system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: How do slip-resistant shoes work?

I work at a grocery store and we’re required to wear slip-resistant shoes. I thought it was a standard thing among any walking/running shoes so I just wore some cheap Nikes for a few weeks. Turns out (after slipping all over the place in the deli’s kitchen) that my shoes were not, in fact, slip-resistant. Got a few laughs and a note from my manager. 

I recently bought actual slip-resistant shoes and holy hell! It’s wild. I was able to mop up spills and not almost break an ankle. The bottoms of the new shoes vs the Nikes are clearly different, but I don’t see how it contributes to slip-resistance. If a surface is slippery, it’s slippery...so why am I not falling over in my new shoes? Is it a spray? The type of material? Witchcraft?
gpt
The sole is made of an especially soft and finely treaded rubber that allows more contact with the surface, increasing friction and grip between the two. 


Tread pattern is also a factor, slip resistant shoes might have deeper and more numerous treads that increase the surface area available to make contact with the ground.