No Bathroom is a Public Store???

[jfulle5]

I am beyond mad at this store. Back story is I use to work right next door to this boutique and have spent several thousands of dollars there over the years.
Friday morning they were having a giant sale (things that were normally $150 where around $8 and so forth.) I got there early but there were about 20 people in the store. I go through the racks, make my selects and get in line for the dressing room. I'm in the dressing room and mid-way through trying things on a get very very sick. (I'm on this new medicine that makes me violently ill if I get too hot, etc. it's not pleasant and I never know when it's going to happen) I stick my head out the door and ask if I can use their bathroom. The sales girl says "no, we dont have one." I said I'm really sick and I need one now, which she replies "Well if you really want one then you can go five doors down and use the restaurants bathroom (note this restaurant is NOT fast food of any kind) but if you do we have to take everything out of the room and let someone else use it and when you get back in line you have to go to the BACK of the line." Note here that they have 6 dressing rooms, it would not have killed them to hold one for two minutes to let me use the bathroom. I say fine, I finish trying on the thing i had on and then run out of the dressing room to the store I used to work at and use their bathroom. I get back to the store and get back in line. Once that is all over I get to the cashier line and again get sick and I have to get them hold my stuff long enough to go next door to use the bathroom again. If the prices weren't insanely low then I wouldnt have gone back, but I'll never go back again now.

My fiancee deals with health board licenses everyday and he said in our state it is illegal for a public store to not have a bathroom. He suggests I write or call the board of health and report them which I plan to do.

This isnt the first time that they have said to someone that they dont have a bathroom, they use to say it was broken and they would send people to use my old store's bathroom or some other store around them.  I do know for a fact that they have one.

The sales girl was being rude, right?  Any other suggestions for things I could do beyond reporting them?

[veryfluffy]

I would be very surprised if every store of any size is required to have a restroom for public use. They may have one for staff, but that is not necessarily available for the public to use. They are often out of the way, in back areas, for instance.

I can also see that, if there were a lot of people queuing for a dressing room, they would not be able to hold it for you. This would be very inconvenient for everyone else.

[EvilAlice]

I believe there are laws about places that serve food having public restrooms, but I don't think boutique type stores are required to.  Businesses like that have to make every square inch of space work for them and make them money.  It's a courtesy for large department stores to have them, but small places don't have that luxury.

Yes they have employee restrooms, but usually this is attached to the office where merchandise, bank records, and money are handled and stored.  They really can't afford to have the general public trooping through them.  The shoplifting issue alone is enough to discourage them from wanting to.

The clerk could have been more sympathetic but I don't see where there was much she could do for you.  I do sympathize, I've had those sudden "have to go NOW" times.  Once in a while a store employee has taken pity and allowed me to use their facilities, and I was very grateful.  But it's not something they are required to do.

[jfulle5]

- the vast masses werent asking for a bathroom.

-it was a problem when I worked next door that they would lie and tell people to go next door.

[Clara Bow]

The only explanation that I can think of is that they don't allow customers in the restroom due to a problem with shoplifters. As a former retail employee(read: victim) I can tell you that stores hemorrhage cash out the doors of restrooms.
Now if this clerk knew you well, I don't know why she would behave that way. Especially since you were sick. I'm tempted to say you should have come unfed on their floor, but that is definitely poor form.
I'd complain to the manager and if that doesn't get you some results then write or call the board of health.

[megswsu]

I would check your state laws to be sure before you write. I'm not sure what state you're in, but at least in CA I know not all stores have to have bathrooms. My husband runs an auto parts store, and they only have to have bathrooms for empolyees, not for the general public. And this is a pretty liberal state!

That being said, it's too bad the clerk wasn't more sympathetic. You may want to consider calling the store and complaining to the manager about the clerk's attitude towards your situation. At the bare minimum she could use some counseling on how to treat customers.

[EvilAlice]

- the vast masses werent asking for a bathroom.

Are you saying that you believe that you are the only person who has ever asked to use their restroom?  Even if that were the case, it doesn't negate a single thing that I said.  It is a risk for them to allow customers to use it, and probably spelled out in company policy.  It may even be a condition of their insurance.  There are liability issues as well as theft issues.  Also, I believe public restrooms must conform to ADA standards- which can be costly.

-it was a problem when I worked next door that they would lie and tell people to go next door.

I don't understand what you mean.  If they are telling people that there is no public restroom, that is not a lie.  The fact that they happened to point people to where you used to work is immaterial.

As I've said, I sympathize with the situation you found yourself in.  But you did ask a question about whether or not they were rude.  My opinion is that it is not rude of them to fail to make an exception for you. If you have already made up your mind that they were completely in the wrong and you were entitled to use their bathroom,  I'm not sure why you posed the question here. 

[kathrynne]

When I worked in a chain drugstore we BEGGED corporate to allow us to close the restrooms to the public. The theft issue alone was horrendous, but the worse issue had to do with the mess we'd find several times each week left by the people who opted to use our store's dumpster area as their home.

No, I'm not talking about messy hands or normal toiletry, here, I'm talking about such vile, disgusting things left on the floor that more than one employee quit rather than have to clean it up.

It took an early morning visit from a high mucky-muck with corporate, and first-hand experience of the "gifts" to get us permission to have locks put on the restrooms. At least from that point on nobody got to use the restrooms without the knowledge of an employee, and we never got another disgusting "gift"--at least, not INSIDE the store.

Frankly, if the law doesn't demand that you have public restrooms, I don't blame any establishment for not providing them. Could the store have treated you better? Quite possibly, but if their policy doesn't provide for this service you're pretty much SOL. Sorry, it had to be awful.

[jfulle5]

- the vast masses werent asking for a bathroom.

Are you saying that you believe that you are the only person who has ever asked to use their restroom?  Even if that were the case, it doesn't negate a single thing that I said.  It is a risk for them to allow customers to use it, and probably spelled out in company policy.  It may even be a condition of their insurance.  There are liability issues as well as theft issues.  Also, I believe public restrooms must conform to ADA standards- which can be costly.

-it was a problem when I worked next door that they would lie and tell people to go next door.

I don't understand what you mean.  If they are telling people that there is no public restroom, that is not a lie.  The fact that they happened to point people to where you used to work is immaterial.

As I've said, I sympathize with the situation you found yourself in.  But you did ask a question about whether or not they were rude.  My opinion is that it is not rude of them to fail to make an exception for you. If you have already made up your mind that they were completely in the wrong and you were entitled to use their bathroom,  I'm not sure why you posed the question here. 

To answer your first comment: of course I do not think I'm the first person to ever ask to use the bathroom. What kind of comment is that?

And to the second: They would lie and say they didnt have a bathroom at all. Period. What I was asking is if this has ever happened to anyone else and how I should handle it (file a complaint, etc.) or if I should just forget about it. Is that clearer now?

[Clara Bow]

Maybe they thought that by telling you that they did not have a bathroom you would go elsewhere to use the bathroom. I've been told that places did not have a bathroom before, or that they were not allowed to let the public use their bathroom.
However, I think that since you were ill an exception should have been made for you. You can't help being sick.
Is there any alternative med you can take? I can't imagine going around sick like that, I feel bad for you...

[VorFemme]

There is a difference between not having a bathroom and not having a public bathroom.

I have been in stores where customers had to go to a central area (smaller stores in a mall or strip mall) unless they were in a HUGE anchor store. 

I have been given permission to use the employee bathroom by management (two year old boy with me and I'd been shopping at that fabric store for three years).  I can't tell you how much money I spent in that store over the four years the first time we lived in that town and the eight years we lived there the second time (near a military base where DeHubby kept getting reassigned).

I've also seen a lot more stores putting up signs saying no food or drinks allowed in the store - as people will leave half empty drinks or fry containers in the worst spots...........

I worked retail in college.  There was one older customer - looking back I wonder if she had Alzheimers - who was notorious in the store for the outrageous stunts she pulled.  I would have never shown my face in that store again if any ONE of them had happened to me - she came in several times a week.............so she was either mentally ill or her memory was shot.

[kareng57]

- the vast masses werent asking for a bathroom.

Are you saying that you believe that you are the only person who has ever asked to use their restroom?  Even if that were the case, it doesn't negate a single thing that I said.  It is a risk for them to allow customers to use it, and probably spelled out in company policy.  It may even be a condition of their insurance.  There are liability issues as well as theft issues.  Also, I believe public restrooms must conform to ADA standards- which can be costly.

-it was a problem when I worked next door that they would lie and tell people to go next door.

I don't understand what you mean.  If they are telling people that there is no public restroom, that is not a lie.  The fact that they happened to point people to where you used to work is immaterial.

As I've said, I sympathize with the situation you found yourself in.  But you did ask a question about whether or not they were rude.  My opinion is that it is not rude of them to fail to make an exception for you. If you have already made up your mind that they were completely in the wrong and you were entitled to use their bathroom,  I'm not sure why you posed the question here. 

To answer your first comment: of course I do not think I'm the first person to ever ask to use the bathroom. What kind of comment is that?

And to the second: They would lie and say they didnt have a bathroom at all. Period. What I was asking is if this has ever happened to anyone else and how I should handle it (file a complaint, etc.) or if I should just forget about it. Is that clearer now?

Since you asked - I'd say forget about it, and don't file a complaint.  Your fiance could well be correct in that they must have a washroom for employee's use - but that does not mean that they are obligated to have a public washroom. As others have said, there could be safety, liability and security issues if they did. My guess is that they might have been instructed to fib and tell customers that there is no washroom on the premises because otherwise they'd be getting into verbal battles about why customers couldn't use the staff washroom.  Regarding your medical situation - if being hot causes you to have a reaction, is a crowded boutique the best place for you to be?  I certainly wouldn't think so, regardless of how attractive their sale was.

[jfulle5]

- the vast masses werent asking for a bathroom.

Are you saying that you believe that you are the only person who has ever asked to use their restroom?  Even if that were the case, it doesn't negate a single thing that I said.  It is a risk for them to allow customers to use it, and probably spelled out in company policy.  It may even be a condition of their insurance.  There are liability issues as well as theft issues.  Also, I believe public restrooms must conform to ADA standards- which can be costly.

-it was a problem when I worked next door that they would lie and tell people to go next door.

I don't understand what you mean.  If they are telling people that there is no public restroom, that is not a lie.  The fact that they happened to point people to where you used to work is immaterial.

As I've said, I sympathize with the situation you found yourself in.  But you did ask a question about whether or not they were rude.  My opinion is that it is not rude of them to fail to make an exception for you. If you have already made up your mind that they were completely in the wrong and you were entitled to use their bathroom,  I'm not sure why you posed the question here. 

To answer your first comment: of course I do not think I'm the first person to ever ask to use the bathroom. What kind of comment is that?

And to the second: They would lie and say they didnt have a bathroom at all. Period. What I was asking is if this has ever happened to anyone else and how I should handle it (file a complaint, etc.) or if I should just forget about it. Is that clearer now?

Since you asked - I'd say forget about it, and don't file a complaint.  Your fiance could well be correct in that they must have a washroom for employee's use - but that does not mean that they are obligated to have a public washroom. As others have said, there could be safety, liability and security issues if they did. My guess is that they might have been instructed to fib and tell customers that there is no washroom on the premises because otherwise they'd be getting into verbal battles about why customers couldn't use the staff washroom.  Regarding your medical situation - if being hot causes you to have a reaction, is a crowded boutique the best place for you to be?  I certainly wouldn't think so, regardless of how attractive their sale was.

I do think I know the best places for me. Using that theory then anywhere beyond my house would not be the "best place."  beyond saying they dont have a wash room they cut other corners also (no sprinkler system, blocking the back drive with boxes instead of bring them to the dumpster) and I've decided the place isnt worth my time anymore. I was thinking about writing a letter atleast...

[MineralDiva]

While it would have been nice of the clerk to point you to the staff restroom, particulary since you were feeling ill, she was not obligated to do so.  Nor was her attitude especially helpful.

But if you needed a bathroom "now," then why did you finish trying on the item you were trying on?  I'd have gotten myself dressed and gotten to the nearest bathroom, pronto!  It's possible that since you didn't, it gave the clerk reason to believe your situation not to be as urgent as you described.

As for "holding" a fitting room, while you use the restroom facilities:  There was a line behind you.  Who knew how long you would really be gone?  It seems unreasonable to think you could have gone to take care of "business" and not have to re-join the line, at the end, when you returned.  It's not like having to go back to the sales floor to pull yourself a different size of something.

I'm certainly not saying you weren't ill.  But honestly, if you were that ill, finishing the trying on of a garment, and fussing about losing your place in the que, would likely have been the last thing in mind at that moment.

What I would have done (and have done):

Gotten myself back into my clothes, as quickly as possible. 
Scooped up the things I knew I wanted.
Taken them to the nearest sales person.
Asked sales person for a restroom. 
When told where restroom was, ask sales person to please hold the items...I'll be right back.
Hightailed it to the bathroom.
Return to the store.
Collect items being held.
Return to the fitting-room line to try on anything more that needed trying on.
Proceeded to checkout with items I'd decided to purchase.

(Sickness hits again)
Ask sales clerk to hold items.
Go take care of "business."
Return to store to make purchases.
Get in line behind others who may have arrived while I was gone to the bathroom. (Unless sales person waves me to be next.)
Purchase items.
Head home.

But...that's just me.  YMMV

[EvilAlice]

To answer your first comment: of course I do not think I'm the first person to ever ask to use the bathroom. What kind of comment is that?

It was a question about your comment that the vast masses weren't asking to use the bathroom.  I didn't (and still don't) understand what you meant by that, or what it has to do with anything.

What I was asking is if this has ever happened to anyone else and how I should handle it (file a complaint, etc.) or if I should just forget about it. Is that clearer now?

Yes.  My original post was answering your stated question "the clerk was rude, right?"  I did not realize at the time that you had made up your mind about the first part of the question and were only interested in the second part of the question, "what should I do about it".