Tips & Tricks for Barefoot First – Timers

Proof Negative 11/23/2015

Most Americans have grown up with the mindset that it is illegal to drive a car, go into a store or eat in a restaurant barefoot. Americans as a whole WANT their freedom, so everyone wears flip flops everywhere. Most people even think it is illegal to put their toes OVER their flip flop straps while eating at Red Lobster.

As people find out there are no laws, they want to test the water with their new-found freedoms. After years of being haggled by parents, friends, & complete strangers about wearing shoes, people are excited to try it out in public.

But, where to start? What if someone yells at us and wants to evict us?

Eviction is a problem that still persists. It is the lack of education that still has the average person thinking it is illegal. Currently, most people who are barefoot may not even know it is legal anyway, and when a store minion says something, the barefoot person usually apologizes, and runs to go get their flip flops.

I wanted to share some tips and tricks for getting yourself started within the barefoot community and gain more confidence with each time a store is conquered.

• There are letters online from every state Health Dept in the United States. Please find a copy, and print it out. Keep handy in the event of needing to show evidence.
• Health Departments ONLY visit places that sell prepared food items. Also, the Health Department only focuses on employees. This means that if an employee of an office supply store or a bank tries to say “Health code” it is a blatant un-truth!
• For venturing out in public for the first time, try to go to an easier place first. A post office, stationary store, to go pizza place, sandwich shops, or another store where a customer runs in & out very quickly is almost always successful.
• Fast food places are generally success stories as well.

Occasionally, the shoe police will be out in full force. I have always said that if one person does not want your money, 20 other people will take it. Sometimes you DO run into that one person that has no problem putting back $500 worth of groceries (which would be enough to maybe pay their salary for the week).

How I prefer to handle those, is remind them that I am using money to pay their salary. Also, if it is a fast food place or a bank that insists on shoes “due to broken glass” – ask them what glass products they sell in their store! When they admit they do not sell anything with glass, it sounds like a very silly rebuttal.

If someone says something, it is okay to smile and tell them you are Grounding. Share with them the health benefits of living a barefoot lifestyle. YOU might be the first person ever to tell them going barefoot is actually HEALTHY! Give them the barefootislegal.org web site. Most people do not even know that there is an organization for barefoot people.

If you DO get evicted – go to a competitor! When you get done shopping, make a copy of the receipt! Send a copy to the store in a complaint letter. Advise the store that while trying to buy $340 worth of items, you were evicted. Let the store know you found a competitor, spent $342 at the other store (showing the receipt as proof), and you prefer how you were treated at the other store! Let the store know you will CONTINUE to shop at the other store until you are told you’re allowed to shop there again barefoot. Tell the store it’s your lifestyle choice, and send any information you like sharing that laws do not exist. If enough people do this – the shoe police will be gone!

What NOT to do? If evicted, do not just simply run out to the car, put on flip flops, and go back to shopping. This EMPOWERS the shoe police.

Also, please argue your point and share information. Do NOT get testy with them and demand the police come by. If the shoddies do not want your money, there is no sense in forcing them to take it. There will be COUNTLESS other stores that will happily run your debit card and tell the customers to come again.