Bathroom user

[Laund-o-rama Mama]

Where I am, there's a lot of people coming in from the liquor store to use our bathrooms. I wrote a story about it recently. I can totally see why a company might prohibit non-customers from using the restroom. Like Eireann said, drugs and alcohol can be issues.

I do try not to embarrass people though.

[rageaholic]

I think the suck was on the employees there. It didn't sound like the customer did anything wrong except try to use the bathroom. Now granted, I wouldn't go to a restaurant just to use a bathroom (I'd try to find a store or gas station first), but not knowing the situation, there may not have been any other bathrooms. If I was that customer, I would not eat at the restaurant, let alone buy something just to go.

[Food Lady]

I used to have to do this all the time when I didn't have a car. So I can understand. I knew which buildings downtown had restrooms I could get to. Now, I use the facilities wherever I'm shopping or wait until I get home. (Every place I go now is less than five miles from home). I'm so glad I don't use public transportation anymore.

[Andara Bledin]

I think this is the sort of thing where you'd have to have been there to really have a good idea of which way this could/should have gone.

^-.-^

[Clover]

I worked at a little ice cream place once that had a 'for customer use only' bathroom, and we would not give out change unless they bought something. Well, we were right near a bus depot, so we had a lot of people coming in wanting change for the bus or to use our bathroom, but we didn't allow that because they'd had a lot of people go in, use the toilet and leave a huge mess in there or break things, then leave without paying for anything at all. Well, there was one guy who was evidently very problematic-a tall, lanky black guy who always smelled like smoke and didn't look like he had one pair of clean clothes or tube of toothpaste in his possession, ever. He usually came in during another girl's shift, and he would bully her into giving him the key to the bathroom, because he was huge-easily six feet tall-and looked like he probably wouldn't mind hurting someone.

Well, one day he came in during my shift and headed straight for the bathroom, which was locked, naturally. You'd think he'd learn after the first hundred times. He then turns around and comes to me-mind you, this was such a small ice cream store that only one person is there most of the time-no managers there, usually only one person up front at any time, and the security cameras-so I'm on my own. It may be worth noting here that I'm tiny-a little on the chubby side, but barely 5'2" or so, and I look a lot younger than I actually am-and this was a few years ago, so at the time I looked maybe thirteen years old, and that was being generous. Thus, this exchange took place:

SC: Give me the key.
Me: I'm sorry, you have to buy something first. We don't let non-customers use our bathroom.
SC: I dun care about THAT, gimme the key!
Me: Not unless you buy something.
SC: -leans over counter, getting into my personal space, shoving his face in mine with his horrible breath in my face- GIVE. ME. THE. KEY. NOW.

Now, it's worth noting here that I am a stickler for personal space. I tend to be timid most of the time when dealing with customers, and if they keep out of my personal space then they can usually walk all over me. However, once you invade my space and get uncomfortably close to me-I have issues. Deep issues. You do not get near me. Get close, and you've just grabbed a bull by the horns, and that bull is PISSED.

I gave him the most vicious glare I could muster (I once reduced a much older male cousin to nearly breaking into tears just by a look alone, I have cute puppy-dog brown eyes most of the time, but the women in my family can give a glare that would make a basilisk wet itself).

Me: I. Said. No. Get away from me, NOW.

He just stared for a moment, then finally left with much cursing. One of the other customers in the shop at the time said she was surprised the guy didn't try to snap me in half. I'm kind of surprised too, but meh. If he'd tried, he may have hurt me, sure, but I'm not exactly a weakling, having been raised wrestling goats and calves and horses, including being bucked around by the latter, I was a gold belt and that was before my leg injury-so I would've probably gotten a few good licks in, at least. Still, I am glad it didn't escalate, but he was a jerk. He didn't come back on any of my shifts after that, though.

[Flying Grype]

I would have yelled back "I'm just here to use your bathroom!"

Sorry. If I'm in a random restaurant washroom it's probably because I'm desperate. I may have IBS, I should talk to my doc about it, but I have some sort of problem. If I have to use a restaurant washroom, I usually take a glance at the menu on the way through so that it at least looks like I'm considering buying something. But if they deliberately pointed me out like that, I wouldn't stop and buy something from that person on the way out. :P

[PepperElf]

The ones who come in just to use the toilet and then mess it all up.

Then again in some places I've been to the paying customers are just as messy as the toilet-only ones.

The reason some people trash bathrooms isn't because they weren't paying customers but because... either they weren't raised right, or because they have the mentality that they don't have to clean up after themselves because 'it's the employee's job'.


and personally... I don't know about others but if I'm spending a lot of time browsing - say books, cds, good wines... I end up having to take a dump. i don't know why. ... but that's my gi tract for you, always has to bug me when I'm browsing.

[Mytical]

I've had some pretty long trips, and you have to go when you have to go. Now normally I will try to stop at someplace I am going to buy something from, but not always. If they say 'sorry you can't use the restroom' I go somewhere else. I don't even ask if they have an 'employee only' restroom.

[MoonCat]

Another thing.... A guy who finds that he needs to pee can go behind a building, a tree, or whatever. Unzip, pee, zip, you're done. It's not ideal but it's certainly an option sometimes. It's a lot harder for a woman to find an inconspicuous place to squat, not to mention when it's THAT time of the month we may have to change the rag RIGHT NOW. Obviously if we're talking about, ahem, solid waste, then either sex will want a decent bathroom.

But a paying customer is just as likely to mess up a restroom. I don't think it's much comfort to the employee who has to clean it up to think, "Well, at least he bought something." Still, I can see that there are going to be exceptions....like in those areas where they might be looking for a place to shoot up (I never saw if any of the restrooms around here use blue lights, but now I'll notice if they do).

[jedimaster91]

It isn't just the possibility of someone making a mess. More than one bathroom in this city (I was in one today) has blue light. Why? To keep people from shooting up. The blue light prevents you from finding your blue veins.

See, I'm not sure I buy that. It might work for hardcore junkies who have trashed their veins, but veins have a very distinctive feel to them. They're kinda spongy. In my line of work I've often stuck veins I could feel but not see,* so the color of the lighting really had no bearing on finding a viable IV site. Methinks someone is pulling a fast one.





*I've been known to close my eyes and go only by touch if I'm having trouble. But I do open my eyes when it comes time for the actual stick.