and believes in it. But it's the law... There's no point in bitching about it, you have the right to don't go shop there, no one forces you to go shop there. You wanted to go at that places, follow the rules of the places. Would you like I come to your home and doing things that you don't think are acceptable in your place. And most of it all, people have been bitching about it for so long now, nothing changes. Start craft your own things or open a shop! Bring solutions, stop complaining.
I've never had a problem with them because we don't have a Wal-Mart here, but I've been to ones in other towns and they never said anything. I HAVE had friends complain about it, though... Wal-Mart seems to be especially bad for that. I DID get yelled at in another grocery store last week, though. I walked in, straight to the Service Desk (probably about 15ft. from the door, I live in a tiny town) and before I could say anything, the woman was like "You need to be wearing shoes when you come in here." I put my film on the counter and said "I'm just here to drop this off." and she repeated herself again. I looked her straight in the eyes, said again, "I'm just dropping this off, and then I'll turn around and walk out. That was the plan. You can keep me standing here, or take the film and watch me walk out." She made another smartass comment before she realized that I was serious and NOT leaving until she just took the film and everything. Everyone else there seems totally cool with it, though. Friends, friends' parents, my family, etc. have ALL wandered in there and done their grocery shopping totally barefoot, and nobody ever cared. Go figure, it was the same lady that, when I went there before, I had to tell her about ten times and lean half-way over the counter to point to the kind of smokes that I wanted... and she still grabbed the wrong ones...twice.
The "BITCHING" you mention was taken totally out of context. I hate the fact that uniform policies are not adhered too. The same store I entered yesterday, barefoot, I had shopped in on a number of previous occassions barefoot, without a problem. The are no "LAWS" restricting barefoot shopping. These are store policies. My complaint is a non-uniform enforcement policy. BTW, I was entering Wal-Mart because I was in the area. I do not patronize the corporate retail giant. I usually purchase items from small shops, thrift stores, and mom and pop operations.
I couldn't help but notice someone mentioned the wonderful return policy at WalMart...rumor has it that at the beginning of next year, it will be no receipt, no nothing. In other words, the bliss of returning something without a receipt will end and you won't get shit back. Hmm, and let's see, I keep hearing about some of the WalMarters wanting to unionize...sounds like they are a real happy bunch. As far as barefooting in their store, I would think they would be too busy stocking, etc to even care...but obviously I am wrong. I work retail and have seen several people come in barefoot...and all I say is AMEN (and I wish I were you!!)
actually, I had a reciept, all the tags to my clothes, and they STILL wouldn't refund my money. I had bought a bra and I didn't have time to try it on...so when I got home and went to go put it on, all the tags were in the way, so I had to take them off. It didn't fit, so I put it all together in the same bloody bag I bought it in! The bag at the customer service desk said, "i can't take that since the price tag isn't attatched." I was like, "it's RIGHT here"....I've had cashiers accidentially rip the tags off my clothes before! So what, I can't take those items back, either? I was super-douper pissed! I don't really blame the workers for wanting a union, though. I actually worked there for 2-3 months (yeah, I know, bad mama), and they treat their employees like shit! They pay a couple cents over minimum wage, no benifits, crappy hours, and they even make you do a "cheer" for how great walmart is at the end of your shift!!!!!!!! But then I got a job at their competitor (sp?) a few months back, and was given $5 more over minumum wage, benifits after 120 hours, a $1000 bonous check after 120 hours, and they were so laid back! The only thing that sucked was the union dues. And guess what, I would even work there barefoot, and they never said a thing!!!!!
If there's no sign posted saying that you can't shop unless you have shoes on, then legally they can't stop you. That's why a lot of stores now put up the classic "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Service!" sign.
I fucking hate that pretentious bullshit. It's in years past that I started seeing that sign in previously untainted vacation spots in the Northeast. I do firmly believe that there are certain places where barefeet are rude and inappropriate, but a fucking Dept store?!? Who gives a monkey's testicle about what someone looks like when they're shopping?!?!?
I live in College Station (90 miles northwest of Houston) and don't have a problem with shopping at stores barefoot, especially the mom and pop stores, convience stores are also not a problem, neither are auto parts stores. I NEVER EVER shop at wal mart and not becasue of their anti-barefoot policies. I just plain HATE the store because of it's predatory methods in getting the lowest price point on merchandise and running mom and pop stores out of business, stores that have been in the community for decades.
