MemberWe don’t require people to take off shoes, but we take ours off. One of my best friends is from a culture that takes off shoes, so she always removes hers. She’ll even bring slippers if she is staying awhile. Some people will take their shoes off when they see ours sitting by the door.
MemberI hate having to take my shoes off for a party. It’s one thing if it’s a casual dinner with family or a close friend, but if it’s a nice occasion my shoes are part of my outfit. I guess I never understood the problem of wearing shoes. That said, if there are shoes by the door and it’s obvious that’s what people do, or if I’m asked, I always remove them!
MemberI don’t care either way if people keep their shoes on in my house. It’s pretty unusual in my circle to be asked to take your shoes off, it’s usually only people who have pale carpets. You tend to get some minor side-eye for insisting on shoes off. People will do it without complaint usually, but there tends to be the view that it’s a little excessive. Personally I generally don’t care either way, unless I’ve worn shoes with loads of laces which are a pain to get out of.
Someone earlier mentioned this maybe being a common uk attitude – they could well be correct there.
MemberAs a hostess, I want my guests to be as comfortable as possible, regardless of the occasion…so I leave it up to them. I personally don’t wear shoes around the house, but I also don’t have guests over often enough to worry about them getting my house dirty. Cleaning up after guests is a given, so an extra vacuum around the house because they kept their shoes on is nbd.
Can’t say I’ve ever been asked to leave my shoes on, but I’ve felt extremely put-off when asked to take my shoes off…especially when there are pets, or small children, or some other reason to question the cleanliness of the floor. It feels intimate in some kind of way, and if I’m not super close with the hosts then I’ll feel more awkward/uncomfortable. So I would never ask a guest leave their shoes at the door, unless they volunteer it.
MemberMy home, my rule. Everyone needs to take shoes off, we give guests brand new slippers to wear though.
MemberYes, I do, I hate it when they track dirt in there. My fiance always thought it was a bit weird when I took off my shoes and insisted others did because he thought that was only a thing in Japan and he never saw someone from the US that insisted on doing it, but I do it because it is practical and I don’t have to worry about dirt.
MemberWho’s bringing socks or slippers to a formal party? If it’s formal, then I’m not dressed to wear socks. Nor do I want a loner pair of slippers (reminiscent of bowling alleys & iffy loaner shoes) that are offered up.
Memberif its an actual party, i would not be happy being asked to take my shoes off.
informal gatherings or whatever, i’m fine either way.
MemberShoes are always off at home. We will provide slippers
MemberI’ll start by saying we don’t actually enforce anything on our guests.
For formal events I am happy for you to keep your shoes on – but we only host in warm weather so guests only come inside for the toilet and bathroom anyway. (I agree that it’s incredibly annoying to get all dressed up and then find out I need to remove part of my outfit.)
But for dinners, visiting or get togethers it’s definitely shoes off.
I must say though that it’s kind of a moot point in our friend circle though… most of them are regularly barefoot