What would you think if you saw someone perusing the condiments and sauces aisle of your local supermarket in jim-jams and slippers?

Perhaps you’d think they were crazy, cosy, or even lazy. Maybe they forgot to get dressed. Or maybe they couldn’t care less what you think.

Tesco, however, want the pyjama perpetrators to care about the opinions of their fellow shoppers, and have laid down the law accordingly. A new sign outside a store in St Mellons, Cardiff reads: ‘Footwear must be worn at all times and strictly no nightwear is permitted.’

The first shopper to be refused service on the basis of unacceptable attire was Elaine Carmody, a 24-year-old mum of two. Since the incident Carmody has been quoted, re-quoted and probably misquoted in reports which paint her as Waynetta Slob II.

It stinks of snobbery to many. This is a woman getting on with her shopping in her look of choice. If Tesco want us to shop at all hours of the day and night to keep their profit margins high, they need to accept nightwear as well as daywear. Who are they to tell us what to wear? Talk about Tescopoly.

Still, the fact remains that shopping in your pyjamas is somewhat lacking in manners. Social etiquette exists predominantly for the benefit of others and it’s this customer courtesy that's behind Tesco's new rules. It’s not even a question of social standing, as respectability matters for any class.

A spokesperson for Tesco said: “We're not a nightclub with a strict dress code, and jeans and trainers are of course more than welcome. We do, however, request that customers do not shop in their PJs or nightgowns. This is to avoid causing offence or embarrassment to others.”

On the other hand, fashion has allowed nightwear-as-daywear to become more acceptable over the years. Anyone who has visited Sainsbury’s in Fallowfield will have witnessed students shopping in pyjama look-a-like outfits and outdoor slippers, AKA Ugg boots. Is this any more civilised?

The backlash from the ban has resulted in Tesco being branded a sexist, classist, kill joy hypocrite. Others believe that by taking a stand against slobby shopping, Tesco are just saying what many of us are thinking.

Some think that pyjama-wearing in public represents other problems in Britain. It might be absurd but by banning it in their stores, Tesco really is proving that every little helps.

What do you think? Should PJs be banned from supermarkets?