# Discussion thread for the "Polls only" thread (Part 2) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 16, 2024, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636 "2024-02-16T02:56:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 357
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2025, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/7122 "2025-06-12T10:34:19Z")
If you ever get socks at the hospital, those are they. ---
**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2025, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/7123 "2025-06-12T10:47:56Z")
I’m a barefoot kinda person. I’ll wear slippers or socks if it’s _really_ cold but otherwise I mostly hate footwear. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2025, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/7124 "2025-06-12T12:17:17Z")
Ah, I’ve had those. I never liked them, though. I never go stocking foot at home. I usually wear slippers with arch support ([Oofos](https://www.oofos.com/products/womens-sandal-ooahh-slide-black)) but sometimes go barefoot or wear shoes. I do have a lot of friends with “no shoes indoors” policies, and i guess i usually wear just socks at their homes. Except the one with glossy hardwood, where I’ve decided it’s safer to be barefoot. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2025, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/7125 "2025-06-12T12:23:40Z")
Carpet and hard flooring. Barefoot or something with a grip on the flooring, which is slick, but not the rubber dot or stripe socks. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2025, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/7126 "2025-06-12T14:02:50Z")
I prefer to go barefoot, but that’s why I now have bunions. Now I have to wear bunion pads, compression socks, and house sandals. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2025, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/7127 "2025-06-12T14:27:24Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Actually, must if the exam rooms have windows, but i don’t think the waiting room does. Ah. I’m just about always dealing with the exact opposite: windows in the waiting room, but none in the exam room. And while there’s a pretty good chance that none of the chairs will fit me, the waiting room may have some choice, but the exam room is pretty much guaranteed to have only an uncomfortable chair. > [@Jegpeg](#): > > I virtually always wear something more substantial over my socks, but it is for protection against stepping on something rather than slipping Yup. Old house, mostly wood floors, wood stove. Splinters, wood chips. Also potential cat and dog leavings. I have a pair of gripper socks because the hospital gave me some while I was there and they sent me home with them. I’m not going to bother changing socks for the occasional time I walk around in just socks, though. ---
**Author:** ![Ellecram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellecram/32/18948_2.png) [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2025, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/7128 "2025-06-12T14:38:58Z")
I always wear some type of footwear regardless of the home or the flooring. I cannot balance without shoes. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2025, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/7129 "2025-06-12T14:40:40Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > And while there’s a pretty good chance that none of the chairs will fit me, the waiting room may have some choice, but the exam room is pretty much guaranteed to have only an uncomfortable chair. Ah. I’m a fairly average size, and most chairs fit me. The waiting room does have a few extra-wide chairs, but it doesn’t have any chairs that are taller or shorter than the others. Weirdly, i had issues in Germany with the toilets being too tall for me, though. Germans are taller than Americans, and i was housed in a “handicapped accessible” room, and i literally couldn’t touch my heels to the ground as i dangled on that toilet. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2025, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/7130 "2025-06-12T14:46:33Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > i literally couldn’t touch my heels to the ground as i dangled on that toilet I have that problem with most newer chairs these days. Sometimes my toes can’t even touch. Standard toilets (in the USA) are somewhat better, but the ones that are supposed to be easier to use are much worse. – if the chairs are extra wide, I can sometimes tuck at least one leg up partly sideways (trying not to get my shoes on the seat), which helps to some extent. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2025, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/7131 "2025-06-12T14:49:13Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Weirdly, i had issues in Germany with the toilets being too tall for me, though. Germans are taller than Americans, and i was housed in a “handicapped accessible” room, and i literally couldn’t touch my heels to the ground as i dangled on that toilet. No shit! The only chairs I’ve sat in where my feet don’t touch the ground are (bar) stools which I always thought were weird - We’ll sit you up high, but uncomfortably so & while you’re imbibing. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2025, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/7132 "2025-06-12T16:21:30Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > No shit! Well, i managed, but it was tricky. I used the trash can as an impromptu stool. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2025, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/7133 "2025-06-12T16:22:59Z")
a stool for your stool? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2025, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/7134 "2025-06-12T16:25:56Z")
Of course! ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2025, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/7135 "2025-06-12T17:24:15Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > What are “gripper socks”, and are they grippier than bare feet? > [@Maserschmidt](#): > > If you ever get socks at the hospital, those are they. Yeah, this. I’ve had three hospital stays over the last almost-two years, and they always gave me gripper socks, even though I rarely got out of bed (the exception was the time they admitted and scheduled a colonoscopy for the folllowing morning – doing the prep that night I had to get out of bed a lot). Since most pairs were unused, I took them home, but never used them once. They just sit in my sock drawer. I always wear shoes in the house, because if I go shoeless it can cause my plantar facitis to flare up. Plus, I have goblin feet. I have gotten into a pattern with breakfast (cheerios with 1% milk and berries – approved by my cardiologist). It’s easy, healthy, and if I don’t have to think about what to eat I won’t be tempted to eat something “bad.” About once or twice in a two week period I’ll have something a little less healthy because I feel like it or because I’m going out to breakfast for some reason. But I’ve lost a ton of weight and I’m not anxious to gain it back and have to go through it all over again. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2025, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/7136 "2025-06-12T18:01:08Z")
I chose both that I wear something for warmth and that I avoid overly-warm footwear. That sounds oxymoronic, but my feetses do get cold if I walk around barefoot. Usually a thin pair of socks will do, though, and anything more substantial will get them _too_ hot. It can be a tricky balance. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2025, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/7137 "2025-06-12T18:10:42Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > I chose both that I wear something for warmth and that I avoid overly-warm footwear. So did I, though not for the same reason; mine is, because it depends on the weather. Climate control inside my old farmhouse is imperfect. Plus which, I’m often going in and out of the house and don’t want to bother changing shoes every time I go through the door. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2025, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/7138 "2025-06-12T18:23:55Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > I chose both that I wear something for warmth and that I avoid overly-warm footwear. That makes perfect sense. When counting how many answers someone might give, i decided i had to allow people to choose both of those. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2025, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/7139 "2025-06-12T18:26:11Z")
I wear socks all the time because I don’t want to get my feet dirty on our floors. Also, they serve a residual function of dusting and lightly cleaning anywhere I walk. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2025, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/7140 "2025-06-12T18:30:53Z")
I always wear socks in the house, and never go barefoot, unless I’m doing something where I’m not wearing any other clothes, either. 😉 (We have a mix of hardwood floors, tile floors, and low-pile carpeting in the house.) I’m a type 2 diabetic, and not going barefoot is a good idea anyway (so I picked “to protect my feet” as one of my choices), but I was always wearing socks (the comfier, the better) for many years before I was diagnosed. I put on a fresh pair of socks after showering in the morning, and I put on another fresh pair when I change into PJs at night. Nearly all of my socks are from Bombas, except for a few pairs of really nice socks from a British company, Pantherella, which I saw profiled on the show “Inside the Factory” last year. Yes, I may be obsessed with socks. I started also wearing slippers in the house, in the winter months, a few years ago; contact with the cooler hard floors in the house through my socks, and the dry air, were tending to make the skin on my feet get dried out (a hazard for diabetics). ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2025, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/7141 "2025-06-12T20:16:50Z")
We have mostly carpet but the kitchen and hallway is stone. I usually go barefoot, but I also have a great pair of worn in double-soled moccasins\* I wear a lot, maybe also to the mailbox, etc. I have put a thin wool insole in them. \*That means several layers of leather, but no hard sole. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636.md?page=356) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636.md?page=358)