wacky wednesday - how casual is too casual?

It is no secret that the farther west one travels across our country, the more casual the dress becomes. Going out to dinner at a non-national chain, sit-down restaurant in any major city on the eastern seaboard requires, at a minimum, nice shorts, collared shirt and shoes and more often, business casual is in order. However, in California at a similar restaurant, just about anything would go, including a t-shirt and shorts with flip flops.

Attire at shopping venues varies depending on how upscale, or not, the store is. While casual shorts and flip flops would be acceptable at Target, for example, they would not be at Bloomingdales. And, of course, shoes of some sort are required in all public restaurants and stores.

Or so I thought.

While we were in Hawaii (on the island of Hawaii) earlier this year, a young mom and her children caught my eye while we were shopping at Target. She had on pajama pants and a t-shirt; her children were dressed in shorts and t-shirts. And ALL of them were barefoot.

Maybe I'm just old-fashioned but I think common sense dictates that going barefoot in retail establishments is just too casual. Apparently common sense is not all that common.