Putting new shoes on the table brings bad luck

Scene: A flat in Manchester. Two friends, Sam and Olivia, are chatting in the living room. Sam has just bought a new pair of trainers and, without thinking, plops the box on the coffee table.

Olivia: (gasps dramatically) Sam! What are you doing? You can’t put new shoes on the table. That’s asking for trouble!

Sam: (laughing) Trouble? Liv, they’re just shoes. The worst they’ll do is scuff if I wear them in the rain.

Olivia: I’m serious! It’s bad luck. My nan always said putting new shoes on the table brings arguments, illness, or even financial problems. Why risk it?

Sam: (grinning) Well, by that logic, my entire student years should’ve been a disaster—I ate off my desk, slept on my desk, and yes, sometimes left trainers on it too. And guess what? The only bad luck I had was the uni canteen food.

Olivia: (rolling her eyes) You laugh, but think about it. Every time my cousin bought new shoes and left them on the table, something bad happened. Once, she got a parking fine the next day. Another time, she spilled red wine on her brand-new sofa. Coincidence?

Sam: Exactly. Coincidence. You’re just remembering the bad stuff because it fits the story. That’s called confirmation bias. If she put new shoes on the table and nothing went wrong, you probably didn’t even notice.

Olivia: (crossing her arms) Well, what’s the harm in being cautious? Better safe than sorry.

Sam: True, but if you avoid every little thing that someone labels as unlucky, you’ll run out of things to do. Don’t walk under ladders, don’t open umbrellas indoors, don’t break mirrors, don’t cross a black cat’s path—honestly, you’d barely make it out the door in the morning.

Olivia: (laughing reluctantly) Okay, fair point. But shoes on the table just feel wrong to me.

Sam: That’s probably because the superstition started from something practical. In mining towns, putting dirty boots on a table meant coal dust and germs all over where people ate. Of course, that led to illness. People thought it was “bad luck,” but really it was just bad hygiene.

Olivia: Huh. I didn’t know that. So, you’re saying it’s less about curses and more about… not wanting someone’s muddy soles next to your spaghetti bolognese?

Sam: Exactly. It’s common sense disguised as superstition. Though, to be fair, if I served you pasta with a side of shoe polish, you’d probably think you were cursed.

Olivia: (laughing) You’ve got a point. Still, I’m not touching those trainers until they’re off the table. Humor me, yeah?

Sam: (grinning and moving the box) Fine, fine. For your peace of mind. But remember—if I win the lottery tonight, I’m putting my next pair of shoes right in the middle of the dining table.

Olivia: (snorts) If you win the lottery, you can cover the table in Louboutins for all I care.