I had a bad experience in early August. A couple of thug employees at a local Safeway grocery basically intimidated me and kicked me out when I entered barefoot. Nothing polite - just "get out of here." I filed a complaint via Safeway's website. After two weeks, I'd heard nothing, so I googled Safeway's financial information, got the name and address of their CEO, and sent him a letter. I'm sure the CEO never saw my correspondence, but someone in his office probably passed my letter down the food-chain (no pun intended) Yesterday I got a note from the manager of the offending Safeway along with a $25 gift certificate. It would have been better if she's written on Safeway stationary - I'd probably frame it! Oh well, chalk one up for my bare toes! I believe if you save the images below you can blow them up to where you can read them. The first two are the 1-1/2 page letter I sent to the CEO. The third is the note from the store manager along with the gift certificate. I had a similar experience last year at a local Office Max. You can read about that at http://www.hipforums.com/newforums/showpost.php?p=4904908&postcount=18 Anyhow, here's the correspondence with Safeway. I plan to go to the Safeway today - barefoot and with a copy of the manager's note in my back pocket. Unfortunately my wife stopped by the grocery on her way home yesterday, so I've got to figure out if there's anything else we need.
Well done StraitToes! You are correct, these is absolutely no excuse for a store employee to treat you they way they did. I commend you for writing to Safeway informing them of the poor treatment you received. Congratulations! Many retailers are shutting doors and closing many of their locations these days. In troubling economic times, they really can't afford to lose valuable customers.
Well done, ST. A sensible letter and (eventually) a sensible reply. Let us know how you get on on your next visit.
I noticed the name of the store manager and wondered if it might be Indian, which culture should manifestly be barefoot-friendly.
I googled safeway along with her name. There was a picture of a very American-looking blond for what it's worth.
I went this afternoon. We really didn't need any food items, but I bought toothpaste, shampoo, etc. that I know we'll need eventually. I went in, grabbed a cart, and went up and down every aisle in the store - SLOWLY. I wanted to make sure I took advantage of my invitation to shop barefoot. At the same time, I was hoping to come across one of the problem employees from my previous visit. No, I wouldn't create an ugly situation, but I would have made sure they saw my bare feet. Needless to say, I had a copy of the letter from the manager with me. Unfortunately, I didn't see either of the employees. I passed multiple workers at the store - none of them batted an eye. I checked out and made no effort to hide my feet. On my way out I made it a point to casually pass in front of the Customer Service desk. Despite how it may sound, I really wasn't trying to create a problem. Rather, I wanted to do everything I could to see if the manager's apology and follow-up with her employees was sincere or if it was just lip service. All indications are that the store really is fine with bare feet. I feel I can now move that store from my very short list of service denials to my very long list of service successes. So far this calendar year I've gone barefoot to over 330 businesses, government buildings, airports, etc. and have only 1-2 less-than-desired encounters. My total number of barefoot visits (includes multiple visits to the same location) is probably around 500-600.
It always amazes me to hear about these problems you experience in US stores. I've never had a problem in UK stores, though i haven't tried places like Harrods or Selfriges. I would probably get kicked out (politely, of course) for not wearing a tie...
I wanted to pass along details about being hassled for being barefoot and how it was successfully resolved. This happened last month at a local King Soopers grocery at 3400 Youngfield St. in Wheatridge, CO. The following is an excerpt from a letter I sent to their corporate offices. The fact I wasn’t wearing shoes was never a thought as I’ve stopped in numerous King Soopers or Safeway grocery stores barefoot to grab a quick item. This has never been an issue and apparently there are no rules, codes, or laws prohibiting it as discussed below. When I entered the King Soopers at 3400 Youngfield St., I started toward the Pharmacy. An employee pushing a shopping cart saw me and said in a loud voice, where everyone around me could hear, “You need to wear shoes, that’s unsanitary.” His tone was a mixture of arrogance and disdain. Nothing soft-spoken or polite. There was no attempt to quietly address his concern with me. He wanted his opinion known to me – and to everyone around. To say the least, this was quite embarrassing. I continued to the Pharmacy, but unfortunately they were out of what I wanted. On my way out of the store, I stopped to pick up some Chapstick. As I was paying at the Self-Checkout, another employee came up to me and said I must wear shoes next time. I responded that it’s not posted at the entrance to the store. This seemed to catch her off guard, and she said “Oh!” and walked away - apparently unsure of her comment. I completed my purchase and left quietly. However, if you were humiliated by a loud-voiced employee in front of other customers would you feel welcome to return? I've gone to other King Soopers and Safeway grocery stores without shoes to grab a quick item and have never been subjected to such abusive behavior.I filed a complaint on-line and after 11 days hadn’t gotten a response. This prompted my sending a letter to their corporate offices (Kroger Corp., whose headquarters is in Cincinnati, OH). I included a copy of the letter from barefooters.org from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment stating that there are no regulations against bare feet in a store (http://www.barefooters.org/health-dept/CO2009.pdf). Fortunately these letters had been updated recently which helped their credibility. This past week I received a voicemail from a woman in Kroger’s (the parent company of King Soopers) Office of Consumer Affairs. She was trying to be very professional and politically correct, but you could tell she was uncomfortable talking about feet. She said she had asked Kroger’s regulatory office to look into rules about bare feet in their Colorado stores and that I was correct that there were no laws or codes against it. She said the corporation recommended that customers wear shoes but it wasn't a requirement. She left her phone number and said she’d welcome my call. I called her on Friday. I don’t think she expected me to call. Again I could tell she didn’t want to talk about feet. I commented that the bigger issue was how I’d been treated. She assured me the store manager would call. Yesterday (Saturday) I received a call from the store manager. To my surprise, he was pretty cool about the whole thing. He asked me to relate the story again. He then made the following comments. • He confirmed there are no rules or codes against bare feet in his store. • He was baffled why one of his employees would have said anything to me. He confirmed there were no signs banning bare feet and that the topic has never been discussed. • He said given the store’s location, he didn’t know why someone would have taken exception. His store is right off I-70, the main road into the mountains. He said that during the summer, all kinds of folks on vacation come in and he’s never heard of an issue with bare feet or any other attire. • Then the comment that about knocked me over. He said that in many ways a bare foot might be cleaner than a shoe. He said that sanitation studies among food handlers suggests an employee with an ungloved hand is more likely to be aware of contamination than one wearing gloves. It’s easier to feel a foreign substance on exposed skin. He said that could be extended to bare feet as well. Anyhow, I made my point and will definitely go back to that store again – barefoot of course!! If I get any flack from any King Soopers, I now have some names and numbers I can drop!!
Thanks! When I first joined this forum a lot of members suggested some pretty emotional tactics for dealing with negative reception at businesses. Usually that just escalates the situation and makes it much worse. Dealing calmly with the policy makers seems to work better. I'd like to say I've been 100% successful when contacting the company officers, but that's not quite true. I believe I've written to four companies over the past couple of years and have gotten very positive responses on three occasions. The fourth was a bit disappointing but no big deal. In late September I went to a coffee shop in Boulder, Vic's Espresso on north 30th St. I figured it would be no big deal to stop in - I go to coffee shops barefoot all the time. Anyhow, when I entered, there was a 50-60 year old guy sitting at the front reading a newspaper. I figured he was a customer. When I entered, he told me he couldn't serve me as I wasn't wearing shoes. I asked if he worked here - I wanted to be sure he wasn't just some crazy customer. He confirmed he was an employee (later I discovered he was a manager named Mike). He said my bare feet were a Health Code violation. I commented that there are no Health Codes to that effect, but it was obvious he wasn't going to buy it. I left without my coffee. Fortunately, there was another coffee shop just down the street that was willing to serve me - bare feet and all. When I got home, I called the offending store and got the guy's name and sent him a letter explaining my perspective and included the letter from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment that's posted on the barefooters.org website. That letter clearly states there are no health codes regulating patrons going barefoot in a retail establishment (including restaurants, groceries, etc.). In my cover letter I included my mailing address, e-mail address, and cell phone number. That was September 29th, and I haven't heard a word. I've thought about going back just to see how I'd be received, but that's a bit of a drive and the days for going barefoot are drawing down to a precious few. We'll see. Anyhow, I've been to 400+ distinct businesses, etc. this year and have had unfavorable issues only twice. That's better than 99.5% success! The funny thing is that I'm never hassled when I expect it. When it does happen it's usually when I'm going someplace completely nonchalantly with no anticipation of an issue as with the King Soopers grocery previously discussed or this Vic's Espresso location.
I wholeheartedly agree. :cheers2: Especially since you took the time to write letters and provide supporting documentation to the corporate offices of King Soopers. Good job!
