The Shop Girl's Report- "Real Men Wear Socks"

Part of the area I sometimes cover at Hechts is the men's shoe area. I say "area" as opposed to "department" because at the Hechts where I work, there is no shoe department, just an area with a small selection of shoes as part of the men's department.

One thing I don't understand is why grownup, adult men and their wives will come in to try on shoes without socks. When I tell them they need socks to try on shoes, they give me the "You've got to be kidding" look. When I tell them it's a health violation, they ask for the little peds they make for women. When I tell them we don't have those for men, they ask for a pair of socks. When I try to explain we don't have a laundry facility to wash the socks after each use, and we can't just discard them after each use, people get often angry and storm off in a huff. If I've seen it once, I've seen it 100 times since I've worked in the men's department. What I don't get is -- how is it they have lived so many years, and tried on so many pairs of shoes and never heard this before?

Are grown, adult people that oblivious of athlete's foot and other fungi that are spread upon contact and like to live in the dark, left-over moisture residue from your sweaty foot? Would they let strange people wear their shoes without socks? Would they let strange people wear their shoes at all? Have they never been asked to wear socks before when trying on shoes? How is it adult males (and their wives) have reached a certain age without knowing YOU BRING SOCKS WHEN YOU ARE GOING TO TRY ON SHOES?

Please! It is not MY fault you didn't come prepared! Don't take it out on ME because you didn't have the sense to bring socks! And, yes, that goes for trying on sandals, too. You just push your socks up between your big toe and the first toe and scoot the sandal on your foot. Otherwise, you risk catching or spreading something nasty.

It's one thing for some little tyke to show up in his little bare feet, but REAL MEN WEAR SOCKS!

Really, I am beginning to think this column should be required reading! People NEED an education on shopping etiquette ... and I am just the ShopGirl to set the record straight!

Matthew 10:14, “If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town.”

What's a Shop Girl?

Shop girls are the clerks and cashiers where you shop.

We love people or we wouldn't be working in retail. We frequently earn close to minimum wage ringing customers up, helping them find a particular product, cleaning out dressing rooms, bagging purchases, putting out stock, marking items down, and doing all the tasks that keep a department running smoothly. We are often treated badly by impatient customers and managers alike.

We frequently have other jobs as bankers, educators, administrators and government workers. Especially those who work at night have often worked a full day job before coming in to work as your local shop girl. Often we have had to take a 2nd job due to a financial hardship.

This blog is dedicated to all workers who have ever worked a retail job, or worked in any other job dealing with the general public where money is tight and bosses are mediocre. This is the Shop Girl's Report on business and money.