Then don't ask me in...

retiredbadge8091

retiredbadge8091

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Don't ask me into your home if you're going to ask me to take off my shoes. Everything I have to say to you at that point can be handled on the stoop.

My dad once told a lady, "I have carpet at my house too and I know how to wipe my feet." I don't see piles of shoes outside the White House, what makes your home that special.

I'm not so ignorant I'd come from the barn to your home and track in manure. Maybe folks with the "no shoes" rule should post it on the door so I can head right back to my truck when I spot it and we won't have that awkward moment when I tell them to get stuffed.

(You guessed it, happened tonight, after the person had the guts to ask me to come over to do them a favor.)
 
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Only time that happened to me involved an across-the-street neighbor family many years ago. The wife had white furniture upholstery and white carpeting throughout, and wouldn't allow anyone into the house with shoes on, even her husband. It always fascinated me that there are people who would use white upholstery and carpeting. Don't Hawaiians and Japanese require shoes to be removed?
 
One of my best friends I grew up with had parents like that, his dad has passed but his mom is still like that and now he is like that, but they have always had white carpeting.
My family was never like that, we tracked all kinds of dirt and **** and grass and anything else in the yard, into the house.
The last house my wife and I had, we put laminate flooring throughout, very easy clean up. Carpet sucks if you have big pets or aren't "shoes off" kind of people.
 
Yep, whoever DARES to ask me to take my shoes off at their front door is just asking to get curb stopped IMO. YMMV.
 
hostler said:
Why the hostility?
Everyone does understand that when you go to someone else's house it's their rules, right? Why is that not expected?
Click to expand...

It's expected that you shouldn't have to take off YOUR SHOES just to go into someone's house. It is incredibly disrespectful and ignorant to ask someone to do this, it assumes that they are slovenly and dirty or that they aren't capable of wiping there feet.
 
My wife was born and raised on Guam, where the "no shoes" rule is widely enforced. She still takes off her shoes when we go to other people's homes, even though we've lived stateside for almost 30 years. I will, too, if asked, but it does cause me to reflect on how clean my socks are.
 
JayFramer said:
It's expected that you shouldn't have to take off YOUR SHOES just to go into someone's house. It is incredibly disrespectful and ignorant to ask someone to do this, it assumes that they are slovenly and dirty or that they aren't capable of wiping there feet.
Click to expand...
Well maybe if you are the only one not allowed in with shoes. But if it's the law for everyone, I believe you are over thinking it.
When we lived in the woods I told people "wipe your feet" on a few occasions when they didn't voluntarily do it, because I knew how hard it was to vacuum leaf crumbs and sap out of the rugs. Some people aren't used to walking through the yard or through the trees to get to the house, they have nice clean sidewalks, they don't think to wipe their feet or to at least check their shoes before coming inside.
So while most people are "capable" of wiping their feet, some people just don't think of it on their own.
I'm not at all a "shoes off" kind of guy, but I also know that I do occasionally leave tracks where I shouldn't (even after wiping), and I know it's a PITA to clean up after me. I wouldn't want to subject an innocent home owner to my mess so if they want my shoes off, I completely understand that.

EDIT: Actually I mis-spoke, I do remove my work boots at the door when I get home from work because I've been known to pick up grease and mud at work, so I guess I am at times (after work) a "shoes off" guy. Wiping does not get grease out of cleated boot soles but carpet does.
 
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DWalt said:
Don't Hawaiians and Japanese require shoes to be removed?
Click to expand...

I lived in Hawaii for 12 years. Most people do take off their shoes before entering a home. My wife and I told people to leave theirs on in our house. I was usually barefoot anyway. About the only time I wore shoes was when I went to work.
 
As Canadians our general custom is removing shoes when we enter someones home. Just part of being polite. Actually carpet folks say body oils from you feet and socks is harder on carpets than walking on them with normal footware.
 
I was maintenance supervisor at a very posh apartment complex 10 years ago. We had a number of Japanese nationals is the complex. They wanted my men and I to remove our shoes to enter their apartment. I made the men stop the practice! They could loose up to an hour a day if they were doing in and out tasks like changing furnace filters!

However we always carried shoe covers (very similar to those disposable caps surgeons wear). The culture may have customs that stem from cleanliness, but I was in apartments that had a 1/4 inch of grime on top of the carpets, NO WAY was I going to subject my men's health & ect., to those risks! (I remember seeing straight pins on the floor from the front door!)

Ivan
 
^^^Also, did you have a steel-toed boot requirement like many workplaces today? There is no way I would work on heavy appliances, use heavy tools, etc. In my bare feet. Anyone who doubts the protection of steel-toes should drop an ordinary size crescent wrench, channel locks, or even pliers on thier big toe from waist high sometime.
 
erics said:
As Canadians our general custom is removing shoes when we enter someones home. Just part of being polite. Actually carpet folks say body oils from you feet and socks is harder on carpets than walking on them with normal footware.
Click to expand...
That's interesting about Canadians removing their shoes indoors. Didn't know that.

(The comment about body oils from feet and socks being hard on carpets has me scratching ny head though!:))
 
As a mail carrier for thirty years I have been asked outright to remove my shoes and had rude people point out their tiny, sloppily hand written signs on the door requesting guests do so. Many, many times.

Well, folks, I am not your guest, I am your mailman. More importantly, we do not enter homes. I will set a package down inside the door, but I will not carry it into the kitchen or up the stairs, down the hall, to the third door on the right.

As luck would have it, these stocking feet Nazi's order on-line 24/7/365 so they have a steady flow of packages to be delivered.
 
Where I come from it is the courteous thing to do in mud or snow season. You do it without being asked. When you live in places where such conditions are commonplace then you remove your boots before entering. Wiping does zero good as mud and snow cling to the lugs of the shoe. Thinking sloppy season was over a few weeks ago, I entered a house as a dinner guest and had a wonderful meal and great conversation. As I rose to put my plate in the sink I noticed a large muddy puddle of water under my chair. My lug soles even deposited a deer dropping to top off the evening. Deer are a constant presence in our town and they leave organic land mine across the yards. When you walk on grass, remnant of a deer's last meal cling to your feet. Not cool to drag this stuff into a house whether a guests our your own.
 
I take mine off and wear slippers (winter) or sandals (summer). Wife is hot and cold.

After walking in restaurants, various mall stores, etc., I can only imagine what may be on the soles of my shoes. I never ask guests to.

IMO it is a nice custom.
 
ColbyBruce said:
Well, folks, I am not your guest, I am your mailman. More importantly, we do not enter homes.
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Your statement brought back a memory and a chuckle.

We were visiting with my husbands uncle in College Point NY, when there's a couple of lite knocks at the side door, and then it opens, out of our sight. His uncle casually calls out, "you know where it is" to the unseen visitor. Then the sound of the refrigerator door opening, and the pop-hiss of a beverage can opening.

A moment later, his mail carrier comes in to the living room and greets us with a beer in his hand, puts the mail in the uncles hand, chugs his beer, and leaves.

They'd had this casual arrangement for many years. His uncle was quite a character.

In front of his home.

 
Some yuppie couple.....

They walked around the house with shoes and you could walk around the house with shoes but if you stepped on a certain rug they'd start panicking and squawking like chickens where you didn't even know what they were talking about. By the time you understood what they were 'saying' you were thoroughly humiliated. Actually the daughter was the only one that could speak plainly while the mother and father were bouncing off the ceiling.

Some other cultures have slippers to wear indoors. I don't have a problem with that.
 
When my Nephew and his wife bought their first house, they bought it from a old couple that were moving south, the house had white wool rug's wall to wall in every room, my Nephew managed a Michelin dealership and came in with greasy work boots and they had 3 dogs, those rugs didn't last long.
 
My house, my rules. If you don't like my house, my rules, it's fine with me if you don't come back.

BTW, I have wood floors and don't ask guests to remove their shoes.
 
Several years ago, we were invited over to some friends' to see their brand new house. I was already made aware of this woman's penchant for shoe removal because she had a beautiful, plush, white carpet.

Being the jerk that I am, I decided I was going to have a little fun.

So, when we arrived at the new home, this woman adamantly announced that we would have to take off our shoes. I calmly removed my boots, walked onto the carpet with my stocking feet and proceeded to lovingly flex my toes into her thick, white carpet, closing my eyes and softly making sounds of pleasure and enjoyment as I enthusiastically rubbed my feet back and forth.

"Thank you so much," I gushed. "My doctor doesn't want me removing my boots because I have a severe case of hook worm and this feels so-o-o-o good!"

You could've knocked her over with a feather. I know, I know....that was mean of me, but it sure was funny at the time!:D
 
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A couple of times a year I take off my boots before entering a restaurant. In 50 years of doing this I was only challenged once. I showed the owner my boots and her reply was leave them outside and do you want gravy on your biscuits.
 
As erics said, its customary in Canada (at least everywhere I've been). Not sure if its based on politeness or practicality due to mud, snow, rain, etc. I have oak floors or tile throughout my entire house, with the exception of some area rugs.

My dad and my wife's aunt never remove their footwear when they come over, THAT drives me nuts! Wouldn't be an issue except she always roots through the front garden to see what's new before she comes inside, and he likes to put his feet up on the end of my sofa. They are the only people I've ever asked to remove their shoes.

If your shoes are obviously dirty or snowy or wet, I may ask you to remove them if you saunter across the living room with them on. I don't think that's insulting, just common sense. If you take offense to that, you're probably more than welcome to turn around and get back in your vehicle.

I know customs are different depending on where you are, that's how it is here.
 
retiredbadge8091 said:
...
(You guessed it, happened tonight, after the person had the guts to ask me to come over to do them a favor.)
Click to expand...

I don't get the hostility either, mountain and molehill come to mind, but this last sentence at least puts you in the right. If they want something from you, they got to take you the way you come.
 
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