To be Angry with b&q

[Pregbabe]

Hi I am 31 weeks pregnant and yesterday was in b&q doing some shopping. I was bursting for a wee so asked the female staff member if there were any toilets, she said staff ones only and I couldn't use them. I had run across to Morrisons on the other side of the retail park.

[MrsHathaway]

Why should they have toilets available to the public, though? Even pregnant public.

Glad you had another option. Pregnancy bladder is so unpredictable!

[Wolfiefan]

They don't have public toilets. They can't have members of the public wandering round staff only areas.

[MilkTwoSugarsThanks]

It's probably their insurers you need to be angry with! Chances are they say no because their insurance won't cover them if something happens to you while you're in there (like slipping on a wet floor and cracking your head open for example).

[Pregbabe]

Just thought she was harsh especially being female, I was dancing from foot to foot when asking her so obviously was desperate.

[Wolfiefan]

But they don't have toilets you can use. It's not harsh. There are none.

[sweetdreamsaremadeofbees]

YANBU. I had an emergency when I was pregnant with my son and the underground staff let me use their toilets.

Fuck, the world's gone mad if they can't let a heavily pregnant person use their toilet

[MilkTwoSugarsThanks]

She'd probably get the sack for gross misconduct if she'd let you though, female or not!

Bit harsh to expect someone to risk their job....

[ilovekitkats]

Our local B&Q does have a toilet, but I agree that it would be for insurance purposes.

DC needed the toilet when we were at a small garage, so I asked if they had one, and she said only if another staff member could cover the till for her, because they are not allowed to let people into the back room alone, where all the stock is, for insurance reasons.

[RavingRoo]

Train staff don’t let pregnant women sit for free in the first class of a busy train either. Rules are rules.

[Pregbabe]

That I can understand. If she had said we have to come with u I had agreed I was so in need of a wee. She just said no and walked off though.

[WatchingFromTheWings]

Members of the public aren’t insured to use private toilets in a shop. Staff would be in big big trouble if caught doing that, especially if something happened.

[WorraLiberty]

Even female staff have to stick to company policy.

And who wants to spend any part of their working day, accompanying people to the toilets?

Glad you found Morrisons though. It's awful when you're desperate for a wee.

[MilkTwoSugarsThanks]

Tbh OP, if you were that desperate, by the time she'd found a manager to get permission for you to use the toilet and permission to leave the shop floor to accompany you (or someone else if she couldn't) you'd have probably wet yourself anyway.

It's hard enough finding a member of staff in there at the best of times - finding a spare must be damn near impossible.

[brasty]

Staff could be disciplined if they go against company policy.

[Bluntness100]

I think you’re assuming it was her decision and her authority, when overwhelmingly that’s not going to be the case. Maybe she could have found a manager and asked them, but if she already knew the answer would be no, as she had asked before, then she did the right thing.

So I think maybe your complaint is that companies who do not have public loos should enable their staff to let the general public use the staff facilities if they deemed it appropriate. And as the thread shows ther are lots of reasons the public would not be allowed into staff only areas.

Blaming the woman is wrong, she wasn’t being harsh, she was giving you the only answer she could.

[Wolfiefan]

It will be company policy. She can't just decide to ignore the rules as you're pregnant. Sorry b

[ShitneySpears]

YABU

[KingMortificadosMistress]

Ironically, you might have been better off asking a man.
Plenty of them tend to think of female toilet issues as a mystery (I know you are pregnant but don't think the thought process goes that far) and probably would have feared a sexism complaint.

[AJPTaylor]

Seems reasonable to me. "Out the back" of most retail spaces aint fit to be seen and staff loos are usually in the most inaccessible point. I had the dubious pleasure of working in wh smiths in sloane square. The staff toilets were up at least 2 flights of stairs and through various doors. One very posh lady asked where the toilets were, i apologised and said there werent any but loads in john lewis opposite. She turned to her toddler grandson and said. Youll just have to wee on the floor. And he did.........

[Isadora2007]

You should have peed in their display loo!
My ds did that once when we were planning a kitchen with the advisor. In his defence we were potty training... mortified 🙈

[brasty]

And I would not risk my job for a random member of the public, including a pregnant woman.
I do know what it is like to desperately need the toilet and be worried you will wet yourself. Horrible.

[user1471459936]

Ugh. So many people desperate to follow rules and have no compassion. World's gone mad.

[Angrybird345]

I wouldn’t risk my job for this!! No way!!

[Wolfiefan]

Follow the rules or lose my job?

[brasty]

ugh so many people follow rules so they can keep their job.