Canadian here. Shoes off in houses is a universal rule - the pile of boots at the door during a party is a ubiquitous thing.

For a fancy party, people will sometimes bring shoes to change into and wear at the party. Also common to bring slippers to wear at someone else's house.

For work, in winter most people leave or bring a pair of "indoor" shoes to change into, and kids have indoor shoes they keep at school.

Even my dentist asks you to change out of boots in the winter - they provide slippers and those paper booties things.

You better take those stupid boots off in my house.

Oh goodness! OP here. I texted the host, she said wear the shoes, I wore the boots, everyone was wearing shoes, disaster averted!

I grew up in Canada and I can’t remember attending a single gathering at someone else’s house wearing shoes. Shoes are not welcome indoors - the bottoms of your shoes are filthy.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yikes!I would leave if someone said I had to take my shoes off at a formal party. That is incredibly rude and presumptuous. Hard no for me. And I wouldn't want to be friends with anyone that controlling about their OCD. Several of you clearly have OCD issues.

Dont go to Japan i guess.

Same in a lot of Europe. I've gone to meetings at offices and taken shoes off at the entrance.

I’m curious to know where in Europe they would remove shoes in a professional environment.

Same. 14 years in 5 different European countries. I've never been asked to take my shoes off at a party, no less in a business setting (!!)

It's because you were in provincial Europe!

Is no one else grossed out by being forced to go into someone's powder room/bathroom barefoot? Especially those with kids. I have friends who are no shoes, but they are not very clean people. I always pack a pair of socks and have to immediately throw in laundry because they're inevitably dirty or I had to use their powder room.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to a party recently and we weren’t asked to take off our shoes, but there were a stack of shoes by the door and the host was in socks, so I took mine off. I felt awkward wandering around barefoot though.

People who ask you to remove your shoes for a formal occasion are not elegant, and I wouldn't bother wearing my best when invited over. These are the events where "jeans and a nice shirt" will cut it. For a casual event, yes, 100% understand and support the no shoes rule (we are a no shoe household), but if you can't be bothered to do a little cleaning after an event, then do everyone a favor and don't host at your house...

I tend to agree with this. I'm not going to put my guests out so they can hobble around in surgical booties or show off their bunions because I'm being either lazy AF or cheap to do some cleaning. We're also no shoe to cut down on the dirt tracked in, not trying to act like we live in an autoclaved home. If you're that neurotic just don't host.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yikes!I would leave if someone said I had to take my shoes off at a formal party. That is incredibly rude and presumptuous. Hard no for me. And I wouldn't want to be friends with anyone that controlling about their OCD. Several of you clearly have OCD issues.

Dont go to Japan i guess.

Same in a lot of Europe. I've gone to meetings at offices and taken shoes off at the entrance.

I’m curious to know where in Europe they would remove shoes in a professional environment.

Same. 14 years in 5 different European countries. I've never been asked to take my shoes off at a party, no less in a business setting (!!)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yikes!I would leave if someone said I had to take my shoes off at a formal party. That is incredibly rude and presumptuous. Hard no for me. And I wouldn't want to be friends with anyone that controlling about their OCD. Several of you clearly have OCD issues.

Dont go to Japan i guess.

Or South Asia.

Into Eastern Europe, Russia, Sweden, parts of Africa, Central Asia, nor East Asia.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yikes!I would leave if someone said I had to take my shoes off at a formal party. That is incredibly rude and presumptuous. Hard no for me. And I wouldn't want to be friends with anyone that controlling about their OCD. Several of you clearly have OCD issues.

Dont go to Japan i guess.

Same in a lot of Europe. I've gone to meetings at offices and taken shoes off at the entrance.

I’m curious to know where in Europe they would remove shoes in a professional environment.

Anonymous wrote:I went to a party recently and we weren’t asked to take off our shoes, but there were a stack of shoes by the door and the host was in socks, so I took mine off. I felt awkward wandering around barefoot though.

People who ask you to remove your shoes for a formal occasion are not elegant, and I wouldn't bother wearing my best when invited over. These are the events where "jeans and a nice shirt" will cut it. For a casual event, yes, 100% understand and support the no shoes rule (we are a no shoe household), but if you can't be bothered to do a little cleaning after an event, then do everyone a favor and don't host at your house...

I went to a party recently and we weren’t asked to take off our shoes, but there were a stack of shoes by the door and the host was in socks, so I took mine off. I felt awkward wandering around barefoot though.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yikes!I would leave if someone said I had to take my shoes off at a formal party. That is incredibly rude and presumptuous. Hard no for me. And I wouldn't want to be friends with anyone that controlling about their OCD. Several of you clearly have OCD issues.

Dont go to Japan i guess.

Same in a lot of Europe. I've gone to meetings at offices and taken shoes off at the entrance.

Where in the world is this? I’ve been to many mtgs in various European countries and not seen this anywhere.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yikes!I would leave if someone said I had to take my shoes off at a formal party. That is incredibly rude and presumptuous. Hard no for me. And I wouldn't want to be friends with anyone that controlling about their OCD. Several of you clearly have OCD issues.

Dont go to Japan i guess.

It is not rude IN JAPAN. It is rude here to make guests remove their shoes at a party.

Anonymous wrote:I am surprised at all these provincial comments from those who fancy themselves to be worldly, open-minded people. Am I on Redneck Urban Moms?

Why are you equating wearing shoes with “rednecks”? PS Very obnoxious of you to use “redneck”