Train Etiquette, part 1

Train Etiquette is an important issue, I think. After all, complete strangers are all stuffed into a small space, with little room to breathe, let alone move. Personal space is a must in this situation. I've decided to make a bit of an ongoing series regarding train etiquette as it's an ongoing issue. What I would like to talk about today are the people who take their shoes off in the train. This happens more frequently than you might think, even though winter has now officially arrived, and more and more people are wearing boots or thick shoes to work. When you are wearing sandals, it's pretty easy to slip them off and makes little difference to the people around you, since it's not like you were wearing socks in the first place. But now it's winter, people are pulling off their boots, and sometimes their socks as well, and airing their feet on the train. This mostly happens during the evening rush hour, when trains are stuffed full of people anyway, and the trains are all stinky from being used all day. So it's extra nice when people peel off their super sweaty socks and let their feet funk mingle with the other stinky smells.

I can't really understand why people do this. I mean, I do, and it's obviously related to the uncomfortableness of their shoes/socks combo that they've chosen to wear. I don't have much sympathy for this. If you are wearing such uncomfortable shoes that you can't even wait until you get home to take them off, you probably shouldn't wear them to work all day! I think if you've made that decision, you should suffer in silence until you reach home. The other, also unattractive, option, is to carry a pair of sneakers and change before you leave work. This was very popular about 5 years ago, and there's less people doing it now, but it is one option. The other option, is to choose shoes that are actually comfortable enough to survive a whole day's work in!!! It is possible to buy stylish shoes which are actually comfortable! Particularly for work! I don't understand why people buy shoes specifically for work that are too uncomfortable to wear. And I certainly think that train etiquette demands that you have the good sense to keep your shoes on until you arrive home, and keep your smelly feet to yourself.