Would you find this strange? Shoes off 👞 and flip flops 🩴 on

[Speckledhem]

I work in a role where I visit families in their home. I totally get it is expected in some homes that I remove my shoes, ok fine I do this if I must.

But…

I visit a family each week and not only do I need to remove my footwear but I have to wear a pair of flip flops (sliders) that they provide and leave at the front door for me to change in to on arrival.

It makes no difference if I have socks on or not, I am expected to wear pink sliders for the duration of my visit. I then change back into my own footwear when I leave.

I don’t know if these sliders are just for me or for all visitors.

They are a Chinese family- is this cultural? I find it absolutely bonkers.

Anyone else experienced this?

Oh don’t, it’s really not that important

Ok youv'e jumped the shark now

*you've

@shouldistop

Why would you think I’m a HCP?

I read that as "I have Chinese in laws and Im also a HCP doing home visits".

Yes, that's correct. I'd say the point about home visits is more relevant to the OP than picking out the profession anyway...

I'm guessing OP is a teacher/tutor

God help us

@poshtonic

And by the way- has it ever occurred to you to put your bag down , while you put the " cheap sliders " on. Top tip. Doesn't take many brain cells .....

Put her bag down?! OP has never sullied her bag by allowing it to touch the ground in 25 years of visiting people’s homes - do you know how many other people might have touched the same ground? Stop trying to force your strange cultural ways on to her!

I thought healthcare or alternative therapy but she said no. If she's a 'professsional' then it must be a tutor. Poor tutees.

Funny how she thinks being a professional means it's a given she has clean tights 🤣🤣🤣

I think you're starting to overreact OP . AIBU isn't always the best thread board to post on as it can get nitpicky and cause defensiveness.

The family you are visiting aren't doing this to be unkind. It's their culture. And their house.

Just take your own "inside sliders"- they are £8 on Amazon & will arrive in a few days. That's a a good compromise, that you identified early on in your comments.

I have at times gone in to people's homes for work and will generally check what they want to do with shoes. As a professional going in to someone's home there is an odd dynamic and I think it is so important to show respect to the person and their home and if that means taking off my shoes and realising I have giant holes in my old socks so be it! I went to one person's home and it immediately broke the ice when I asked if they wanted me to take shoes off as some other worker had gone in and refused to take their shoes off which unsurprisingly had really upset the family. Some people are reluctant to ask you as a professional to take off your shoes but you can see them relax when you offer to do so as they don't have to have the stress of asking you to do so. As for wearing their sandals I would happily do that if they asked, am sure if they are plastic sandals they will be cleaning them regularly.

OP I don’t understand what is so unreasonable. This is perfectly normal to not wear outdoor shoes in the house.

Guest slippers are not “other people’s footwear”. They're specifically only for guests who don’t bring their own indoor shoes. They are always cleaned after each use and always worn with socks. So perfectly hygienic. It’s not like you’re being offered someone’s actual shoes.

They are much more hygienic than bowling shoes or roller skates...and yet westerners are happy to wear those for hours at a time and even get all sweaty in them? So I don’t understand how it’s pushing our culture on to you, when your culture already does this less hygienically for bowling and roller skating?!

Highly unprofessional and xenophobic at the very least.

My Japanese friends family had king of slippers for guests so I'm guessing it's cultural

When I was at High School we had to take our shoes off going into the School marae and other cultural classrooms.
We always took them off at home and we do in my home now.
Outdoor Shoes go on the rack at the front door (or are put away in cupboards), socks, house shoes or slippers go on when inside.

I don’t see why it would be an issue?
If your regularly visiting them then pop house shoes in your bag.

As a Foster carer I often have sw, therapy workers, support officers etc at my home. Everyone of them has asked, at least on first visit, if I'd like them to take off their shoes.

I lived in Asia for many years. It's very normal to take shoes off at the door. In fact, I do it still and change into slippers. Keeps the floor cleaner.

Lots of English homes are shoes-off too. Mine is. I offer slippers to guests (the washable type) in case their feet are sock-free or cold.

The family might not want you bringing your own slippers/indoor shoes because they have no idea where else you’ve worn them. You could have worn your slippers in your own home, in other clients’ homes, in houses with cats and dogs or dirty floors.

You think they won’t Compromise

Pot / black ???

I can’t believe how many of the comments you have replied to - trying to hammer your weak points home

Give it up

Oh this reminds me of the Swedish slipper basket of a recent thread!

Many people require visitors to remove shoes. It seems nicer to at least have slippers or sliders for them. I do this for my DM as she “hates cold feet” but is always the one to tread mud up the stairs otherwise.

Odd that you think other people’s socked feet being in the sliders is manky but a. Your shod feet on their floor isn’t manky and b.neither would your socked feet be. Why are your shod or socked feet better than other people’s socked feet?