‘Oh no!’: Gross supermarket act dividing Aussies

There’s one act that Aussies just can’t agree on, with some branding it “gross” and others saying it’s not that bad - so we hit the streets of Bondi to get answers.

There’s one Aussie act that never fails to horrify and confuse expats, and that is wearing no shoes at the supermarket.

It is a question that often divides Australians: Is going barefoot at the supermarket socially acceptable behaviour, or should someone call for clean-up in aisle three?

Is having your entire foot on show at the grocery store chill behaviour or a feral act that needs to be stopped? It is one of Australia’s most important debates.

Have your say in The Great Aussie Debate. Take the survey here:

Aussies are known for getting the feet out. Picture: TikTok

It is known for causing debate. Picture: TikTok

You might want to downplay the issue, but everyone has to go to the grocery store, and if we can’t agree on whether the trotters should be allowed out and proud, it will create division.

I’ll be honest, I don’t mind some toes on the linoleum floors of a grocery store, fluorescent lights be damned.

Sometimes, you just have your toes out and you also need to buy some milk - that is just modern life.

There’s no doubt your feet will encounter something sticky while roaming around a supermarket but it doesn’t completely freak me out.

As part of news.com.au’s Great Aussie Debate - a new survey that will reveal what Australians really think about all the hot topics of 2025, from the lighthearted to the serious - we hit the not-very-mean streets of Bondi to find out how people really felt about the issue.

One man in a cap was feeling brave and honest, declaring “I don’t think it is gross”. He then outed himself as someone known for going barefoot at the shops.

When one woman was asked if she thought wearing no shoes to the supermarket was acceptable, she practically screamed in horror.

“Oh no!” she yelped.

She then added that if she saw someone roaming without shoes, she’d take no prisoners and say, “Just put your shoes on!”

Meanwhile, a young man said he “doesn’t mind it” and admitted he is also a barefoot supermarket culprit.

Another woman dubbed it “totally gross”, and then her microbiologist friend jumped in and broke the news that it just isn’t “hygienic”.

As a non-award-winning journalist, I’m incredibly dedicated to my craft, so I started taking my shoes off and asking Bondi-goers a very confronting question.

I pointed to my bare feet and said, “If you saw this in the supermarket, how would you feel?”

One kind gentleman looked at my bare trotters, which are an impressive size 10, and said, “It wouldn’t bother” him if he saw them in his local Woolies or Coles.

He believes going shoeless isn't bad. Picture: TikTok/News.com.au

He admitted to a public bathroom act. Picture: News.com.au

One brave man said he’d happily go shoeless for groceries but there was just one place he wouldn’t go.

“I wouldn’t go to public bathrooms,” he said.

Which, fair enough, it is important to have boundaries you and your feet have to draw a line somewhere.

“But I have done it in the past, and I’m not very proud of that,” he admitted.

He then got his trotters out to reveal them in their natural form; I panicked and said he had the best feet in Bondi, and then he “wooed” in celebration.

A lady from Cairns said she has no issues going barefoot in her tropical hometown but she wouldn’t be caught dead doing it in Sydney.

“Everyone in the grocery store is barefoot up there but down here is a different story,” she said.

“A lot more people are out late at night, peeing on the streets and spitting. I’ve seen human faeces guys like on the street in Sydney!”

Originally published as ‘Oh no!’: Gross supermarket act dividing Aussies