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

[RecoveringKinkoid]

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.

Yeah, I think I posted the story to what happened the last time I did this a Kinko's.

The short version is that either the kid or the dad vomited all over the place in the single-room bathroom. And left it.

[phillippbo]

In the area I live, genuinely having no public restroom is the bane of any employee's existence, and let me tell you why. Several years back, the city council in their infinite wisdom determined that any business open to the public must provide a public restroom. Because we all know that selling goods or services to the public means that we have to invite as much mess into our store as possible, and making said messes consist of bodily fluids is not just a good idea, it's now the law.

At any rate, the law was not absolute, and did provide for businesses built before the law took effect. Essentially, so long as the interior of the store was not renovated ("major renovations" as I recall), the business was grandfathered in and did not have to provide a public restroom (along with complete compliance with some of the fire codes that would require renovations, like making the emergency exit open outwards).

Got that? Good.

I happened to work in a convenience store which was originally built when Jesus walked the Earth, and had last been renovated when Sherman was doing his March to the Sea. As such, the only restroom was a tiny room, which was really barely more than a closet, in the corner of the back room where the public was not allowed, and we were grandfathered in under the new law. Just about every exchange would go something like this:

SC: Where's your bathroom?

Me: I'm sorry, we don't have a public restroom.

SC: Why not? It's the law you know...

Me: Actually, since the interior of this store has not been renovated in a long time, we are not obligated to provide a public restroom, but the Food Lion up the street has them.

SC: I'm going to report you to the City Council. They'll make you put one in...

Me: Please do. Is there anything else that you need?

Now, I'm not completely heartless. If it was someone with a small child, or someone who was obviously in distress, I'd bend the rule a bid if they seemed honest. Not very often, but sometimes I did. Sorry it was so long...

[DGoddessChardonnay]

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

And hope your ex g/f doesn't end up with a stiff in the john.

[Lace Neil Singer]

And hope your ex g/f doesn't end up with a stiff in the john.

That was what I was thinking when I read that.

[Tria]

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

No not that one.... That one. They got bigger titties in there!

[karma_gypsy]

We don't have public restroom either. I just point to across the street to the furniture place or a little bit further down the street to Dairy Queen. And yes, people do freak out on us for not have a 'public' restroom.

One guy even said, we'll, my wife used to work here . . . Just because she worked here 10 years ago, doesn't mean you're entitled to use our bathroom.

I told him, well, it's in a construction area, no one's really allowed back there (which it was. They're renovating the restaurant in the back, which are where the bathrooms are). He acted like he didn't believe me!!

Uhh, duh, that big ass half-complete wall over there wasn't there when you're wife worked here!! Go across the street like everyone else does . . .

[Reyneth]

A previous job in a photo lab (not like now, where we also have a portrait studio - and thus a "public" bathroom - kinda), was nice when we had these questions.

"No, sorry. Federal Law prohibits it, seeing as we store chemicals for the processing in the backroom. Nobody is allowed that hasn't been made aware of the risks." That stopped 'em.

[Morrigan]

Back when we were building our bigger, spiffier store, we were stoked to find out we were getting our very own washroom in the back. We would have been willing to share, but Exboss told us flat not to let customers back there; something about our insurance policy, we couldn't have customers wandering through the stockroom. We found it much easier to tell them there was no washroom rather than debate with them why ours wasn't open to the public.

...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).

My answer to that one was easy - you could clearly see the signs for the mall's public washrooms from my till. All I had to do was point.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

We kind of had the same problem. The loo was back behind the counter, past all sorts of machines, and right by the counter where finished customer's jobs were waiting to be quality checked. We could just say our lawyers didn't want non-employed persons behind the counter. Which wasn't entirely a lie.

It was great when the sink was broken in half back there. (yeah, you read that right. Customers suck. ) Big dangerous busted porcelain jagged thing back there provided a perfect excuse to tell customers they couldn't go back there.

There was a Wendy's next door. We told them to go there. I'm sure the Wendy's loved that.

My sister works in a law library, and got tired of bums filing in and out of there all the time using the bathroom. They do not have a public toilet, and since there was one a couple doors down, she didn't feel all that bad telling this guy to go the public one.

The guy dropped trou and crapped in the middle of the carpeted hallway.

[Kyree]

I used to work in a store at the Mall of America. Most of the stores in there dont have their own bathroom. I worked on the third floor in the corner...if any of us had to go to the bathroom, we'd have to walk down the hallway to Sears or whatever big department store we were closest to (Can't remember off the top of my head.), and across to the other side of that store, then down an escalator to get to the bathrooms.

[CrazedClerk]

I've thought about saying "no bathroom". Problem is the building I work in is very new (only open since April) and most people can probably figure out we do indeed have a bathroom, I'd hate to work in a place that didn't have one.

I used to work in an arcade and the only bathrooms we had access to there were the public ones the customers used as well. Oh what fun that was.

[Sofar]

My sister works in a law library, and got tired of bums filing in and out of there all the time using the bathroom.

I thought that was an odd way of putting it, until I realized by "bum" you meant "tramp."

[AFpheonix]

\ "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).

I suppose you could get a pail to keep behind the register that you could write "honey bucket" on and tie an air freshener to the handle....

[RecoveringKinkoid]

I thought that was an odd way of putting it, until I realized by "bum" you meant "tramp."

Yes, I meant street people. She works downtown in another city, and there are a lot of panhandlers and street people down there.

[batmoody]

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.

"We actually "go" before we leave the house."
or
"Depends, aisle 8 on the left"