More Bathroom Woes... *some language*

[seeress_83]

Okay, the public restroom where I work has been out of order for, oh, 8 months or so?

But that's no excuse.

I understand that it is absolutely ridiculous that the owner has not fixed the restroom. But you see me? I am not the owner. I have no authority. Yelling at ME is not going to get the bathroom fixed any faster.

So today I apparently really pissed some old guy off, and it went something like this:

OG - Yeah, the old guy.
LWK - Lady with Kid
M - Me

LWK is paying for her cigarettes, OG throws open the door (which has a sign on it stating that the bathroom is out of order).

OG: Where's your bathroom?
M: It's out of order.
OG: WELL WHAT DO YOU DO UP HERE FOR 8 HOURS?!
M: Our employee restroom barely works.
OG: Well she's really got to pee.
M: Our restroom is out of order.
OG: I've been to three places in this town, is there anywhere around here that has a restroom?
M: I'm sorry, but ours really is out of order. The field lines are over 25 years old, and they're clogged and collapsing, and our toilets just <i>will not</i> flush.
OG: WELL GOD DAMN!
LWK: Hey, I've got a kid in here!
OG: I DON'T GIVE A FUCK ABOUT YOUR KID! *Storms out*

I mean, honestly. It's not my fault. I SO wish they would fix the restroom, because I'm sick of catching hell about it. People think they're being cute when they start saying things about how I should just go fix it, but when you hear it about a hundred times a day, it stops being amusing, and you can't HELP but roll your eyes at people, especially since there is a sign above my head that says "Please do not hassle the cashiers about the restroom, it's not their fault it doesn't work."

Some days, I really hate people.

[Andara Bledin]

So, are you a place that's supposed to have a publice restroom, ie a place that sells prepared food, isn't old enough to be exempt, and isn't in a strip mall making it exempt?

I'm just wondering if your boss would get on the repairs a bit faster if the alternative is a big fat fine.

^-.-^

[seeress_83]

We're a gas station that's been there for around 25 years. So we don't serve prepared food, and I don't think gas stations are required to have public restrooms, but it IS required that they have an employee restroom. And I don't think he's worried about fines, the man's got more money than God. And his dad's a lawyer so he could probably find a loophole and get out of it anyway.

[BookstoreEscapee]

Is there any kind of health issue associated with the state of your bathrooms that an anonymous call to the health department might be able to remedy? If the water is shut off and the place is reasonably clean, though, they probably can't do anything.

[seeress_83]

It's clean, we always kept it clean before it screwed up, we had lots of people comment on how clean it was for a convenience store bathroom.

Basically, so long as our employee restroom is working (no matter how sluggish it may be) there's nothing that can be done.

My personal theory is that Mr. Bossman is waiting until his 5-year lease runs out in July before he sinks any money into the site. If the lease runs out and he can't buy the place, then he's basically lost that money. (See, the man I USED to work for was sick, and sold the inventory but not the premesis. He passed away shortly afterwards, and his wife moved to Florida. Most likely, she'll sell if my Boss makes an offer)

[SuperB]

We have a septic system and there are plenty of times in the winter when it stops flushing simply because the system can't handle flush after flush after flush on a busy weekend. It usually takes a good hour or more to get back to working and people get pissed. But it's not something that can be fixed. It's just is the way it is.
Instead of inquiring across the street at the only other business in the area, they rant and rave, insist on using the apartment bathroom and pull the "well where do you go?" bit while in my face.
I usually get as much in their face as they and tell them if I have maybe one flush in an hour plus period I'm sure and hell not sharing it with a hundred other customers when we have 4 people who are working here plus an apartment that is also affected by the system.

[seeress_83]

Oh, ours can be fixed. The field lines are buggered, because they're so old. Solution? Dig them up and replace them. Then the septic tank would drain properly and the toilets would be groovy again.

But it costs about $1100 to do that, and my boss doesn't wanna spend it.

Sounds like that could be your problem, too, or maybe yours just needs emptying?

[Jacen]

LWK: Hey, I've got a kid in here!
OG: I DON'T GIVE A FUCK ABOUT YOUR KID! *Storms out*

I would have *cough* looked the other way if she wanted to beat him up over that :P

[Andara Bledin]

My personal theory is that Mr. Bossman is waiting until his 5-year lease runs out in July before he sinks any money into the site.

Wait. If you have a lease, is it possible that this is something that the building owner might be responsible for?

^-.-^

[hotelnpa]

Well if I really had to go to the restroom and try to hold it in for a long time and couldn't find a restroom, I would be cranky too. But I would not yell at the clerk because of an out of order restroom.

It must be dreadful to work at a place, especially a gas station, where the public restroom doesn't work. That's a place people expect one to be, especially if your driving in a rural area and there's only a couple for several miles.

Curious to know where Section, AL is, I looked on a map and it seems like Section is not exactly in the boonies though. There seems to be some populated small towns about 10 minutes in each direction, where I'm sure there are more choices.

[Andara Bledin]

Funny story about non-working restrooms...

Nekojin & I went out for the afternoon sometime last month, but we left the apartment late and missed the bus, so we decided to stop for a bit of food at the little hole-in-the-wall place near the corner.

We order our food and Nekojin asks to use their restroom. It's not working. So he goes across the street to the 7/11. Theirs isn't working. So he crosses the other street to the AM/PM. Thankfully, their works, because the fourth corner is a condo complex, and I don't think the people there would have apprciated him asking to use their bathrooms.

^-.-^

[seeress_83]

is it possible that this is something that the building owner might be responsible for?

Nope, I talked to her personally myself last time she was in town, and let her know what was going on, apparently the terms of my boss's lease make HIM the responsible party. I mean, on one hand, if he IS waiting on the lease to run out, there's a perverse logic to that, but on the other hand, causing your employees emotional distress because they have to get cussed at by customers? Not cool. Especially when one of those employees is me and I want to stab people in the head anyway

[Nekojin]

Funny story about non-working restrooms...

Nekojin & I went out for the afternoon sometime last month, but we left the apartment late and missed the bus, so we decided to stop for a bit of food at the little hole-in-the-wall place near the corner.

We order our food and Nekojin asks to use their restroom. It's not working. So he goes across the street to the 7/11. Theirs isn't working. So he crosses the other street to the AM/PM. Thankfully, their works, because the fourth corner is a condo complex, and I don't think the people there would have apprciated him asking to use their bathrooms.

What was worse about this is that the 7/11 was brand-new - they've been open for only around 6 months, tops. You'd think that keeping their story sparkly-new-shiny for as long as possible!