Bummer at Target

Yesterday I had a bummer at Target. I went in barefoot, grabbed a cart, and was on my way to pick up a few things. A store representative caught me as I headed down an aisle. She seemed quite embarrassed as she spoke, but said I had to be "fully clothed" (I didn't realize I was naked) to shop there. She said that included footwear. She said I was welcome to buy some shoes and would be welcome. Well, I didn't go there to buy shoes. I asked her if wearing shoes was a store policy, and she said "Yes." Okay, so I left. The woman had been quite polite, but I was curious, so I followed up with an e-mail to Target.

"I have a question about a policy. Today I went to Target barefoot. It's my normal practice to just jump in the car and run errands without shoes. A store representative politely informed me that footwear is required. I asked if that was a store policy, she said yes, so I left. No big confrontation. My question is, is footwear a store requirement, a corporate requirement, or was it just a quick decision by the store representative? Personally I am barefoot around the house all the time. I don't put on shoes to run quick errands. I know that there is no state Health Department law against bare feet in public (stores, groceries, etc.) anywhere in the U.S. I have shopped barefoot at numerous retail and grocery stores and done business in public buildings without ever being confronted. As I said, the store representative was polite, but I want to know where Target stands on this issue so I can plan accordingly. Thank you!"

Today I received the following reply:

"Thanks for taking the time to share your experience with us.

In answer to your question, it is a corporate policy that we require footwear to be worn in our stores. We have this policy to help avoid injury and ensure the safety of all of our guests and team members.

We look forward to seeing you again soon at Target.

Sincerely,

Julie
Target Guest Relations"

I guess I'll just have to wait until I'm doing something requiring shoes to shop at Target. Bummer, I was on a roll. The people at Target were polite, but I've never been stopped like this before. Oh well, life goes on!

 

really? i've been in target many many many times barefoot.. and YES wearing shorts or something that you could see my bare feet. this news doesn't mean i'm going to put on shoes to go there...

 

Yeah, I probably won't give up either. I might try a different location. One thing about me, if someone says I can't do something, that makes me hell-bent to do it. It's not that I consider going to Target to be a God-given right, rather I now look at it as a challenge! Realistically, it was about 10:00-10:30 A.M. and they weren't very busy, so there was plenty over opportunity for wandering eyes to be on the lookout. The woman who came up to me wasn't very old. Judging from her nervousness and embarrassment, I'm guessing a grumpy manager behind the desk spotted me and designated the task. In reality, the business has the right to make its own rules.

 

I wonder how it is that making you put shoes on "ensures the safety of all of [their] guests and team members"? I wonder what they were thinking about.

Well, it's probably been said before... if they make us put on shoes to avoid injury, they might as well make us wear gloves and hats. I've noticed how inconsistent these replies are in that respect.

Anyway, I hope you find a better place to shop. (... and I'm glad the lady in the store was polite. At least she got THAT right.)

 

Funny how you get the odd store that can object. Can't comment on Target as they're not here in UK. I did have a similar experience in Tesco a couple of years ago, which has since made me wary of being bf in supermarkets, though I 've been into Morrisons and Iceland a couple of times recently with no comments. Also saw another guy barefoot in Sainsbury's the other day, so maybe the Tesco experience was a one off.

 

ive been bf in Tesco, Sainsburys, Morrisons and Somerfield without any member of staff saying anything... thats not to say all these stores are bf-friendly, but certainly the branches ive been in either didnt notice, or valued my custom more than enforcing rules on me.

 

i cant stand target anyway! they have like one checker at noon on a saturday! WTF? so even in a dead-ass store the FEW people in there still have to stand in lines.....

 

lol... they're worried that your bare feet might attack their team members? that's funny!

i think people tend to associate bare feet with disease. i have NO idea why they do this, but it seems as though a simple pair of flip flops can ensure that your diseased feet don't share disease with everyone else, while if they're bare, they're gonna infect the whole world.

i go to the supermarket barefoot all the time. i never have had any trouble. but i gotta watch out more carefully, cause i stepped in what i thought was water the other day... it was actually oil. it was a little slick for a bit!!!

 

Maybe they see barefeet as some kind of monster thing...?
Afraid that this might happen to them...?





~*Ganesha*~

P.S.: the image is from "Attack of the 50 ft. woman" - remade version.
Clearly, there are no shoes on the market for such big a momma.

 

i've been to target barefoot as well. they one of the few of the chains that do not seem to bother their barefoot customers. i say screw them and shop at small "mom and pop", if possible.

 

After my experience at Target, I had an interesting experience with Fidelity Investments. I had an appointment to rollover an old 401(k). I was trying to decide if this appointment qualified as one that demanded presenting the appropriate appearance (I'm not militant about doing everything barefoot and believe there is a time and a place for "appropriate attire" (visits to Target not being one of those). Anyhow, I said screw it, I'm comfy in what I've got on, it's my money, and if they have issues, there are other places to go.

I walked into the Fidelity Center in a polo shirt, shorts, and bare feet. No one said a word. By contrast, the women were in blouses, skirts, and heels, and the men were in navy blue suits, ties, and dress shoes. I had to wait for my appointment and was soon surrounded by others waiting for their appointments. For the most part, the others were pretty dressed-up, and I couldn't help but think how sad that was. Finally the rep came out to meet me. There was no mention of my attire. I could tell when I sat down in his office that he was a bit uncomfortable, but small-talk and business talk soon put him at ease. Not to brag, but I speak fluent finance, management, and technology, so I was never at a loss for words. By the end I'd say we were almost "chummy."

As we walked out, we exchanged pleasantries, shook hands, and I never once saw him, or anyone else I dealt with at the site, look down at my feet, much less make a comment. So I guess bare feet are acceptable for conducting business moving sums of money, but not for pushing a shopping cart. As they say, "Go figure"!

 

I'd go in there again. I mean, I don't think the same person will confront you again.

ask what dangerous objects there are on the floor.
and if they say what they are, little kids shouldn't even be allowed in there. They could fall and cut themselves on whatever happens to be on the floor. or something.

 

In New Zealand we have similar stores but i have never encounterd any problems entering these stores barefoot there is however one large home handyman chain that has a sign requireing footwear there reason being the risk of something droping on your feet jandals however are considerd suitable footwear how the hell are two thin rubber straps going to protect your feet? Having said that i have entered these stores barefoot and never been questioned i guess the staff just cant be bothered with these stupid rules!

 

I had a similar experience at a Target that I've been BF in more than 2 dozen times before. Makes me wonder if someone that was BF in a Target store stepped on something and tried to sue. The one store that has a sign posted at the entrance is Home Depot. I've been in 4 different HDs more than 40 times without shoes and without a stare or question. Go figure.

PS.. I LOVE the smooth concrete floors in HD and Lowes. So smooth they're soft.

 

I went to Target yesterday and had no issues. Not the same store, but one that is about the same distance from my home in the opposite direction. I went in, grabbed a cart and pretty much covered the entire store looking for the items I needed. When I went up to the check-out, there was a line extending out into the aisle. I stood in the wide aisle barefoot and in shorts waiting to check-out. Numerous customers and employees walked by, but no one said a word. The check-out was immediately in-front of the Customer Services counter. I certainly didn't try to hide anything from anyone. I eventually made it to the front of the line, paid, and walked out past the Customer Services Counter - no big deal, no hassle.

As far as comments that I should revisit the store where I was confronted the previous day, I probably will eventually. I thought about doing it yesterday, but decided that if I did encounter a problem, the store management could get pretty nasty and say they had just advised of their policy the day before. I didn't want anything ugly. Maybe I'll go back to the first store in the spring when it warms up (personally, I'm not into being barefoot on icy pavement/floors in the winter).

So it appears the Target footwear policy is somewhat selective. In reading various threads on this site I came across a posting that had an interesting perspective. Paraphrasing, it said that stores and people seem to be more tolerant of bare feet in newer, nicer areas than in less affluent areas. That might have been in play in my experience with Target. The store in which I was told I needed shoes is an older (20+ years) standard retail department store in the more established part of town. By contrast, the store I successfully entered is a big "Super Target" with a grocery store and pharmacy. It's probably less than five years old and is in a community of newer homes. With the Super Target's bright lights and wide aisles, I was certainly conspicuous as I wandered barefoot throughout the store, yet no one said a word.

Ugghhh! Warm weather this weekend and then the temperature takes a dive. Guess I'll have to look forward to the spring thaw!

 

I've never had a problem barefoot shopping in the UK, even in upmarket stores. I did once step on some small slivers of broken glass in a Woolworths store, but they didn't penetrate the thick skin, and i was able to brush them off. Of course i would never consider suing even if i were cut, it wouldn't do any good anyway!

 

That's awesome.

Are you into the Austrian school of thought on economics by any chance? I swear, being an economics nerd at 16 is tough these days. And a barefooter to boot.

 

Speaking of economics, have you read the poem "Gods of the copybook headings" by Rudyard Kipling? It kept me out of debt all my life!

 

To bypass the shoe nazis at Target, I made 'inviso-flips', as my daughter calls them. No prob in Target - or anywhere else, fot that matter.

 

I have been in 3 Targets barefoot, 2 in California and 1 in Texas, and never got bothered. I have been to my local Target at least a dozen times barefoot even being greeted by the greeter without ever being hassled.

Bad luck for you with that one odd anti-barefoot person I guess.