Ian and I went for a walk to the neighborhood RiteAid to get his disposable cameras developed and purchase some odds and ends. We were standing at the unattended photo counter when Ian suddenly said he had to use the bathroom.
It wasn't malicious or planned. It happens to children all the time, as anyone who has kids or has watched kids knows.
We went to the back of the store and asked to use the restroom. We were told by the two women standing near the rear of the store that they don't have one. I said, "That's ridiculous! Of course you have one." And we were then told that yes, they do have a restroom, but they cannot let us use it. "It's too dangerous." I was floored.
Too dangerous to let a child use the restroom? What on earth are they keeping in there?
Maybe there really is a good reason using the bathroom is dangerous. Perhaps the bathroom area is surrounded by stock that is stacked precariously or some other dangerous condition exists in the area of the bathroom. If it's dangerous for the customer, wouldn't it follow that it would be dangerous for the employees? Wonder what OSHA would say about that. Or perhaps they want customers to shop there but just do not care about customers' needs.
I figure it this way, though. If the restroom is too dangerous to use, the store must be also.
There are plenty of other stores out there that are customer-friendly in case of emergency. CVS and Walgreens have both let Ian use the restroom when he has needed to. And it may not make a bit of difference in their bottom line, but RiteAid loses my business.
Michael said...
The next time you pull into a store lot and see a young boy pissing on the side of the building, you now have a different way of thinking of it.
Serena said...
That's for sure! Next time it will probably be my little boy. We ended up running back to Marco's to he could use the restroom there, but we won't always be able to count on having a friendly place nearby!
