To: comments@wegmans.com Subject: followup to existing case Here is some supplementary material for consumer-affairs case # 10240, opened around Jul 12 or so. Sorry for the long lag on getting this to you; I've been on the road and not in regular touch with email. While I have provided links to quite a bit of information about the shoeless lifestyle preference and its rising popularity, the link I would like your C-level people and legal counsel to examine and carefully consider is this: http://outbarefoot.org/guide.html Some of the actions therein could be the easiest way toward eliminating the possibility of further confrontations and misunderstandings. I assure you that commercial store and restaurant floors present negligible risk of injury compared to the terrain that I and numerous others walk over barefoot routinely, including rough gravel and broken glass in outdoor and urban environments, and we always take full responsibility for our own safety in any conditions. And I'm sure you are all familiar with the FDA food safety code, which mentions nothing about footwear [other than the possibility that *shoes* can bring contaminants into food prep areas]. I would really appreciate knowing exactly what operational or community- relations risks your senior-level management would anticipate from Wegmans becoming barefoot-friendly, with employees at all levels prepared to explain the factual truth to the inevitable objectors. [Yes, you will no doubt get a few haters coming out of the woodwork but this is a good opportunity to educate them.] Wrap some positive publicity around it -- there is plenty of supporting knowledge available on the internet. As staff and customers adjust to new policies and awareness spreads, maybe over a couple of months, I really don't see how Wegmans would lose any significant portion of long-time patronage. Quite the opposite, I would think. We, the beneficially unshod, believe such actions would only contribute to the overall awesomeness of Wegmans. My own introduction to the company was at the flagship Rochester store while visiting friends there, where I was profoundly impressed. I was delighted to later hear of the expansion to the Boston area. But being set upon as I was in Burlington by a "goon squad" that REFUSED to learn the facts around the matter is not exactly the type of reception that promotes community goodwill. When that conversation can instead become "Please watch where you step, sir" ... "Thank you, I'm all set" and be over, that's the only duty of care that anyone needs to be concerned with. [For the record, I dropped over $100 in the store that day regardless, but was still shaking from that onslaught the entire time.] Thank you for deep consideration on this, it may have more impact going forward than you realize now. I can be reached via this email address, or the contact number in the original ticket. _H*