Do you remember the "Occupy Wall Street" phenomena? The Daily Show did a piece about the protestors' use or misuse of local businesses' restrooms. "...several local restaurants and delis are fed up with the protesters, who come in to use the bathroom without buying anything. One demonstrator tells Bee that not buying anything is his "right as a consumer." Hmm.
Someone explained it to me like this: "I go to Starbuck's all of the time and don't always use the restroom; so in a way, they owe me use without purchase." Hmm.
How do you feel about using an establishment's amenities without making a purchase?
Here's an etiquette approach: If you absolutely need to use the restroom, approach the host/cashier and ask. If you ask politely, most people will gladly allow you to use their facilities. Aside from the mall, there are two types of businesses that lend themselves as a pit-stop; gas stations and mini-marts. If the mini-mart is not attached to a gas station, buying a bottle of water or mints is a nice gesture. If you decide not to make a purchase, at least say, "Thank you," on your way out.
Rosalinda Oropeza Randall is an etiquette consultant who owns Your Relationship Edge in which she teaches classes and presents workshops to a variety of audiences. She can be reached at rosalinda@yourrelationshipedge.com and her website is www.yourrelationshipedge.com. She can also be reached on Facebook.
Maria, Bite, and Jessica, thank you for posting.
I know stores don't want to have random people messing up their bathrooms, but come on! A little common sense is in order -- but, as my mom likes to say, common sense is unfortunately not so common.
As for why there aren't more street toilets/restrooms: the reasoning behind it is that these places are used almost exclusively by either prostitutes or injection drug users. They're like a meeting ground for the dregs of society (of which I was once a part of) so it isn't uncommon for police to spend a lot of their shift simply monitoring the activities there. Drug deals, sex, crack smoking, shooting up, you name it goes down there because it offers a free source of privacy on an otherwise wide open street. And despite being 'self-cleaning' you would be hard pressed to find one that wasn't littered with used condoms or needles or fecal matter on the floor. I've spent a lot of time waiting in line for these places with other bums who'd recently scored. I've never seen them used for their intended purpose.