I always bring them on with my skate guards. Regardless of the fact all the skates go on a carpet, I don't want to drop them on my way out the door. As do I, in fact, I hand them my skates WITH the soakers on so they get the idea. Though for some reason whenever I leave my skates to be sharpened and come back to pick them up, they leave my skates on the ground with the soakers placed inside the skates...Granted the floor has carpet, I'd still prefer they put the soakers back on...Oh well, what can you do. We ask customers to hold onto their soakers. This way we cannot lose them. When things get hectic in the service room with 45 minute back-ups (or more)on sharpenings on week-ends, it is too easy to misplace soakers. Your shop is probably stuffing them in the boots so they don't come off and never get matched up to your skates. gotta say that I have never had this concern.. with all the damage I do to my skate blades playing I have never had concern about how they were put down on a carpeted table.. seems anal tbh