Has 2010 Been an Excellent Barefoot Year?

I'm wondering if others have experienced this year to be unusually barefoot friendly? I rarely wear any kind of footwear in the summer. In most years, I'd get some confrontation about once/month. Somebody would take exception to my bare feet, refuse to serve me, make nasty comments, etc. This year I've been pushing the limits, but I've only had one bad experience. I wrote about that earlier in one of the threads. I went to a liquor store, wandered around to find what I wanted, and then the woman refused to sell to me because I wasn't wearing shoes. Okay, I went somewhere else and found the same item for less money!

Personally I think the economy has something to do with my lack of confrontation. In the past employees were quick to judge if there was something out of the ordinary. I sense that this year store owners/employees aren't going to say anything unless you're causing a disturbance or harassing others. Have others experienced the same good fortune being barefoot in public that I have this year?

 

I've been having much barefoot fun this summer but did get thrown out of a mall and a local hardware store. Never before had problems before with either and the store issue was probably cause the older retired guy was alone without the owner present.

 

Kia Ora Ni Hao!

This has by far been the best bf season ever for me. With the exception of one of my jobs where shoes are required, and the handful of times where shoes were also required, I stayed barefoot all the time. Being that the cold is beginning to once again take its grip, I am already looking forward to next barefoot season and many many many many many more to come!

Cheers!

 

So far, yes. I got a weird look at the local grocery store yesterday, but went into a Canadian Tire and LCBO (liquor store) today.

I'll keep bftin' until it's too cold

 

In the UK, every year is a good bf year!

 

I limit my retail therapy when barefoot to Store 24's or 7/11's so I can't say I noticed a change in the way people greeted me. Previous summers I would have ventured barefoot to the local cinema, but this summer I really didn't think there was anything worth watching. The only time I did get a scolding came courtesy of a member of the transet authority who informed me that I had to wear shoes on the train platform.

I was also blessed with going barefoot since April. And until last weekend I managed to make it injury free. Unfortunately I was walking across a parking lot to get a parking permit for my car and wasn't watching where I was walking. The next thing I know I managed to step on the splinters from a car's shattered signal light. I thought I got it all out, but unfortunately I'm still experiencing some discomfort with my right foot three days later. On three different occasions I've tried to remove the splinter, but to no avail. Judging from previous experiences with splinters, it will come out when it's ready.

 

I haven't had a single rude comment from a stranger this year. Relatives, yes, but nobody has kicked me out of any stores. You're probably right about the recession but it'd be great if w were finally gaining acceptance.

 

For me it has been an awesome 2010, as it's been my first year of barefooting with any degree of perseverance. The only time I've worn shoes is for medical related issues (usually visiting vets with poorly wild hedgehogs as I run a small rescue), but other than that it's been freedom all the way, even down to barefoot cycling.

I've only had a few embarrassing idiots who for some reason feel obliged to bellow to all around them that I am barefoot, but on the whole I've had no response or lovely smiles, or even a few interested people stopping to ask me more (the best response to 'because I can' was 'too right, who cares about other people ?')

Have had no problems whatsoever with any of the countless stores I visit.

On the whole it's been a cracker - gonna keep going for as long as I can, and am hoping my feet can persevere with the dropping temperatures in England at present

 

It seems that after a quite cold winter here in central Europe, people were reacting to the mild seasons in a more euphoric way and therefore welcomed barefooting easier than in the years before. Another thing is that there has been a plenty of barefoot-positive reception in the media, as a lot of articles on barefoot running and the pleasures of barefoot hiking were published this year, too. Whenever people asked me about walking barefoot, they were readier to concur that it's healthy than before. So, this year might have been a better year than some of the ones before... Strangely though, I've seen less other barefooters in public than in the years before. An excellent barefoot year would be if people (especially the teenage fashion-victim sort) stopped their giggling and rude comments and if all those flip-flop-wearing people would lose those to fully bare their sole and spirit to the ground underfoot.

Wiggling bare toes, happy about a two-week leave - a time to be spent totally unshod,

~*Ganesha*~

 

no worse nor no better than any other year, very average.

 

Sadly I've noticed the same this year. Despite my sense it's been a more barefoot friendly year, I haven't seen near the number of others without shoes as in the past. Last year it seemed like I saw 2-3 others/month without shoes. This year I've only come across 2-3 all summer.

 

Was in a Food City grocery store on Sunday morning and saw a girl around 9 or 10 years of age walking around barefoot inside the store. This is also the second barefooter I've seen in a establishment this year as well.

 

Locally by me I think I've seen a few more than the last 2 years but that amounts to maybe 6 or 8. On the other hand the 2 car races I was at had a big number of barefooters from kids to adults. Some (mostly college age kids) with no footwear in evidence at all. But that is also normal for the venue and the weather since there's lots of grass and dirt trails for viewing and moving around.

I was sort of thinking about the small numbers locally today and decided that since I've been barefoot since March maybe in my own small way I've made other people's day if they saw me around town even if they're afraid to go barefoot themselves. Made me smile a bit.