No Shoes, No Service... No Really

Well Rush is here, and the sales haven't been great, but the customers have definitely been entertaining. I had a foreign customer yell at me in a language that I did not comprehend and then stick her hand in my face. I had a 17 year old snotty student throw a book at one of my employees because she thought we were ripping her off (I banned her from the store). I had a customer put a pile of books on hold come back and put another book in the pile, then pick up all the same books and ask to put them on hold again.

My favorite however, this weekend, a man came in in shorts a tank top and NO SHOES! I approached this gentleman and I asked him if he could put on his shoes back on and he informed me that he didn't have any. Well sir, I will need to ask you to put on shoes or carefully leave the store. As most people know it is dangerous to walk around in public without shoes on, we have escalators and glassware etc etc. Now, my store is not very close to housing, you have to walk at least a few blocks to get to the closest apartments. Or, even worse you need to go down to a t-station, get on a dirty train, come up from a station and walk into my store with NO SHOES! I mean the options here are just disgusting.

Now, this gentleman with NO SHOES, refused to leave my store when I asked him too, he said it was discrimination. Well, not sir it is not I am just asking you to put a pair of shoes on for your safety. I don't want for you to get hurt in my store (and then sue me). He reiterates that he doesn't have shoes so I kindly ask his size so that I could bring him a pair of flip flops that we sell, but he refuses to wear them. Since he refused to wear them I tell him once again that he is going to have to leave the store. We have a sign on the door saying you need to wear shoes sir, I know this may seem wrong to you but it is for your own safety, I need to ask you to leave, and please do me a favor and take the elevator and not the escalator. The last thing I need during Rush is a man with NO SHOES on getting his toe stuck in the escalator. He gets frustrated with the conversation, storms off and goes up the escalator.

Now, i hate shoes more than most people I know, but when I go out in public (as in outside of my house) I will wear shoes. The only time it is acceptable to not wear shoes in public is at the beach, or maybe in a yoga class. Otherwise, shoes are a necessity, and if you don't like shoes wear flip flops or sandals. Why would you think it is okay to go into a store without shoes on! I was very confused by this man. Oh, and NO SHOES is all in caps in this post to convey my shock, I kept walking around the store going, why would he wear NO SHOES out in public, and how far did he walk in the city with NO SHOES!

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