Jay says he’s stumbled upon a ludicrous fee at a dance-focused shop. If you try on a pair of shoes but decide not to buy them, you owe the store $20.

He writes:

A dance apparel and footwear store in my hometown has a sign on the door indicating that, due to the recent rise in shoppers who try on shoes in the store and then buy them at unaffiliated online stores, there is now a $20 “fitting fee” charged to all customers that try on shoes but decide not to buy them. Is this type of fee common?

Although the fee seems unmerited, remember the plight of Married with Children’s Al Bundy, who viewed the prospect of slipping shoes onto customers’ smelly, callous-covered dogs as a soul-crushing indignity. Still, it’s difficult to imagine the store would be able to badger many saps into actually forking over the $20.

What’s the least reasonable extraneous fee you’ve encountered?

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.