This is how buying shoes is going to change from now on

(Image credit: 2019 Edward Berthelot)

With non-essential stores set to re-open on the 15th June, whilst we are still in some sort of lockdown, our shopping experience is going to be very different.

First off, you will need to follow social distancing rules, and perhaps have to queue outside stores as there will only be a certain amount of customers allowed in at any given time.

Of course, you'll also have to remember to bring a face mask and potentially some gloves too, but what you might not have thought of protecting are your feet, and that's about to change.

Shops including Schuh, Kurt Geiger and Dune will be re-opening and adding extra measures to ensure their customers' health & safety, and that includes spraying shoes with disinfectant and asking customers to put on disposable socks when trying shoes on.

For example, Dune has stated that it will 'encourage you to wear disposable pop socks when trying on footwear', whilst Schuh announced that shoes that have been tried on but not bought will be 'sprayed with disinfectant before being put back into stock'.

And if you're worried about not being able to return shoes bought in those circumstances, then don't worry. Your consumer rights will stay the same, meaning you can still return the shoes after having bought them (as long as they haven't been worn of course).

They will simply be disinfected after being returned, before being put back on the shop floor.

Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.

Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).

Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.

However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.

Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.