Complaining about an employee's shoes...

[Despina83]

This happened at our store. A customer put in a complaint because my co-worker's footwear was apparently worn out and shabby looking. I have never noticed his damn shoes before...God, customers are petty morons...

[XCashier]

If it offends him so much, perhaps he ought to buy the poor man a new pair...nah, that would require decency. So much more fun to try to get someone in trouble for some idiotic imagined slight.

My shoes are getting pretty worn. I haven't replaced them yet, because I'm a bit short of cash.

I hope your manager File 13ed that complaint like it deserved.

[Bright_Star]

What's that got to do with that customer buying stuff? IF that customer felt so put-off then they should have bought a new pair of shoes for them & then shut up about it.
Basically it's none of the buying public's business how a retail worker looks. That's what management is there for to insure the associate complys with basic grooming standards.

[EvilEmpryss]

Standards of dress -- primarily those requiring workers to be safe, neat, and clean -- still have a lot of leeway. You don't expect construction workers to be wearing corframs or tailors to have mud on their shoes. Still, unless this worker's shoes were covered in poo or worn thru with holes, this was a stupid complaint. Hey, maybe if the customer had been actually looking in the worker's face like a normal person does when interacting with someone they wouldn't have seen the shoes.

The customer is under no obligation to buy shoes for every person whose footwear offends him, but he had no business complaining to management about it, either.

[minkysmom]

A customer called in a complaint to corporate about the way a girl LOOKED and her WEIGHT. what that had to do with the service, idk but the customer assumed the foot funk odor was due to the customers size and looks. The foot odor was actually due to the kids play area right across from us. Kids weren't permitted to wear shoes and if you have kids you know how smelly and sweaty toddler feet can get.

[mjr]

Here's the thing: I don't know the financial situation of the employee in question in the OP, but it's possible that the individual liked the way the shoes felt. I know I've worn shoes for LONG periods of time for various reasons. Sometimes it's because I liked how they felt. Sometimes I couldn't afford new ones. Sometimes it's because I'd just not buy new ones for a while, because it just didn't occur to me.

[Dreamstalker]

My work offers discounts on shoes, but the selection is pretty limited and they have styles with various of the 'features' that I need but not all in one shoe. So I'm holding on to the ones I have until it gets to the point of taping them together.

Oddly, I've found some work-caliber jikatabi that might be what I'm looking for (safety toes, thickish sole--seems to be slip-resistant). Generally I've found that when I'm walking/standing in tabi my posture is far better. My only question is will it be considered 'professional'...? (I'd love to be able to get a doctor's note saying I require this style of shoe for my back, but that's unlikely)

[Monterey Jack]

I tend to wear a pair of shoes to tatters before I buy a new pair, because I'm not made of money. As long as the heels don't wear down to the point where it's effecting my gait as I walk, I don't give a crap about what they look like. If they're still comfortable, I'm not buying a new pair simply for aesthetic purposes. Try looking me in the EYE, and maybe you won't notice how shabby my footwear is by your standards.

[Zellie Crescent]

The brand of sneakers I buy are expensive, they're $60 a pair BUT they last a few years. So I'll go about 3 1/2 to 4 years before I have to buy a new pair.

[earl colby pottinger]

I remember

I remember the time the computer store I worked for was losing customers en-mass.

A new service company moved into our area, all it's techs were dressed in suit and ties, they did not carry the big service bags we had, instead they had professional looking briefcases that carried the minimal in service tools.

Did I mention clean shiny tools, unlike our used or worn tools that got that way from all the service work we did?

The service loss ran about three(3) months, then our customers start to trickle back, by six(6) months we had just about everyone back.

They all complained about the same thing, the techs looked good, sounded good, but repairs were taking a lot longer with them since many times they needed to do multiple visits to do repairs we did in one trip or if we had to order parts repaired the following day. In-fact the overhear the techs in their office calling the main office for help a-lot.

These techs did not even know how to do the job, they just looked good.

PS. On the other-hand we then did move to a dress code; Dark shoes (brown or black preferred), dark pants (no blue jeans unless doing the messy jobs), single colour shirts (no tie-dye ), that was it. Note there was no dress code for women because for some reason girl techs ALWAYS dress better than us male slobs.

[jedimaster91]

Note there was no dress code for women because for some reason girl techs ALWAYS dress better than us male slobs.

I think there are just more options in female "professional" clothing than for males. For men, it's slacks and polos or suits with dress shoes, sneakers, or something in between. Ladies get slacks, skirts,dresses, polos, other cute tops, and even nice looking capri pants, dress shoes, sandals, sneakers, boots.....Women even get way cuter scrubs than the guys do. Men's scrubs come pretty much in solid colors and if you get lucky you can find a sports themed top.

I bought myself a pair of Dansco's awhile back. I'd been holding out buying them because they are expensive. Mine set me back ~$120. But they are by far the best, most comfortable shoe I've ever worn with being on my feet all day. Good support. And I'm going to wear them until they fall apart.

[notalwaysright]

The brand of sneakers I buy are expensive, they're $60 a pair BUT they last a few years. So I'll go about 3 1/2 to 4 years before I have to buy a new pair.

"A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while a poor man who could only afford cheap books would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet."

Cookie to who knows where that came from. I bet it's many of you...

[Android Kaeli]

That reminds me, I need to get a new pair of shoes -- mine are all but falling apart. Then again I need to wait for my shoes to go on sale, anything less then a name-brand shoe for my feet means I'll either need to go to a podiatrist within two days of wearing the off brand or I'll need new shoes within a half hour of working.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Not too long ago I had some nosy old woman ask me "Aren't your shoes too flashy to wear here? And shouldn't you be wearing socks with them?"

1. The shoes in question were red low-cut Chuck Taylors, and
2. I was wearing really low-cut socks that don't come up over the top of the shoe, and I was squatting so my pants leg came up slightly.

Yeah, God forbid I wear my nicer shoes to work occasionally (I never wear Chucks on my freight shifts; they'll get torn up in no time and my feet will be killing me.)

[MoonCat]

Most of the time the employee's shoes have literally NOTHING to do with whether or not they can serve a customer satisfactorily. People who look that closely at someone's shoes have way too much time on their hands.