Running shoes and slacks don't mix

If you've been in the working world for any amount of time, you've noticed the phenomenon of people who wear tennis shoes to work and then change them to dress shoes once at work. An alternative to this is people who wear boots or something similar when it snows because a) they don't want to ruin their shoes and b) the boots have better traction.

Now I'm fine with people changing up gear for inclement weather or if they have some kind of injury. What gets me are the ones, specifically guys, that wear tennis shoes to work normally and then change. I work in the city and have to walk to various work sites, so I understand that making your feet comfortable during the day is important. Walking around the city is pretty uncomfortable if your shoes kill your feet. So if your job requires you to walk around city blocks a bunch, more comfortable shoes are ok.

But I saw a guy today who walked off the metro, wearing a suit, and into his office building that was about 20 feet from the metro stop, and wearing tennis shoes! The first thought in my head was maybe he had some kind of foot or ankle injury. But his walk appeared to be pretty free of stress. No limp. No foot dragging behind him. I can only assume that he figured wearing tennis shoes was an acceptable practice since more and more people seem to do it. Or maybe he was scared of the weather forecast of potential rain today. But really, come on guy. It's 20 feet of covered walk to your office. Unless you're running a marathon before getting on the train, have serious toejam, or an foot allergy to leather, you really have no excuse. Be a professional and man up.