Stores With "No Public Bathroom"

[MIGrandma]

My daughter-in-law is a postal worker, delivering mail in the rural area. There is a party/convenience type store on one of her regular routes where she delivers their mail. She gets out of her car and takes it in and gives it to the person manning the cash register. Occasionally she'll make a purchase (bottle of water, something for her lunch, etc.) there. Recently she had delivered their mail, picked up a couple things to purchase and put them down on the counter and then asked if she could please use the restroom while she was there. The clerk said no, "no public bathroom." Really? She delivers your mail and you refuse her the use of your restroom? She walked out without making her purchase and hasn't purchased anything there since.

The other day I was at the vet's office with my cat. Noticed a new sign on the door "no public bathroom." There was a woman waiting, with her dog, and two small children (maybe 2-3 years old). What if one of the children needed to use the restroom? Small children like that can't "hold it" for very long. Would the staff tell her no?

So, my question is, do you think small stores, places of business, etc. should be able to tell paying customers that they can't use their restroom? I think a paying customer should be allowed to use it.

All restaurants have public restrooms, large department stores have them, stores in malls have them, even the library and grocery stores have them. What makes smaller stores so different that they feel they can refuse their bathroom to their paying customers?

 

[phorsenuf]

My daughter-in-law is a postal worker, delivering mail in the rural area. There is a party/convenience type store on one of her regular routes where she delivers their mail. She gets out of her car and takes it in and gives it to the person manning the cash register. Occasionally she'll make a purchase (bottle of water, something for her lunch, etc.) there. Recently she had delivered their mail, picked up a couple things to purchase and put them down on the counter and then asked if she could please use the restroom while she was there. The clerk said no, "no public bathroom." Really? She delivers your mail and you refuse her the use of your restroom? She walked out without making her purchase and hasn't purchased anything there since.

The other day I was at the vet's office with my cat. Noticed a new sign on the door "no public bathroom." There was a woman waiting, with her dog, and two small children (maybe 2-3 years old). What if one of the children needed to use the restroom? Small children like that can't "hold it" for very long. Would the staff tell her no?

So, my question is, do you think small stores, places of business, etc. should be able to tell paying customers that they can't use their restroom? I think a paying customer should be allowed to use it.

All restaurants have public restrooms, large department stores have them, stores in malls have them, even the library and grocery stores have them. What makes smaller stores so different that they feel they can refuse their bathroom to their paying customers?

Eh, their store, their rules. Maybe they don't want to deal with cleaning up after them. Some people, especially kids can be quite messy. Plus there's that whole hover mentality. Besides, there's always bushes.

 

[BadPinkTink]

simple answer... money. The store will have to
1. build a separate restroom with public access or renovate existing restroom for public access
2. Pay for the water usage which will be more than when just staff are using the restroom
3. Pay for restroom supplies, toilet paper, soap, drying facilities
4. There may be insurance or other costs associated
5. Staff costs due to extra work involved in maintaining the restroom

Put simply a small convenience store may not have the money to provide a public restroom.

 

[Allison]

• Yes,they should be allowed to not have a public restroom. Having a public restroom is a lot different than a restroom in an area accessible to employees. They aren't going to necessarily be set up to accommodate the public and that is fine by me.

 

[wvjules]

Your DIL shouldn't be doing personal shopping while she is working.

As for the bathrooms, their store their rules.

 

[Luvchefmic]

I live in a pretty rural area, no public bathrooms anywhere either. I'll bet if I needed one when I was in our little post office here I would be told no public bathrooms. Sorry OP the world has changed. My biggest problem is rarely do gas stations have air hoses around here anymore.

 

[Happy Snowman]

Restaurants do not have "public bathrooms". They have bathrooms for their patrons. I agree, stores are not required to have bathrooms for people walking in off the street. There is a cost associated with having a bathroom for general use and quite frankly, too many people are pigs and keeping a restroom clean for public use is just too much work.

 

[SLP958]

There are a few stores in my area with no public bathrooms.

If it is me who needs to use the bathroom I have no issue with leaving and coming back.

I have asked for my kids to use the bathroom at our vet who does not have a public restroom. They let us with no issue.

 

[firecracker725]

Ha! You should come to Europe some time. Hardly any stores, or even restaurants have public bathrooms. I have small children, and we have learned to go before we leave the house and dehydrate ourselves to avoid going to the public pay toilets (absolutely disgusting) that only the homeless are brave enough to use.

 

[SLP958]

I wouldn't think buying water or lunch food would be frowned upon as doing personal shopping at work.

Geez people.

 

[slo]

I owned my own retail store for 5 years and I did not have a public bathroom.
The plumbing was in the back, which was in my backroom and behind my office.
For insurance reasons, the public was not allowed back there for anything.
If I did allow someone back there, then I would have to be back there with them, and that would leave the front of my store unattended.
My customers were always understanding, and I never had a complaint or a loss of sale over it.

 

[handinpocket]

Your DIL shouldn't be doing personal shopping while she is working.

As for the bathrooms, their store their rules.

What a catty, rude thing to say. Most likely her DIL was on her lunch break or got out to use the restroom. I'm sure the post office doesn't mind if their workers buy themselves a snack or drink at a gas station. Sheesh.

 

[Chaoster]

Your DIL shouldn't be doing personal shopping while she is working.

As for the bathrooms, their store their rules.

Why not? We are entitled to Two 10 minute breaks and 30 minutes for lunch and a 10 minute wash up.

 

[Mizzoufan]

I hate stores that don't have public restrooms esp when my kids were younger.

 

[firecracker725]

Your DIL shouldn't be doing personal shopping while she is working.

As for the bathrooms, their store their rules.

Good grief. You'd begrudge a mail carrier a bottle of water?

 

[mjkacmom]

There was a chain photography studio at a huge mall that didn't have a public restroom. Between having appointments run late, and kids not cooperating, you could be there a while. Plus, most of the people in the studio were young children. What a PITA it was to have to leave and go to one of the mall bathrooms, taking all of the kids. All of the maternity clothing stores had restrooms, and kids clothing stores.

 

[mommasita]

I used to own a convenience store, and our washroom was downstairs.. To use it you walked by almost all of our stock... So like Slo said, it would require someone to accompany you, thus leaving the possibility of theft up front, if not by the person using the washroom... If you ever owned a convenience store, theft is your #1 enemy. You can't trust anyone..

I had to put a sign be back in five minutes when I had to use it... I wasn't doing that for anyone besides me.

 

[MIGrandma]

I wouldn't think buying water or lunch food would be frowned upon as doing personal shopping at work.

Geez people.

What a catty, rude thing to say. Most likely her DIL was on her lunch break or got out to use the restroom. I'm sure the post office doesn't mind if their workers buy themselves a snack or drink at a gas station. Sheesh.

Why not? We are entitled to Two 10 minute breaks and 30 minutes for lunch and a 10 minute wash up.

Exactly.

I hate stores that don't have public restrooms esp when my kids were younger.

Me too. I mean, I understand a small store or business wouldn't want every single customer to use the restroom, but for my DIL bathrooms are "few and far between" on her mail route and to be told she couldn't use the restroom IMO was ridiculous.

Good grief. You'd begrudge a mail carrier a bottle of water?

 

[SandiR]

I think stores should be able to make their own rules, but I definitely appreciate the ones that offer a bathroom when I'm in need.

New York City is the WORST with that. Very few stores with public bathrooms and no wooded areas...

 

[Hrhpd]

My daughter-in-law is a postal worker, delivering mail in the rural area. There is a party/convenience type store on one of her regular routes where she delivers their mail. She gets out of her car and takes it in and gives it to the person manning the cash register. Occasionally she'll make a purchase (bottle of water, something for her lunch, etc.) there. Recently she had delivered their mail, picked up a couple things to purchase and put them down on the counter and then asked if she could please use the restroom while she was there. The clerk said no, "no public bathroom." Really? She delivers your mail and you refuse her the use of your restroom? She walked out without making her purchase and hasn't purchased anything there since.

The other day I was at the vet's office with my cat. Noticed a new sign on the door "no public bathroom." There was a woman waiting, with her dog, and two small children (maybe 2-3 years old). What if one of the children needed to use the restroom? Small children like that can't "hold it" for very long. Would the staff tell her no?

So, my question is, do you think small stores, places of business, etc. should be able to tell paying customers that they can't use their restroom? I think a paying customer should be allowed to use it.

All restaurants have public restrooms, large department stores have them, stores in malls have them, even the library and grocery stores have them. What makes smaller stores so different that they feel they can refuse their bathroom to their paying customers?

Postal workers and Bathrooms? Oh, OP, I am cringing for you right now.

Anyway, no, I do not think a store has to provide a bathroom to any customer. That is not their business. Their business is to sell merchandise. Their business model does not have to include cleaning up after them in a bathroom.

Except for the anchor department stores, there is not a store in any of our malls that provides a bathroom. They all tell you to go use the public restrooms located in the mall.

Restaurants are the only ones actually required to have a bathroom for sanitary reasons. Grocery stores may be the same as they handle food.

If the mom is worried about her children needing to go during the vet visit, she has the choice to get a babysitter. There is no way I would be bringing toddlers to a vet office. What if they wander around the waiting room while you are busy with your dog and get bit?