A woman who went barefoot for 30 years is outraged after being kicked out of a shopping center for not wearing shoes.
The customer alleged that management at Sunshine Plaza in Mooloolaba on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast asked her to leave the complex on Saturday.
The woman said she had been walking barefoot on city streets and in shopping centers for decades, wearing shoes only “at work or when she really had to.”
“Was at Sunshine Plaza today and was asked to leave because I wasn’t wearing shoes,” she wrote on a community Facebook page.
‘Since when is walking barefoot illegal? Has this been told to anyone else?
The woman claimed management at Sunshine Plaza (pictured) on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast asked her to leave the center on Saturday because she was not wearing shoes
The woman said she had been walking barefoot on city streets and in shopping centers for decades, only wearing shoes “at work or when she really had to” (stock image)
The woman said the decision to kick her out of the center was an “overreaction” and asked who was personally affected by her bare feet.
“I do it all the time, even in Brisbane city, never had a problem before.”
She wasn’t concerned about dust building up on the soles of her feet because it “rinsed right off.”
However, not everyone was convinced.
Group members questioned her decision to go barefoot, with one claiming that diseases could be spread this way.
“It can’t be that easy,” she hit back. “I’ve been walking barefoot into malls and walking city streets for over 30 years, but I’ve never gotten anything.”
Sunshine Plaza manager Michael Manwaring has since released a statement reminding customers to wear ‘appropriate’ footwear while shopping.
“In accordance with our center policy, all visitors to Sunshine Plaza are required to wear appropriate clothing and footwear at all times,” he said.
‘As always, maintaining essential standards to support the health, safety and wellbeing of all our customers, retailers and staff is our first priority.’
Ny Breaking Australia has contacted Sunshine Plaza for comment.
While barefoot shopping is common in Australia, a woman from Hungary has provoked several disgusted reactions with her shoeless feet.
Content creator ‘Loser Ana’ has posted several videos of herself shopping barefoot in her local Tesco.
In one video, she says she was approached by another woman who asked why she was barefoot and if her feet were cold.
“It was a lot of fun shopping barefoot at Tesco and to be honest, people are usually very friendly about being barefoot,” she said in a video posted to social media.
‘Today a woman came to me and said, “Aren’t you cold, you should wear shoes”, but it was okay, it was all with good intentions.
“I don’t mind people coming up to me and just asking questions.”
It comes as an Aussie couple who went barefoot to their local Woolworths last year were criticized by Americans on social media for not wearing shoes in the busy supermarket.
While barefoot shopping is common in Australia, a woman from Hungary has provoked several disgusted reactions with her shoeless feet (pictured)
An Aussie couple who went barefoot to their local Woolworths were criticized last year for not wearing shoes in the busy supermarket (pictured)
After the woman uploaded a TikTok of them picking out their groceries, a group of Americans responded to the video asking why they were barefoot.
“Wait, why isn’t your friend wearing shoes?” asked an American viewer.
“Can we talk about the fact that he has no shoes on,” said another American.
However, other Aussies were quick to defend the couple, who live on the coast.
‘As a fellow countryman, I say that it is 100 percent normal to go without shoes. I don’t know what everyone is talking about,” one person said.
‘Too many non-Australians talking about the shoes. What are all the six-foot spiders going to bite if you cover your feet?’ another joked.