Please remove shoes sign- Rude?

[Anonymous]

I’ve worn custom orthodics since the day I walked for the first time, and it’s embarrassing to have to explain that to people I might not know very well. I had a nanny job where I had a pair of indoor orthopedic shoes I kept at their house, but it can be awkward to bring up at the first interview and I usually don’t mention it until I get the job, because I worry how it will come across/effect interviewers’ perception of me. A lot of times I will just take my shoes off and deal with the swelling in my knees and pain for the next few days because I don’t want to make a big fuss or make my hosts uncomfortable by explaining why taking my shoes off is a hardship.

I also have a tendency to slip more on hardwood floors in my socks, and at one family’s house that had steep hardwood slippery stairs I fell down an entire flight of stairs while babysitting for the first time—-there was no runner rug on the stairs. I found out later that that family’s mother had called on those same stairs and broken her collarbone, and they knew it was an issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The earlier PP claiming that Germans don’t take off their shoes inside a home and that it’s considered rude to do so must have been raised in a proverbial trailer park. I lived in Germany for years, am married to a German, have tons of German friends, and they absolutely take off their shoes. The boys and men also sit down to pee inside the house, because it’s cleaner to do it that way instead of spraying pee droplets all around the place that you may or may not see.

The only ones who don’t take off shoes are kids living in dorms or share housing at colleges (too many parties, people in and out all day, and let’s face it they’re drunk much of the time) and trashy people who have no class.

I am also married to a German and every single German I’ve ever met has insisted on a shoes off home. Literally every single one. They even have a word for it: “Hausschuhe” or house shoes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:so many uptight people! live and let live already! Why make your guests feel awkward? that's is actually rude.

chill out....relax. they're shoes - not weapons!

We are shoes off and have weapons in the house. The weapons are cleaned and in their proper places, properly stored... Just like the shoes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:so many uptight people! live and let live already! Why make your guests feel awkward? that's is actually rude.

chill out....relax. they're shoes - not weapons!

We are shoes off and have weapons in the house. The weapons are cleaned and in their proper places, properly stored... Just like the shoes.

No, what I meant was that your guests aren't bringing in weapons - usually! I should have been more clear.

but people really do need to relax, don't you think?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:so many uptight people! live and let live already! Why make your guests feel awkward? that's is actually rude.

chill out....relax. they're shoes - not weapons!

We are shoes off and have weapons in the house. The weapons are cleaned and in their proper places, properly stored... Just like the shoes.

No, what I meant was that your guests aren't bringing in weapons - usually! I should have been more clear.

but people really do need to relax, don't you think?

I was joking. But yeah... people on both sides of the argument need to have a drink and a bubble bath.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sucks when you have pants hemmed at the length of the heel of boots, etc.

I’m 5’5” and solve having to get dress pants hemmed/altered by wearing a heel. It also elongates the look. Taking off the shoes/boots makes my pants all bunched up and dragging on the floor.

Bring your own slippers with a soft heel.

Ugh! No. I know people who do this and I’m disgusted that they take those slippers everywhere and then bring them into my home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We remove our shoes in the house, but when we have guests who are not family or very close friends we put our shoes on for their visit, so that they feel comfortable keeping theirs on. I would never ask a guest to remove their shoes, although I do remove mine when visiting people with shoeless households.

I can’t imagine having a dinner party with work associates and everyone is walking around barefoot or in socks.

Cleaning floors after a gathering is a small price to pay for guests’ comfort.

For everyday I agree, for a party yes I allow people to take off their shoes.

[Anonymous]

When my son tested for high lead levels one of the things we were told to do by the Pediatricians were take off our shoes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sucks when you have pants hemmed at the length of the heel of boots, etc.

I’m 5’5” and solve having to get dress pants hemmed/altered by wearing a heel. It also elongates the look. Taking off the shoes/boots makes my pants all bunched up and dragging on the floor.

Bring your own slippers with a soft heel.

Ugh! No. I know people who do this and I’m disgusted that they take those slippers everywhere and then bring them into my home.

Why? They take their clothes “everywhere” and then sit on your furniture. Honestly, it seems like you’d prefer them naked. But then you’d complain their bare flesh was on your furniture. Maybe you’re not cut out to have houseguests.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sucks when you have pants hemmed at the length of the heel of boots, etc.

I’m 5’5” and solve having to get dress pants hemmed/altered by wearing a heel. It also elongates the look. Taking off the shoes/boots makes my pants all bunched up and dragging on the floor.

Bring your own slippers with a soft heel.

Ugh! No. I know people who do this and I’m disgusted that they take those slippers everywhere and then bring them into my home.

Why? They take their clothes “everywhere” and then sit on your furniture. Honestly, it seems like you’d prefer them naked. But then you’d complain their bare flesh was on your furniture. Maybe you’re not cut out to have houseguests.

No. I’m not at all an extremist with it but why take your shoes off in a no shoes Home and bring slippers that have been everywhere with you. Pet homes, hotels, etc etc. You might as well keep on your shoes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm white, not Asian. Originally from a different English speaking country, also spent a few years in a non-English-speaking European country. Now in the USA for a decade.

We always remove shoes in the house, have always done so, and ask others to do so as well if they don't figure it out for themselves. We don't have pets or other filth on the floors, the kids are often laying around playing on the floor, and we want to keep things pretty clean.

Honestly though, most of the people that I can remember inviting over just do it automatically.

Same here. Almost everyone we know -- mostly white -- removes their shoes in their own houses or at least asks. We are also a no-shoe house but we're not militant about it. My mom and my grandparents have foot problems. When they come over they ask apologetically if they can keep their shoes on and of course I say yes. (My mom does take off shoes in her own house but then puts on indoor shoes.) I would rather clean afterwards than make them feel uncomfortable. No one my age (late 30s) has ever batted an eye at going barefoot or just in socks.

I can't remember the last time I went to someone's house and did not remove my shoes. And I always ask. I think most people these days are open to the idea. A sign isn't necessary. You can just ask them nicely when they come in.

I think if I had relatives with legit medical issues then I'd buy them a nice pair of slippers to wear/keep at our house (of their preference/choosing), so that we're all comfortable. Maybe I'm a bit more OCD than most, but I personally wouldn't be able to relax knowing that someone was trekking street/metro filth and dog crap and whatever else they've ever stepped in through my house. Our floor tends to be a lot cleaner than most though and the thought of animals inside the house also turns my stomach. I don't want to bleach the hard floors and steam clean the carpets just because we have people visit - little kids and no time for unscheduled deep cleanings!

Not everyone with mobility issues can walk in slippers.

As someone with mobility issues who cannot walk in slippers and cannot walk without shoes this thread makes me sad to know I am not welcome in so many people's homes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wear leg braces that require shoes. Taking off my shoes is awkward and those covers are dangerous.

If you want shoes removed, provide a chair please. If I know it's a no shoes house, or it's messy outside I will bring something else to wear inside.

Since I wear shoes most of the time (took some getting used to) I don't mind if people keep shoes on.

I don’t think even the adamant no-shoe people would ask someone with a leg brace to take their shoes off. We are no-shoes and I would invite you to keep yours on. And to address an above PPs comment about public transport, we take our clothes off in the mud room and immediately those clothes go in the wash, so yeah I’m aware that those clothes are gross and I fix that. It’s also easy for you to politely remove your shoes. It’s not easy to avoid all public contact.

And yet when it's a group of people who come over, it feels awkward to be singled out as the one person with mobility issues who is told to go ahead and keep your shoes on.

Thanks a lot for making me feel like an outsider.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wear leg braces that require shoes. Taking off my shoes is awkward and those covers are dangerous.

If you want shoes removed, provide a chair please. If I know it's a no shoes house, or it's messy outside I will bring something else to wear inside.

Since I wear shoes most of the time (took some getting used to) I don't mind if people keep shoes on.

I don’t think even the adamant no-shoe people would ask someone with a leg brace to take their shoes off. We are no-shoes and I would invite you to keep yours on. And to address an above PPs comment about public transport, we take our clothes off in the mud room and immediately those clothes go in the wash, so yeah I’m aware that those clothes are gross and I fix that. It’s also easy for you to politely remove your shoes. It’s not easy to avoid all public contact.

And yet when it's a group of people who come over, it feels awkward to be singled out as the one person with mobility issues who is told to go ahead and keep your shoes on.

Thanks a lot for making me feel like an outsider.

Life is hard. Life is unfair. Cry me a river.

I’m a WOC, so don’t tell me about feeling like an outsider.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wear leg braces that require shoes. Taking off my shoes is awkward and those covers are dangerous.

If you want shoes removed, provide a chair please. If I know it's a no shoes house, or it's messy outside I will bring something else to wear inside.

Since I wear shoes most of the time (took some getting used to) I don't mind if people keep shoes on.

I don’t think even the adamant no-shoe people would ask someone with a leg brace to take their shoes off. We are no-shoes and I would invite you to keep yours on. And to address an above PPs comment about public transport, we take our clothes off in the mud room and immediately those clothes go in the wash, so yeah I’m aware that those clothes are gross and I fix that. It’s also easy for you to politely remove your shoes. It’s not easy to avoid all public contact.

And yet when it's a group of people who come over, it feels awkward to be singled out as the one person with mobility issues who is told to go ahead and keep your shoes on.

Thanks a lot for making me feel like an outsider.

Life is hard. Life is unfair. Cry me a river.

I’m a WOC, so don’t tell me about feeling like an outsider.

You sound like a gem of a hostess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wear leg braces that require shoes. Taking off my shoes is awkward and those covers are dangerous.

If you want shoes removed, provide a chair please. If I know it's a no shoes house, or it's messy outside I will bring something else to wear inside.

Since I wear shoes most of the time (took some getting used to) I don't mind if people keep shoes on.

I don’t think even the adamant no-shoe people would ask someone with a leg brace to take their shoes off. We are no-shoes and I would invite you to keep yours on. And to address an above PPs comment about public transport, we take our clothes off in the mud room and immediately those clothes go in the wash, so yeah I’m aware that those clothes are gross and I fix that. It’s also easy for you to politely remove your shoes. It’s not easy to avoid all public contact.

And yet when it's a group of people who come over, it feels awkward to be singled out as the one person with mobility issues who is told to go ahead and keep your shoes on.

Thanks a lot for making me feel like an outsider.

I'm the PP above with the leg braces. I'm curious what you want. Everyone to leave shoes on because you need to? To be expected to take your shoes off even if it makes mobility tougher?

Seems like a no win situation for a host.