Please don't ruin it for everyone - bathrooms in stores

amother

Ivory

Thu, Oct 11 2018, 3:24 pm

I manage a store in a busy Jewish neighborhood. When we were designing our store one of our main points was to have a bathroom accessible to our customers. We knew a lot of our shoppers would have little kids with them and we've all been in the situation where our child needs a bathroom NOW.

So many people leave the bathroom disgusting. We have all types of cleansers and paper towels in the bathroom. If you're kids sprays the seat or the whole floor, please, please clean up after them. Even worse is if they get number two all over the place. If they smell up the room, please turn on the fan and use the convenient spray. We can't clean up after every customer and the bathroom is really horrible.

Unfortunately we didn't have the space to make two bathrooms, so our staff uses the same one as our customers. Lately they are asking me to make the bathroom off limits to customers. We put up a sign asking people to clean up after their kids and we are having a trial period to see how it plays out.

Please for the sake of everyone else, clean up after your kids! We want to let you use our bathroom, but it's up to you to make it possible.

amother

Emerald

Thu, Oct 11 2018, 3:58 pm

I believe it is illegal for a business open to the public to refuse the use of a bathroom to the public. I read in the WSJ about a person denied who sued a store and won the multi million dollar lawsuit. Just an FYI.
That said, I agree it is only right to clean up after yourself.

Jeanette

Thu, Oct 11 2018, 4:00 pm

I appreciate your effort to make your bathroom accessible to customers. I suggest writing those points up in short and hanging it on the bathroom door.

Also, it might seem obvious to you but not all customers realize they are welcome and in fact expected to use the cleaning supplies provided. So maybe a laminated sign (with pictures) inside the bathroom showing the cleaning supplies available.

amother

Chocolate

Thu, Oct 11 2018, 4:01 pm

There is a store that I like to go to just because they have a bathroom available to customers. I am their customer just because of the available bathroom. I do make sure to leave it clean and I also think that it is wrong to leave it dirty.

animeme

Thu, Oct 11 2018, 4:21 pm

Jeanette wrote:

Agreed. I would never use cleaning spray or turn on the fan in a public restroom without being told to/given permission. (I would make use of paper towels and hand soap instead.)

amother

Honeydew

Thu, Oct 11 2018, 4:24 pm

amother wrote:

What about a bank, btw? Once needed emergency bathroom, and bank (only place nearby) didn't let.

SixOfWands

Thu, Oct 11 2018, 4:29 pm

amother wrote:

I'm pretty sure that's untrue.

https://smallbusiness.chron.co......html

amother

Ivory

Thu, Oct 11 2018, 7:29 pm

It never occurred to me that people won't feel comfortable using our cleansers, that's a good point. I will make a new sign letting everyone know that they are there for their use.

Quote:

I will have to find out about the local laws. I know most of the nearby stores don't let customers use their bathrooms, I never thought about if it's legal.

amother

Cobalt

Thu, Oct 11 2018, 7:36 pm

FranticFrummie wrote:

I absolutely hate when I go into a bathroom and there is sprinkle all over the place. Mad

Ladies, if your little guy has to go, at least lift the lid!

Why do you assume it's the boys sprinkling?

I'm going to be honest. I will not sit down on a public toilet. Ever. Not matter how clean it might appear. I squat over the toilet and I also sometimes sprinkle. But 98% of the time I will clean up well after myself. (The 2% I don't is when you go into a place that already looks like a serious biohazard upon entry). Ditto for when I take my kids to the bathroom, boy and girls.

Notsobusy

Thu, Oct 11 2018, 7:38 pm

amother wrote:

If I use a public bathroom and the seat is dry I cover it with toilet paper so I don't make contact with the seat and also don't make a mess. If the seat is already sprinkled, then yes I squat and will not clean up. I won't clean someone else's mess.

Miri7

Thu, Oct 11 2018, 7:58 pm

amother wrote:

Like I said, if it is open to the public for business. Not a private company, I.e. a lawyer firm or whatnot. But a store or restaurant open to the public? Yes.

Depends on your local laws. In California, even restaurants are not required to have a bathroom accessible to customers, even though they have a staff bathroom. It's disgusting and awful. I think the state should AT LEAST require all restaurants to have hand-washing facilities and toilets.

teajoygreye

Fri, Oct 12 2018, 3:08 pm

amother wrote:

https://smallbusiness.chron.co......html

FranticFrummie

Sat, Oct 13 2018, 9:36 am

amother wrote:

If you are going to sprinkle, then at least put the seat up! The same rule applies for girls and boys. Don't leave your biohazard on the seat.

Some of us need to poop, you know. I've yet to figure out how to do that standing up. Mad

amother

Sapphire

Sat, Oct 13 2018, 11:25 am

amother wrote:

Like I said, if it is open to the public for business. Not a private company, I.e. a lawyer firm or whatnot. But a store or restaurant open to the public? Yes.

well, twice it happened I was at a lawyer's firm, and the lawyer kindly allowed me to use the bathroom.

It was very kind of the lawyer to remember that we are all human and thus have human needs, b'H.

But, I hold very strongly that when using a bathroom, even one's own, one should be decent and clean up if a mess occurred. It's only mentschlich.
And I am strict with it with my family members in the bathroom in our home too.

amother

Sapphire

Sat, Oct 13 2018, 11:52 am

Ruchel wrote:

It's not only men. Look at women toilets.

Ruchel, I love your your notice re your precious children and I really love the way you write it with such love and tenderness.

I noticed - you get a Mazel Tov; your youngest is 4 days old.
Hearty, warm, Mazel Tov. May you and yours have a lot of nachas from the precious new little one and all your sweet kids, ke'h.
And may Hashem Help you regain your strength quickly.