telling a saleclerk off when they tell you that you can't be barefoot in their store? mine goes something like this.. "excuse me, but you can't be in here without shoes" i say, "why not?" salesclerk replies," it's unsanitary!" i laugh and say, "for who?" "barefeet are dirty! everyone knows they are covered in germs!" laughing once again i say, "do you wash your shoes? because i wash my feet" thats about as far as i get.. :toetap: <<< why is this smilie wearing shoes?
Yea, I just want to tell them to f**k off and leave me alone, I'm not doing anything wrong or hurting anyone. One time a Walgreen's clerk told me that "we sell food here", so I asked her how would my feet affect the food being sold here. She couldn't answer me but said that I'm bold for coming inside the store barefoot. So I guess I won the argument. HA HA!
My usual response to "You can't be barefoot in here" is "OK, next time" then keep on walking. It's hardly worth the effort to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed person .
good one, i'll have to try that! i've only been asked to leave one store in the year plus i've been barefoot.
if you know a unusual foreign language, like russian, finnish, icelandic, jibberish or klingon ... look at them strangely speak it to them and walk on.
Heh, I'll have to remember that the next time I'm in the states and say my usual phrase, except in Thai..."Mai Pen Rai, Bai Lao Kap!"
I'm waiting for the day when I get hassled. I've been in Walmart 9 times in the last month and have even had sales associates helping me without a single comment.
Why limit your thoughts to reply to rude people? The best are if there are no rude people at the first place.
Why is that a fantasy? You have every right to question such a ridiculous statement made to you by a store employee. What if he/she said, "Excuse me, but you can't be in here without a hat." Makes about as much sense.
A statement like "We serve food here" related to your coming in barefoot makes no sense at all. A good comeback is, "You serve food in the floor????" Followed by, "Because that's where my feet will be, just like everybody else's feet." There's just no way anybody could ever logically make the argument that your bare feet could in any way affect food being served.
It all depends on how you're confronted. I've used similar responses successfully in the past, but I would never say, "OK, next time." I guess it's a matter of principle. What I have said on occasion was, "It's OK. It's not a problem," and just kept on walking. Or once I said, "I'm fine. Don't worry about it." In other words, regardless of what their meaning was supposed to be, I turn it around and hopefully change their thought process as if they are just concerned for my own safety or well-being, and I respond to that in a nonchalant way that there's really no problem and they have nothing to be concerned about. And I don't stop walking as if it were something really that important that requires serious discussion.
Not stopping is clearly a strategy we share for the same reason. I don't see any lack of priciple in the "next time" response, however, as it's so ambiguous. Does it mean I'll wear shoes next time? Not at all. It serves a purpose very similar to not stopping: dismissing the complaint as so trivial as to be shoved off until "next time".
I would think the employee would have interpretted your response to mean, "OK, 'I'll wear shoes' next time," but since you didn't actually say that, I can see how you would see that as ambiguous. But for me to say that, I'd personally feel just a little uncomfortable with it. In other words, I'd never say (or even imply) I'll wear shoes next time when I know I will not.
The "barefeet are dirty" bit really makes me laugh, my feet are usually 10 times dirtier after being in a grocery store or some similar place. The only time I was approached about being barefoot was in a second hand store and one of the guys just came up and told me to be careful as sometimes they drop glass items. I told him my feet were pretty tough and he just smiled and let me be.
I've had all sorts of phrases ready for "the day" (when i would be accosted) but the only time it ever happened (on HMSBelfast) i had to agree, as the deck really was unsuitable for bare feet!
I recommend joining the Society for Barefoot Living and introducing yourself as a member when harassed by a store employee. Although it just means you get to read all the member emails, it'll let whoever is confronting you know that they are dealing with someone with knowledge. They also have some great information about living as a barefooter: http://www.barefooters.org/
