Where did you go barefoot today?

First, I went to a nearby post office to pick up a small parcel that was deposited there for me (typical thing to happen, if they try to deliver while I'm at work, thus not at home). As I went to the post office, I passed a stand of one of the political parties running for the Euro parliament election this year in June... where I politely declined their offer of some colorful printed matters. Picking up the parcel with a set of dice I ordered (the role-playing kind, typical set of a D3, D6, D8, D12, 2 D10 - both together serving as a D100 - and a D20) didn't take long, and I was out of the post office and back to the tram stop to continue my weekend shopping trip.

Next stop was the mall, located in the center of my home town. I went to the ATM, to get the necessary dough, then to the drugstore to pick up some foot and skin care products (the previously mentioned "Foot Butter" - I put a picture of the stuff + my feet in the pictures of your feet thread - and some sun protection lotion). So far only various examples of The LookTM and no comments. Since the mall was quite crowded, I decided to take a little break and went to an ice cream/café place with an outdoor seating area, quickly found a table to sit at, and ordered an Italian-style cappucino (properly made with foamed up milk instead of the faux-cappucino which is made with whipped cream on top) and a ginger ale. Here, the previous trend continued. Various occurances of The LookTM, but no comments. Most of the time I had my earphones plugged in and some of my favourite music playing - not too loud, just in case someone might come up with a comment for me to hear...
Nothing of that kind happened, though.
As I watched the people passing by and walking to and fro in the ped zone, where the café is located, my barefooters' counter stayed at the number 1 (that is, counting myself, but no others).
One cappucino, one ginger ale and a few tracks by Ali Project later I paid for the drinks and went back into the mall as the final chapter of the shopping trip was waiting for me: the supermarket. It was quite crowded, as one might expect on a sunny Saturday around noon, when almost everyone decides to go to town and do their shopping. I got the goods desired, went to one of the checkouts, paid, packed my stuff from the cart into my bags, and went off to get to the tram.
The routine about my feet stayed the same: The LookTM and nothing was said. After finding a seat on the tram (actually partly subway, since some stations are underground), I took a manga from my bag, plugged my earphones in and got comfortable for the 15-minute ride home. Still the same routine on the part of onlookers and other passengers concerning my feet...

One funny thing happened though, about four stops away from my destination... I was sitting in place with two seats facing each other, and an elder lady with her typical trolley (the kind that many elderly ladies pull behind them for shopping) got on the tram, placed herself in the seat opposite mine and hollered loud enough for everyone to hear: "That man's right!! Back when I was young, we were always barefoot in warm weather. And today? We wear these thick and clumsy shoes!". Even though I had my MP3 player turned on at about 75% power, I was able to hear her - and everyone within earshot (that would be half of the tram by her loudness!), too. I maintained my neutral face, looking into the manga I was reading and continued listening to my music. The elderly lady got off only one stop later, and my MP3 player decided to add some satire to the situation as the next track it played was Ilaria Graziano's I can't be cool from the Ghost in the Shell - Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig soundtrack.

Well, all in all a typical barefoot shopping day with a nice encounter of a pro-barefooting advocate towards the end. However, the barefoot counter never went up from the number 1. Many feet in sandals, flip-flops and such, but no one else but me baring soles to the ground.

Wiggling a barefoot shopper's toes,

~*Ganesha*~

 

i went to the laundry mat, post office, stopped at the atm and a small grocery store. i did not encounter any problems since it is a festival weekend and the temp is near 80 f.

 

I went to a local mall with my friend and all the stores except a restaurant and a crappy department store were closed, so literally nobody was walking the halls. I had flip-flops, so I took them off and walked around the whole mall barefoot several times. We had a good laugh about it and I said, "Next time we do this, I'm not even bringing shoes!"

 

i did a brittany...wlaked into a public john barefoot....yeeewwwww

 

This weekend I was barefoot in London. I went to a party in Kilburn on friday evening (via Shepherds Bush to pick up myself a new hold-all from the club shop). When I got to the pub I was asked to put shoes on by a member of staff there, but the nice thing was that when I replied saying I wouldn't dream of holding him responsible he just left it there. I think he was the one sweeping up the broken glass as I walked through it later (I got a few little pricks under my arch doing that as I mis-placed my foot going up the steps from the garden back into the pub - a schoolboy error that caused me a bit of pain, but not too much blood. I find that glass is never a problem when you touch it with the parts of your feet that are on the ground and constantly getting toughened up. So it's good practice to go barefoot up steps on tiptoes, so that if your heels are off the ground then your arches will be too, and then glass won't be a problem. In fact it's probably a good habit for walking on broken glass anywhere, as the balls of your feet and tips of your toes will be able to handle it (with practice and conditioning that is), while your arches will not.

We ended up going back to someone's flat where I'd been led to believe I'd be sleeping, but alas it didn't work out that way and we all had to clear out at 5am. I'd planned to stay in london that day as I was going to another party in Guildford on the saturday evening. So I just went off to find things to do in London. Which is pretty easy normally, but at 5am it's quite a challenge. The tubes started running around then which was handy so I just had to find places that were open were I could sit down, read my book and wait for 10am when all the fun stuff such as the science museum, london eye, etc. got going.

But I found a McDonald's open in Hammersmith where I had breakfast. Then I went over to Waterloo in anticipation of the London eye. I did stop off in Hyde Park on the way, thinking I could chill there, but it was pretty cold and pooring with rain so there wasn't much chance of me lying down and falling asleep. But at least the wet grass allowed me to clean my feet properly. So I sat in the concourse at Waterloo for a bit, struggling to stay awake. Then I decided to pop into Burger King and have another breakfast, mainly to be able to charge my phone as they had some mains sockets in the walls near some of the tables upstairs. The coffee did just enough for me to kill the rest of the time with my book (Daniel Dennett's Breaking the Spell, in case any of you are interested).

Then I went barefoot on the London Eye. I wasn't planning on going on it, but I've got a Merlin Pass valid 'til August and I thought I'd milk it as much as I can until I leave. It wasn't anything more than I'd expected, an oversized ferris wheel showing me a city I already know really well. Still it killed 35 mins and it's good to have done it and know FOR CERTAIN how ordinary it is.

Next I went to the IMAX cinema. I'd never been to one before. I've seen 3D films before but the sheer size of the screen made this quite a different thing. I had planned to go back later and see Star Trek on it but it sold out.

Then I went to the London Dungeon. This was superb. I'd always thought it would be good but I had no idea how good it was going to be. Had no trouble getting in barefoot. The staff there were all quite aware that I was barefoot but said nothing. I rather enjoyed walking around the dungeon barefoot. There were a few other tourists there who commented in disbelief to each other (but didn't dare say anything directly to me). The tour climaxes in a ride in which you're asked to kick off any loose-fitting shoes so I felt quite at home. The actors were great on the tour, all in costume and make up with lots of blood. They were all wearing shoes of course, although I'd bet if any of them had wanted to work barefoot they would have been encouraged - and I personally would have enjoyed seeing them with fake blood dripping down the tops of their feet.

So after going back to the IMAX only to find out there were no more tickets, I decided to try out the London Aquariam (which is part of the SEA.LIFE chain, so also accessible to me with my merlin card). I don't find fish that interesting most of the time but thought I'd check it out. The place is centred around a big shark tank with a few exciting looking rays and other things in there with them. The tour takes you around above, below, along side, and right across the very top of the shark tank so you can view the magnificent beasts from all angles. The glassbottomed walkway above the tank near the end of the tour was fun. And I enjoyed walking barefoot across it for that extra sense of vulnerability. There are also plenty of other smaller sea creatures to see as well - and it's definitely a good one for inspiring and fascinating your children if you've got any.

Then I went and chilled out on the grass by the London Eye, fell asleep for half an hour (was surprised I woke up at all given that it was my first half hour of sleep for 30 hours), and then decided to go and get something to eat. So I went up to Cambridge Circus and to pizza hut.

Then finally I went onto Guildford. It was a saturday night and bouncers were everywhere so I put my shoes on as I'd done with the stag do before. They were off again as soon as I was back at the train station on my way back to London.

However after that considerable workout my feet were pretty sore and so I wore shoes for most of the Sunday afternoon, spent at Wembley watching the Blue Square Premier League (or the conference as everyone still calls it) Playoff Final. That soreness wore off by this evening and I was barefoot all the way home. Just got back home in Cambridge about an hour and a half ago.

 

took a trip to a bio greenhouse where i had to buy several chili plants (mostly habanero red and cayenne) and other ones . the summer comes in and the ground is turning pleasantly hot but a stroll in the flooded greenhouse (they were irrigating) to choose the plants was welcome. but the man was right, the floor is really slippery when wet and with bare feet it is easier to slip and fall than with threaded boots (i managed to stay vertical, however lol) after lunch we stopped to rest a little and watch the beautiful nearby lake while sitting on the grass under a palm tree. geese and ducks merrily ate the rest of our bread lol. back home, in the evening, i planted the little green devils in the yard. btw what do you do to keep snails away?

 

i went to the laundry mat yesterday. washed, dried and folded clothes all barefoot. The tile floor was soo cool and smooth. The best part was nobody even gave me a drity look!!!!!

 

I went to the grocery store a few minutes ago to pick up some things for lunch. The grocery is a "King Soopers," which is part of the Krogers chain in the U.S. Anyhow, the reason for the background is that I ran into some token resistance at the self checkout. I'd wandered all over the store without incident to pick up fruit, apples, and some toiletries. This was not the normal location where I shop. When I went to the checkout, there was a 60-65 year-old women overseeing the self checkout. The exchange went something like this.

Employee: "Sir, we ask that you wear shoes"
StraightToes: "Why?"
Employee: "It's safety policy"
StraightToes: "Whose safety policy?"
Employee: "You know, No Shirt, No Shoes"
StraightToes: "That's not posted"
Employee: "Well, I just wanted to tell you"
StraightToes (trying to evaluate the situation): "Well I could leave"
Employee: "No that's not necessary"

Anyhow, I sorta felt sorry for the woman and sorta felt like I was being an ass. I think she realized she didn't have a store policy backing her statements. I don't think either of us was nasty. As we had this exchange, I thought to myself that this woman really didn't care if I was barefoot or not, she was just reacting to the unusual sight of seeing someone without shoes in the store. It was a bit of a CYA ("Cover Your Ass") move on her part. If she was really that adamant about it she probably would have pushed the issue and called the manager. As I left, she thanked me for shopping at the store. I think she thought she was doing her job, but after I challenged her she realized maybe there isn't a store policy about shoes. I think I had a similar experience with this same employee when I stopped in last year. Oh well, she seemed very nice otherwise and we parted on positive terms.

 

I am not sure what the Kroger corporate policy is towards barefeet. I have shopped barefoot in more than a few Krogers and have never been questioned about being barefoot. Years ago I was buying some baby food. A female manager was arranging some of the jars on the shelves. She dropped one of the jars and of course it broke when it hit the floor. She looked down and saw I was barefoot. She was surprised and said "Oh you're barefoot!" She then apologized profusely for making a mess and asked me to please be careful. Another time a cashier noticed I was barefoot and asked "No shoes today?" I said no I was more comfortable that way. She smiled and replied "Sounds good to me."

My experience is Kroger is barefoot friendly.

 

Yesterday I had a pretty fun barefoot adventure. I went with some friends to go floating down a creek on inner tubes. When I met up with my pals, there was someone I hadn't been introduced to yet- a dog from Peru. She seemed to like me right away, probably because I was barefoot. I've noticed that a lot- dogs being sensitive to people wearing shoes or not. The weather was 102 degrees F, and the rocks and cobble in the creekbed were sizzling hot but fun for me to walk on. The dog was loving it. We all floated around for a while but the water level was too low to make it to our pickup location, so we had to back-paddle to our starting point. On the way home we stopped to eat at a dusty authentic Mexican restaurant at the intersection of two desolate county roads. I walked across the gravel parking lot and into the air-conditioned restaurant barefoot and nobody cared. The tacos and guac were excellent.

 

Actually, I would have to agree. I've gone to many King Soopers (part of Krogers) stores without any issue. It's just this one employee in this one store. Today when I pushed the issue a bit she backed down. Otherwise, I've gone to several stores, shopped up and down all the aisles, asked for assistance, all without issue.

 

Greetings, fellow barefooters,

it seems that the questions asked about certain stores allowing or at least
tolerating bare feet and the mail conversation commencing from there
has sent some vibes to central western Germany this morning...

On my usual barefoot trip to work, including going to a supermarket
(EDEKA, one large chain in Germany), I had an encounter with the
manager on duty of that store...

All in all, it was in a friendly tone, and not about banning a barefoot
customer, but it was for the first time that some store employee
confronted me with a liability warning. It happened after I had
paid for my office provisions and was packing them into my bag,
as the aforementioned employee stepped up to me, saying
"Excuse me... I have noticed quite often that you shop in your bare
feet here..." My reply: "Yes...?"
He: "WelI, I just wanted to let you know, that there might be broken
glass lying on the floor at times, and that we cannot take responsibility
for any possible injuries..."
My reply: "Oh, I am aware of that. I know that I am barefoot at my
own risk." He nodded, smiled and went his way.

Well, unless I am confronted again by that person, I should be
safe enough from more such well-meant advice. If not, I am quite
ready and willing to go into detail concerning benefits of barefooting,
debunking myths of danger to bare soles and to calculate the loss
of income should they indeed ban me from shopping there.
Actually, I shop there regularly for my grocery and food stuff, too,
and not just the snacks and drinks needed to get me though my
office day.

Let's hope the barefoot voodooists will now send me different
vibes.

Wiggling a barefoot customer's toes,

~*Ganesha*~

 

Today I shopped barefoot at Home Depot & Staples

 

Wow, I oughtta try my local Kroger store, Dillons.

I used to work at a Dillons back in high school, by the way, and I never said anything to any customer about wearing shoes or shirt, though I rarely ran into that situation. I just didn't care. (We were told not to care if someone had more than 20 items in the express lane, so I figured that I wouldn't hassle anyone if I didn't want to.)

 

Went disc golfing barefoot today.

 

Had a nice long barefoot excursion this weekend. 54 hours away from my house without any shoes.

Went into London on Friday morning for a meetup with some other UK barefooters. I was the only one close to my age but everyone else was very friendly and we had a lot of fun walking around Camden, Soho and the West End. 6 hours walking barefoot across Central London. Superb. I then went around the Science and Natural History museums the next morning before heading onto Guildford for a friend's barbecue which was great fun. Came back to Cambridge at lunchtime today, but instead of coming straight home stopped off in a pub to watch the League One playoff final.

Had one little hiccup in the evening though. Went to meet another friend in Camden after the group had dispersed and we couldn't get into his favourite pub as there were fussy bouncers on the door. He was a bit put out about having to run home and grab some old shoes for me to use. He soon settled down after we got inside and I bought the first round though.

I'm off to Birmingham tomorrow to visit another close friend and go for a curry.

 

I walked barefoot through a forest near me - mud, grass, soil, dirt - heaven!

 

Excellent, another UK barefooter. The organiser of the London meetup I described above is having another on the 6th June. It'll be a country walk somewhere in the south of England. Sadly I won't be able to make it myself, as I'm organising a reunion for my old primary school class (It's been 16 years since I last saw any of them) but if you like I can put you (or any other UK barefooters) in touch with her.

 

I haven't posted on here for ages !
Anyway, walked around Guildford on Saturday and sunday evenings. Spent the day in Southsea and Portsmoth yesterday. I saw plenty of other barefooters in all locations.

The walk on 6th June sounds good.....

 

i spent the last 2 days barefoot. i ran errands, rode my bike, went to the park, went to the laundry mat and washed. unfortunately, i return to work tonight so on goes those damn shoes.