Thank you VERY much (Warning..gross)

[Marmalady]

At our store, we have a wheelchair that customers can borrow. Just a basic one, with a soft seat, the whole thing folds up so it's easier to store when not being used.

Usually, when the customer using the chair is back in their chair, their carer or companion will return it to Customer Services. However, yesterday a CW (G) was outside getting a cart when she saw the wheelchair folded up and leaning against the wall by the front door.

She thought 'Oh great, someone couldn't be bothered to wheel it back a few feet indoors' or something along those lines... you know, the kind of thing we mutter to ourselves all the while at work. But that was all she thought - until she opened up the chair to wheel it in......The chair user had obviously had a massive 'accident', there was liquid faeces all over the seat.. and they had just folded it up and left it for us to find.

There was no way G was taking it inside the store, so she dragged it round to the back, told the manager and then went to scrub her hands for about half an hour. I don't know what's going to happen to the chair, we've all flatly refused to go near it.

[MournBlade]

Lovely leaving a biohazard for others to find.
They could have at least called the store blocking their phone number and given a heads up - I know I would have been horrified.
Such things have happened to me but I do clean up after myself even in public places as horrible and undignified as that is...

[Marmalady]

*nods* Like I said to Myt, it wasn't the fact they'd had an accident that was annoying - not wonderful, no, but these things do happen sometimes - but to just fold it up and leave it and not say anything.....

[Seshat]

If you have a shower stall in the shop - even an emergency shower in case of someone getting a nasty spill of drano on their skin - put it in the shower and hose it down thoroughly. (and facing away from anyone!)

Then you can go at it with the biohazard gear. You'll need to let it dry thoroughly and re-oil all the lubricant surfaces and so forth; cause of getting it all wet. But at least the initial rinse will get rid of most of the smell and sight.

[TheSHAD0W]

I wouldn't bring it inside. Hose it down outside, then spray with bleach.

[PepperElf]

you know... that right there is a good marketing tactic to sell personal motorized carts...


with your own you won't have to worry about other customers farting, peeing, or pooping on them.

[Bright_Star]

Too many people say "Oh, we'll let the employees take care of that. It's THEIR job, not mine!" BUT I don't know anybody working in retail who wants to clean up a hidden shitty mess. Not only is that a bio-hazard but it's also shows a great lack of respect. What's so hard about telling the store they had an accident?

[Bright_Star]

I wouldn't bring it inside. Hose it down outside, then spray with bleach.

...& then set the damn thing on fire...LOL!

[Food Lady]

It has to be so embarrassing, though that doesn't excuse them from saying something. I'm sorry that some of you have to go through that. Bodies just can't always be relied on, which makes me sad.

[Marmalady]

It is sad, yes, and we all agreed that we weren't peeved at the wheelchair user, who after all might not have been able to tell us for themselves what had happened, but at whoever was with them.. if they had just said quietly to one of us 'I'm afraid there's been a bit of a mishap, I'm sorry, I left the chair outside rather than bring it back in...'
It's not as if we would have shouted at them or anything - maybe they thought we would charge them for the cleaning?

[It shouldn't]

All I can think is .....

They had better covered their car seat with multiple trashbags for the car ride home.

Ewwww Ewwwww Ewwwww.....................

[Pixilated]

I wouldn't bring it inside. Hose it down outside, then spray with bleach.

I'd definitely use a high-pressure hose on it first. For about two hours. It's a shame you don't know who did it; I'd be tempted to refuse to let them use the thing ever again ... not because of the accident but because they didn't have the courtesy to let you know. Can you imagine if another customer had grabbed the chair for their elderly granny and unfolded it??

...& then set the damn thing on fire...LOL!

An even better idea, LOL.