Anonymous wrote:I find that the motivation to remove shoes is to avoid cleaning.

It depends on the floors. I have large rugs and the upstairs is carpeted. If kids are at the party they will go upstairs. I don’t want to clean my shag rug the next day. If we had all hard surfaces I would probably be fine but shoes off of going upstairs.

Anonymous wrote:So all you shoes-on people: when you go to an open house, do you comply with the shoe cover request? Is it only when accepting someone’s hospitality as a guest in their home that you get all hung up about how rude it is to not be able track stuff into people’s houses by keeping your shoes on, and not when it’s a commercial venture like an open house? If so, where does a networking event fall on this spectrum?

in Canada (at least everywhere I have lived in the west) requests shoes removed for our open houses. Not even booties, just no shoes at all. And everyone complies, even the old people.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I didn't read all the replies but we are a no-shoes home, although I don't require people to remove their shoes if they are uncomfortable. But one thing I do is that when we travel I ALWAYS take every pair of hotel slippers I can find and now I have a basket of slippers at our front door for guests to use lol.

Don't you think you are humiliating your guests that way?

So you are both anal *and* cheap? What a wonderful combination. This is not something to "lol" about, you twit.

Why not? Do you think this is a serious discussion that hasn’t devolved into absurdity?

Anonymous wrote:Japanese person checking in here. The fact that some of you think we take off our shoes because people are defecating in the streets of Japan just makes me laugh and laugh. Tell me you've never left the country without telling me you've never left the country.

Keep your fungus-riddled, orthotic-bound feet, in shoes. Out of my home.

Damn you needs to chill

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a shoe-free house and don’t host large adult parties because this stresses me out. My friends are very vocal about how offended they are when they have to mess up their “look” by removing shoes.

Op here. I once invited a coworker to a kid party at my house and she was the only one who kept her heels on. I didn’t ask her to take them off.

DH has suggested we invite his work colleagues over for dinner and we have not yet because the shoe thing bothers me. At least for DH’s colleagues, I don’t have to think about them running around in our bedrooms in their shoes.

But you are OK with their sweaty fungusy feet? So gross. Actually disgusting to have shoeless strangers in your house.

Unless you’re going barefoot in public restrooms the bare feet are always less gross than filthy shoes. I can’t think of anyone I know with nasty fungus feet. I live in a warm environment where people wear a lot of slides, flip flops, sandals etc so fee are often on display. It says more about your circle and their hygiene habits than it does generally about Americans.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find that the motivation to remove shoes is to avoid cleaning.

That's my thought too. Aren't you planning to clean your floors after the party anyway?

I'll comply, but it really seems like an unnecessary exercise. The floors are going to be gross after the party either way -- from sweaty feet ick or shoes.

Why clean ever? It’s just going to get dirty again.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So all you shoes-on people: when you go to an open house, do you comply with the shoe cover request? Is it only when accepting someone’s hospitality as a guest in their home that you get all hung up about how rude it is to not be able track stuff into people’s houses by keeping your shoes on, and not when it’s a commercial venture like an open house? If so, where does a networking event fall on this spectrum?

Happy to wear shoe covers. I'm really grossed out by people's feet. I hold my breath going through TSA. So cringe for me.

Not as cringe as your face

So mature.

Japanese person checking in here. The fact that some of you think we take off our shoes because people are defecating in the streets of Japan just makes me laugh and laugh. Tell me you've never left the country without telling me you've never left the country.

Keep your fungus-riddled, orthotic-bound feet, in shoes. Out of my home.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think we’re all missing the much more important point that a school is asking all of the families to host a large gathering at home??? That’s insane to me! I assume it’s fake, right?

NOPE - I know of one private elementary school in the area that has the class parent host a parents' party in their home in the fall to get to know each other, since their children will be in class together. it's a nice tradition - and doesn't need to be a full-on dinner - they always do a heavy apps and drinks party, at 6:30pm. But that's not all parents taking turns, just one of the things the class parent does.

My kid's public elementary school did the same thing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I didn't read all the replies but we are a no-shoes home, although I don't require people to remove their shoes if they are uncomfortable. But one thing I do is that when we travel I ALWAYS take every pair of hotel slippers I can find and now I have a basket of slippers at our front door for guests to use lol.

Don't you think you are humiliating your guests that way?

So you are both anal *and* cheap? What a wonderful combination. This is not something to "lol" about, you twit.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find that the motivation to remove shoes is to avoid cleaning.

I mean, yeah? That is what the shoes-off people are saying, and the shoes-optional people are saying you should let your guests do what they want and clean the next day.

But hosts get to decide what they're up for, and guests get to decide if what's on offer appeals to them or if they'd rather pass.

This is basically the kid-free wedding issue.

I would more or less agree with this for a personal party, although I think that the people who insist on no shoes are rigid and not very good hosts. But as you said, to each their own.

However, this is a semi-official event for OP's kids' private school, not a get together of OP's friends. In this case, I think she has a responsibility to make it as accessible and welcoming as possible for all, and as we've seen here, many people don't find no shoes welcoming. In other words, I think she did the right thing by declining to host.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So all you shoes-on people: when you go to an open house, do you comply with the shoe cover request? Is it only when accepting someone’s hospitality as a guest in their home that you get all hung up about how rude it is to not be able track stuff into people’s houses by keeping your shoes on, and not when it’s a commercial venture like an open house? If so, where does a networking event fall on this spectrum?

Happy to wear shoe covers. I'm really grossed out by people's feet. I hold my breath going through TSA. So cringe for me.

Not as cringe as your face

I'm imagining all the people kicking off their birkenstocks -- have you seen the bottom of some people's bare feet when they take off sandals? You'll be begging them to put them back on.

Anonymous wrote:I didn't read all the replies but we are a no-shoes home, although I don't require people to remove their shoes if they are uncomfortable. But one thing I do is that when we travel I ALWAYS take every pair of hotel slippers I can find and now I have a basket of slippers at our front door for guests to use lol.

Don't you think you are humiliating your guests that way?

Anonymous wrote:I find that the motivation to remove shoes is to avoid cleaning.

That's my thought too. Aren't you planning to clean your floors after the party anyway?

I'll comply, but it really seems like an unnecessary exercise. The floors are going to be gross after the party either way -- from sweaty feet ick or shoes.