The Day a Foot Fetish Walked Into a Phone Store: Tales From Retail’s Weirdest Encounter
Every retail worker has that one story—the one so odd, so perfectly bizarre, it becomes legend among coworkers and a go-to at parties. But for one unlucky phone salesman, the tale involves a famous wife, a pair of allegedly “the MOST beautiful feet on television,” and a customer with a little too much enthusiasm for toes. Welcome to the weirdest day in big box retail, where foot fetishes meet phone plans and the phrase “Sir, this is a Wendy’s” never felt more appropriate.
When Phones and Feet Collide
Our story, courtesy of Reddit’s r/TalesFromRetail, begins innocently enough: a phone salesman (training a new hire, no less) is approached by a couple with questions about store services. So far, so normal. But before our heroes can launch into their rehearsed spiel about data plans and upgrades, the gentleman interrupts with an eyebrow-raising question: “Do you recognize my wife?”
Before they can respond, he proclaims, “She has the MOST beautiful feet on television. Go ahead… Look at them!!” Suddenly, the conversation takes a left turn into the Twilight Zone of retail, where instead of comparing phone specs, our salesmen are asked to admire a stranger’s toes.
Awkward silences ensue. The new employee attempts honesty: “No sir, not really my thing.” The man, undeterred, turns to our narrator: “SURELY YOU’RE a foot guy, right?” Alas, our retail duo are not the foot guys he’s looking for. The customer’s response? Outrage and disappointment that a company he’s “had service with for YEARS” doesn’t employ enough “feet guys.”
As the original poster (u/13SpiderMonkeys) put it, “This felt like the ‘Sir, this is Wendy’s...’ meme. As a retail salesman, that has got to be the weirdest experience I've encountered.”
Shoe Stores, Fetishes, and the Great Foot Divide
If you’re thinking this customer simply wandered into the wrong department, you’re not alone. The Reddit community had thoughts—many, many thoughts. The top comment, from u/roosterjack77, summed up the collective response: “Go to shoe store if you wanna pimp out yur famous feet to the right salesperson.”
That kicked off a whole thread about the appropriate (and very inappropriate) places to discuss feet. As u/ChiefSlug30 hilariously added, “Unless the salesman is Al Bundy😆,” a nod to TV’s most famous (and most miserable) fictional shoe salesman from Married... with Children. Clearly, there’s a time and a place for everything, and the phone counter is not it.
Some commenters, like u/Nyx_Antumbra, admitted to being “foot guys” themselves, but drew a hard line at workplace kink-sharing: “I’m a foot guy but I’m not going to be telling some freak customer at work. That’s incredibly uncomfortable.” Others, like u/alerommel, tried to add nuance: “Some people are attracted to them. It’s hard wired in their brain... Aren’t you attracted to a specific body part... why should feet be any different?” But for most, the consensus was simple: please, keep your fetishes out of retail.
The Great Foot Debate: Love, Loathing, and Everything In Between
Part of what made this tale so delightful (and cringe-inducing) was the wild spectrum of reactions. Some, like u/Swibblestein, did not mince words: “Human feet are an abomination. Look at how adorable dog paws are. Cat paws. Rabbit feet. Just about any animal. They’re cute! But no, we get stuck with these... awful... things.” Others shared their own war stories from shoe stores, with u/gotapenny19 lamenting, “I worked in shoe stores for far too long. Feet are so gross to me,” and another commenter recalling the horror of “well-worn shoes” returned with suspicious smells.
Meanwhile, u/Unapologetic_Canuck confessed, “I don’t get the feet thing. I know people out there are obsessed with feet, I just don’t get it.” The original poster chimed back with, “Nor do I. Especially the ones who literally flaunt it in public. I don’t wanna know about your kink bro 💀,” capturing what many retail workers feel when confronted with oversharing customers.
But if you think the wife in question was mortified, u/SqueakyDoggy asked the question on everyone’s mind: “What a weirdo. Was his wife embarrassed?” While OP didn’t specify, the whole interaction left the sales team—and Reddit—wondering about the etiquette of public foot appreciation.
The “Sir, This Is a Wendy’s” Moment
It’s hard not to see the humor in such an absurd scenario. As the story spread, commenters brought their best puns and memes. Customer “has been deFeeted,” quipped u/K1yco. Others riffed on the surreal “beautiful feet on television” claim, with u/cherrydiamond and OP both joking, “I’m more of an ear guy myself versus feet so that’s probably why I didn’t recognize them.”
And if you’re still curious whose feet were allegedly so famous, you’re not alone. u/Fuck_Weyland-Yutani asked, “Now I’m curious WHO these fabled ‘most beautiful feet on television’ belong to?” Unfortunately, OP didn’t get her @, promising to “find out for ya” next time.
Conclusion: Retail Is Wild, Please Leave Your Kinks at Home
If there’s a lesson here, it’s that retail work will always keep you on your toes (pun intended)—but sometimes, customers can take it a step too far. Whether you’re a “foot guy,” an “ear guy,” or just trying to sell a phone, some conversations are best left for more private venues. As the Reddit crowd showed, there’s a fine line between quirky customer interactions and stories that will haunt the break room for years to come.
So next time you’re in a big box store, spare a thought for the retail warriors holding it together with a smile—even when confronted by the strangest feet in the business.
Have your own retail horror story? Share it below (bonus points if it’s even weirder than this one)!
Original Reddit Post: Surely YOU'RE a foot guy right?