"You should NOT be allowed a bathroom break!!"

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

I work in a small wireless store. Sometimes I am there by myself. In one of these circumstances, if I have to use the washroom, my only option is stick a "back in 2 minutes" sign on my door, lock it, and take care of business.

This is obviously because I don't want a customer in my store that contains over ten thousand of dollars worth of stock when I am not present and able to keep my eye on them.

So I do this today and when I am heading back to remove my sign and unlock the door, there's a man in a very nice suit standing there and fiddling with his PDA. Obviously a businessperson of some kind. So I open the door and this conversation ensues:

SC: What the hell do you think you are doing?

Me: Uh, excuse me?

SC: The sign on the door, you can't just close up your store in the middle of the day for no good reason.

Me: I did have a good reason sir, I needed to use the bathroom and I'm the only one working here.

SC: That's ridiculous, you should hold it until your shift is over or another employee is available to cover for you, it's not fair to inconvenience your paying customers like that.

Me: Sir if have to go the bathroom, I have to go, there's no two ways about it.

SC: That's an awfully selfish attitude. I'm a Regional sales manager for DEF corporation and I would never make a customer wait needlessly.

Me: It was not needless sir, I had to use the bathroom.

SC: You inconvenienced me. I am in hurry and do not appreciate being made to wait outside like that. I have a big meeting (yes those were his exact words) to get to and if I am late because of your incompetence I will be VERY upset. Do you have any idea how much money you might end up costing me?

Me: No sir and I don't really care.

SC: How DARE you talk to me like that! You better watch your mouth kid, I know a lot of powerful people, I could get this place shut down in a week.

(as I finish ringing up his charger)

Me: Anything else?

SC: What's the managers name?

Me: Cathy (not her real name), her business cards are right there.

SC: Your boss will be hearing about this, you should really take some customer service classes. If I treated people as poorly as you do, I would NEVER have gotten a job like this.

FINALLY he leaves.

Who in the hell stuck the rod up his butt? It was a TWO minute bathroom break. Thankfully my manager is a reasonable person and won't really give a shit what this guy has to say.

[Sheldonrs]

Would he have been happier if you pissed on his leg? What an idiot.

[depechemodefan]

Just wow. Two freakin' min. Probably less than 2 min. One of my co-workers decided to clock this one patron's bathroom run (the men's was the other side of the lobby) and I think it was less than a min. This was a guy who stayed from opening to closing.

If a bathroom break is so unimportant to this guy, I can imagine he's the type to take one of those portable things that truckers keep with them.

[CSR Kim]

I think this is a common sucky customer attitude, because I run into it a lot at my work too. I work in a kiosk in a mall, and the restroom is a just a little ways away. When you gotta go, well, you gotta go. Of course, I've come back to several different customers who seem so put out that they had to wait maybe five minutes. I've come back to, "Oh! There is someone here. I thought you'd closed!" (which makes no sense, as our merchandise is in the cases and the lights are on. Oh, and the WHOLE DAMN MALL IS STILL OPEN!) One time I came back and there was a lady at my counter. She says, "There you are! Did they call you?" I am super confused. "I'm sorry?" I say. She says, "I didn't see you here and I asked security if they could call you to find out where you're at." Me, seriously peeved, "I was in the restroom, and security doesn't have my cell phone number."

WTF?! I am entitled to bathroom breaks!!! IF I HAVE TO TAKE A FUCKING PISS I AM GOING TO GO! Next time, I'm going to tell the customer that if they have a problem they can take it up with my bladder.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

.

SC: That's an awfully selfish attitude. I'm a Regional sales manager for DEF corporation and I would never make a customer wait needlessly.

SC: How DARE you talk to me like that! You better watch your mouth kid, I know a lot of powerful people, I could get this place shut down in a week.

SC: Your boss will be hearing about this, you should really take some customer service classes. If I treated people as poorly as you do, I would NEVER have gotten a job like this.

Yeah, okay, whatever.

Rule of thumb, kiddoes: Anybody who claims to be some big shot/muckety-muck/important person/customer service guru while making a complaint is almost certainly lying.

And on the off chance he's telling the truth, he better be wearing Depends undergarments and keeping a supply of them everyplace he goes, so he doesn't have to run to the toilet when he's got clients. I'd hate for him to be a hypocrite in addition to an asshole.

[blas]

I feel for ya. I posted on here many times during my gas station stint about being the only one working and having to pee. I'd wait until no one was there and dash to the bathroom. Without fail, people would show up and get fussy.

Maybe they would have prefered it if I had a bucket behind the counter and dropped trou, sat down, and took a big old nasty deuce while waiting on them.

"Err....hold on Sir.....RAAAAAAHHH....ahhhh....ok...here's your change. Sorry about that, these fiber bars are really killing me."

[tropicsgoddess]

Would he have been happier if you pissed on his leg? What an idiot.

Or on his shoes. A small 2 minute bathroom break isn't the end of the world, but it was for Mr. Self-Important Asshat. Who took a shit in his Wheaties?

[iradney]

It's actually unhealthy to "hold it" as they say. You can damage your sphincter muscles, get a UTI (NOT FUN!) etc. Should've said to the customer "So you'd prefer that I damage my health to wait on you? Can I send YOU the hospital bills?"
Moron!

[Antisocial_Worker]

Maybe they would have prefered it if I had a bucket behind the counter and dropped trou, sat down, and took a big old nasty deuce while waiting on them.

"Err....hold on Sir.....RAAAAAAHHH....ahhhh....ok...here's your change. Sorry about that, these fiber bars are really killing me."

HAW haw haw...

I often wondered that myself when I'd come out of the bathroom at the hotel only to find someone glaring at me and slapping that wretched little bell on the counter.

Did you ever notice at the gas station that your bowels had the power to bring in customers from a three county radius? Could they sense when you had to go? They sure as hell could at the hotel. You could literally go for upwards of four hours without a single guest or phone call, but the moment your ass hit the pot, a *expletive* tour bus would pull up and the switchboard would start blinking like a Christmas tree with a short in the wire.

Trying to mop or eat your lunch will also cause everyone in the area to drop what they're doing and rush through the front doors, but nothing will do it better or faster than trying to use the bathroom.

[zigcat]

First of all SIR, I don't care HOW big of a corporation you CLAIM you work! When I gotta shake the weasel I'm damn well gonna shake it! I can either do it in the restroom or down your pant leg. It's your choice.

Second you can take your empty threats and shove 'em up yer ass!

Third, you should take some CUSTOMER classes! How would you like me to force you to hold your bladder til you were on the verge of exploding?

Whew.

Who was it that said: "I don't come to where YOU work and slap the dick out of YOUR mouth?"

[powerboy]

HAW haw haw...

I often wondered that myself when I'd come out of the bathroom at the hotel only to find someone glaring at me and slapping that wretched little bell on the counter.

Did you ever notice at the gas station that your bowels had the power to bring in customers from a three county radius? Could they sense when you had to go? They sure as hell could at the hotel. You could literally go for upwards of four hours without a single guest or phone call, but the moment your ass hit the pot, a *expletive* tour bus would pull up and the switchboard would start blinking like a Christmas tree with a short in the wire.

Trying to mop or eat your lunch will also cause everyone in the area to drop what they're doing and rush through the front doors, but nothing will do it better or faster than trying to use the bathroom.

I have experienced that everytime I am by myself. I actually had one person recently, who mentioned that it must be nice to take a brake whenever I wanted. Well damn, I had to take a piss. I, unlike you - do not hold my bladder until I get home

[smileyeagle1021]

HAW haw haw...

I often wondered that myself when I'd come out of the bathroom at the hotel only to find someone glaring at me and slapping that wretched little bell on the counter.

Did you ever notice at the gas station that your bowels had the power to bring in customers from a three county radius? Could they sense when you had to go? They sure as hell could at the hotel. You could literally go for upwards of four hours without a single guest or phone call, but the moment your ass hit the pot, a *expletive* tour bus would pull up and the switchboard would start blinking like a Christmas tree with a short in the wire.

Trying to mop or eat your lunch will also cause everyone in the area to drop what they're doing and rush through the front doors, but nothing will do it better or faster than trying to use the bathroom.

oh I get the same thing... though you missed trying to do paperwork... nothing brings people out like going through the credit card transactions to make sure they are all correct to bring in a rush of people... it's even worse if I have to go in the back off... without fail I will go in the back office to print off either a movie report or phone report and I'll have gotten to the 3rd of 9 keystrokes to print off the report and I'll hear the God forsaken noise of the bell, dingdingdingdingdingding
and come out to a guest glaring like they've been waiting for days on end for someone to pop out of the office.

I have experienced that everytime I am by myself. I actually had one person recently, who mentioned that it must be nice to take a brake whenever I wanted. Well damn, I had to take a piss. I, unlike you - do not hold my bladder until I get home

oh yes, those breaks any time we want... good joke. Though one thing I do like about my job, any time that I'm not helping a guest or working on reports is a break... this though is a double edged sword... it's good because if it's a slow shift I can have hours of paid break... or it could be bad because if it's busy then I get no break at all.

[Samaliel]

The perfect professionnal response would be : "[Store name] is very concerned with the health and well-being of their employees, therefore employees are entitled to heed to Nature's call as they see fit, while ensuring the safety of the store."

But the response they'd get from me would most likely be : "If I have to take a leak, I have to take a leak. Whether I take it in the bathroom or on your feet is up to you."

[Boozy]

I'm glad I'm not the only one! I work alone much of the time too, and I refuse to dehydrate myself or "hold it" just to prevent the minor inconvenience of making a customer wait 1 and a half minutes.

And that's literally how long it takes me to go. The bathroom is right around the corner.

Most people are good about it, and I try to time my bathroom breaks for slow times anyway. But I've had one or two people bitch about it. I figure, if you have time to buy a luxury item like wine, you have time to wait two minutes.

[Dreamstalker]

I feel for ya. I posted on here many times during my gas station stint about being the only one working and having to pee. I'd wait until no one was there and dash to the bathroom.

Same deal at the game store. Fortunately the restroom was about 20 feet away, it was obvious where I had gone and the majority of customers were cool with it. Come the Christmas rush I had already been kicked down to The Dungeon, but it became clear that at that time two people were definitely needed on the floor.

One week the boss was really sick and was basically running to the toilet every few minutes (why the hell are you even here?! Go home already, I can handle things until [coworker] shows up!). In a situation like that most people would be ecstatic if an employee offered to take over register duties, but no. When I did hop on to take care of the growing grumbling line I got yelled at.