What part of "No public washroom" don't you get???

[CrazedClerk]

I work in a small store. We have a single washroom in the back that also serves as a secondary stock room. Customers are not allowed to use the washroom, it's simple. It's for employees only.

Several times now I've had parents come in with their kid who urgently needs to go, pleading with me to let him or her use the facilities. Honestly I wish I could, but store policy insists that I can't. I've had people get visibly angry with me over this.

A guy inquired about the washroom yesterday, after informing him we didn't have a public washroom, he replied "Oh come on, I'll buy something."



Common sense people, you want a washroom? Go to McDonald's or Walmart or a Gas station, just not to my store.

[0oAmericanGirl]

It's not the fact that they don't understand "no public washroom", it's the fact that they're not just anyone, so it dosen't apply to them.

[Dark Psion]

I remember the guy who asked if I had a bathroom in my greenhouse.

I said no, it's in the store and he said "Oh, inside there?"

[batmoody]

I wish we had a seperate bathroom for customers. Its just nasty what they will do to a bathroom. I'm sure we all have great experiences with that!

[One-Fang]

Don't tell them you don't have a "public bathroom". It's like flashing a neon sign in front of them that says "Try to get in our employee only bathroom - go on". Just say you don't have a bathroom at all.

After all, you don't. You just have a stockroom with a loo in it.

[stickycoins]

Got a sign on the door.....NO PUBLIC RESTROOM. Of course we all know they don't read signs. Our potty is behind the counter and there is no way anybody but owner/employee/cop/repairman is getting back there(unless you came to rob me, which has happened twice now since July). Oh, the dances and pleadings I have seen.

[ArenaBoy]

My job is outside, you wouldn't believe how many people ask us about restrooms only for them to get pissed about it. One guy just started yelling at me and even called me names. They will never learn.

[Kelly Lynne]

Maybe one way to reduce the agony would be to know of the nearest place that has a public restroom and direct people there. "Sorry, we don't have one, but the Wawa/McDonalds/Sheetz right across the street there does."

I also agree with saying that there's "no restroom" rather than "no public restroom." Because I've been places where the employees were nice and let me use the employee restroom when I really have to go. These people might have too (or they just expect to get their way because they're SCs). The only downside to that line is that you might get the question, "How can you possibly not have a restroom? What do employees use, then?" and I have no clue how you'd answer that one (at least, how you'd answer it with a straight face and not get in trouble--I can think of lots of sarcastic answers).

[Crafty1289]

If a customer comes in with a kid who desperately needs to go, we will let them use the employee toilet. Its technically not allowed, but we allow it out of the goodness of our hearts.

[friendofjimmyk]

I'd only get leary if they ask for a role of the "soft stuff" and a magazine from back behind the counter.

[LIW]

I worked in a place that didn't have a bathroom. It was a place that sold surplus building materials. In the middle of nowhere. Luckily, the guy who owned it his house was right there and we workers were allowed to use his bathroom. People would look at us real weird when we said we didn't have a bathroom. A lot of the men would just go around the side or back of the building. We didn't care. Now the owner has a porta john there.

Now my thought on the matter is, if a place tells you they don't have a restroom-arguing with them is taking up valuable time that you could be looking for a bathroom.

One time, we were going somewhere, and my husband stopped at a gas station, and the woman told me they had no public restroom. I have a bladder problem, but I just went back to the car, and managed to wait til we got to the next town where there was a McD's.

[Thrifty]

Just say you don't have a bathroom at all.

That's what I would say to our customer's and then I would get a smart ass comment along the lines of "oohhh so you don't go to the bathroom either hmm" I just said yup I go to the 7-11 next door that has a public restroom. Hehe

[Becks]

I worked at a place that didn't have a bathroom available to the public. Hell, it was such a pain in the ass to get to, even the employees had a hard time getting to it (if I remember correctly...). I was told to tell customers who asked if they could use the bathroom, "Sorry, but it is unsafe back there. Employees only. Please try next door at (retail store) or (the grocery store next to that)."

Worked like a charm.

[Lace Neil Singer]

Had that at the garden centre, not cuz we didn't have a customer loo, but cuz the customer loo was outside. We had loads of people coming in, going to the tills and saying, "Where's the customer loo?" "Outside," we'd reply. "In the carpark." "I'm not using an outside loo!!" says customer, puffed with indignation. FFS, we're not talking a shack with a hole in the seat here, this is a proper toilet block with clean facilities. Some of the staff ie the outside staff used the customer loos rather than go all the way thru the outside part and into the shop, and had no complaints about them. It's just the idiot customers who thought that "outside loo" was synonious with "complete cess pit craphole loo."

[Greenday]

I hate having people come into my store asking if they can use our bathroom. It's gotten so bad that the strip of stores we are part of all have signs at the entrances saying no public restrooms. Even still, we have morons coming in asking to use the bathroom. Look, unless you are a cop, paramedic, or firefighter, and you aren't on the job, you aren't getting into our bathroom.