Hybrid Bicycles - How important is standover height?

Hi, my wife just bought a bike from a large national bike chain which was recommended a few times to us. She rode a few different bikes around, thought they had sized her correctly, chose one, and brought it home. After riding it this weekend she says she feels like it is too large. She can only stand over the top tube on her toes. I was flipping through the manual, and Fuji recommends 2" of clearance on a hybrid. I asked her how the shop sized her and she said the guy had her stand next to one and said that looks about right. She's about 5'5" with a 29"ish inseam. The bike is a 17". I thought I might keep the 17", and order her a 15", the next size Fuji makes down, but have 2 concerns. One is that the 17" on me painfully fails the "stand flat footed on the ground and bounce on heals vigorously test", and Two, that the top tube length will be too short on a 15" for her.

I'm less than satisfied with the service from this store, from her initial sizing and purchase, to our visit yesterday to have her sized again. They only had step-throughs smaller than 17", and the guy then tried to sell us a road bike!

Any tips or advice is appreciated. Thanks.

My advice is to take the bike back and ask for a refund or at least another, smaller, bike. Imagine how it would feel if your wife, for what ever reason had to leave her seat and forgot to stand on her toes, ouch. 2 inches may not be necessary, but I'd suggest at least an inch.

Take it back.
When you buy from a real bike shop you will be fitted to the bike before you get it out of the store.

yup you need 1 inch as you stand flat on the ground.

Thanks for the replies folks. We ordered a smaller bike for my wife since the shop didn't have any the right size in the store. She's chompin at the bit to get out and ride, so I hope it shows up soon. I intend to go i with her to get it, to make sure she is properly fitted this time. If they just try to shoo us out the door we'll return both bikes and take our money elsewhere.

Fwiw, I, too, have been disappointed in the level of service at the two bike shops I've visited. They don't seem very interested in helping me find a bike. I hope your experience ends well!

Take it back.
When you buy from a real bike shop you will be fitted to the bike before you get it out of the store.

Oh yeah, those LBS's really work hard to fit you right on a bike ... NOT. Before I knew what I was doing I got improperly fitted on two bikes by my LBS. Part of the problem is that I was looking for lower end entry level bike and they didn't care really too much. It wasn't until I went to one of those national chain bike shops that I got fitted properly. I realize that many LBS's do take the time no matter what bike you're looking for but it certainly isn't a categorical fact.

To answer the OP, you want at least some clearance with your feet flat to the ground but the 1 or 2 inch rules can be taken with a grain of salt based on whatever your build is. I have very short legs and a very long torso so I need a pretty snug fit in order to get a frame that feels good horizontally. However, there should be no contact with your feet flat on the ground.

I just bought a CrossTrail and the place I got it from did not have a medium frame only a large in stock. When I stand over it I just touch the frame but everything else seems good. My arms have a slight bend in them and my legs seem right when I pedal but I am no expert I am just starting out. To me the bike feels good but I have not taken it on a long ride because I am not sure if I should keep it but cause I do not have any clearance. So I am looking for some help on deciding if I should keep it or take it back and order a medium sized frame.

Thanks for your help, Mike