So this is a post about removing your shoes. I have no idea how to relate this to personal finance but it has just been on my mind. I recently visited two of my friends at their apartment and they asked me to remove my shoes.
(If you are not reading this post at www.howisavemoney.net or in your feed reader, it may have been stolen from my site.)
Let me preface by saying they are Asian and it is common in the Asian culture to remove shoes upon entering the home. To further this practice, all of the other Asians that I know also provide guests with cheap foam or paper slippers if they are not comfortable with the practice. So in my experience, I am never barefoot in someone else’s home.
I remove my shoes at home but I keep a pair of flip flops that I wear in the house since I don’t like my feet to touch the floor, even if it has just been cleaned.
So back to my friends.
They asked me to remove my shoes and I was waiting for the offer of paper slippers but none came. I asked if I could have a pair of (my female friend’s) socks or a pair of flip flops since I don’t put my feet on the floor. I was given a pair of socks but they found it very interesting that I wanted something to wear while inside the house.
I just repeated again that I did not walk without shoes, all the while looking at my friend who was indeed wearing a pair of ‘inside’ flip flops!
They thought it was funny since I was the only non-Asian who requested footwear when they asked guests to remove shoes.
How do you feel about this? Do you remove your shoes at other people’s homes?
If someone asked you to remove your shoes and you were not comfortable would you ask for alternate footwear?
I am a real estate agent so deal with the “no shoes” idea all too frequently. In fact, I advise sellers that if at all possible they should reconcile themselves to people wearing shoes in their place since a) it makes many uncomfortable to remove their shoes (and being uncomfortable is not conducive to wanting to buy – and people wanting to buy is or should be the goal) and b) it’s dangerous to have people walking around in socks since they could easily slip. But as far as alternative footwear – I am only comfortable with that (and I’ve been provided “house slippers” a number of times) if it’s unused footwear – the idea of wearing someone else’s grosses me out.
Thanks for your input from the real estate side. I was comfortable with my friend’s socks because I know her really well but I agree in that it would have to be unused items otherwise. The people who have provided footwear in the past did have some ‘paper’ type slipper similar to those you get after a pedicure but thinner, and we just threw them away after. I guess that might become expensive over time so that is why the current ones did not provide it.
However, I do maintain that if you want people to remove their shoes you should be able to provide footwear since not everyone can or wants to walk barefooted regardless of how clean the floors appear to be. Some people also have sensory issues and walking barefoot may trigger unpleasant feelings!