To insist my 5 yr old ds uses toilets in Halfords, when they say 'NO' due to insurance reasons?

Halfords - smaller choice of bikes and makers and they only use the big names. Also there is never anyone around to help you - I tried to get my DS#1's first bike in ours and I had no idea what size and type we wanted - staff there were as useful as a chocoate teapot. There is nowhere to try the bikes out. We go to an independent shops for the kids bikes - much better, more choice, the staff are more knowledgable and there is small bike trail for trying them out. Bikes are only one of Halfords lines I suppose and probably not their most important

Sally, the risks are that the customer that uses the toilet will fall over something or hurt themselves. Or that they might steal something. Or that they might assault the staff member accompanying them. Or that they might be casing the shop for later.

If any of the above sound ridiculous, you have never worked in a shop

I have now read the thread. The reason ELC don't have public toilets any more (they did used to) is that people regularly trashed them, nicked all the stuff, and left them in an unusable state.

So what were the toilets like Northerner?

1-10?

Haven't read whole thread

except in cases of illness / SN I think a child this age should be able to tell you in good time to find a toilet. My 4 y o struggles with remembering this, but you CAN'T go to the toilet in most shops, and I think children have to learn that the same as anyone else.

Just wanted to add, with reference to one of Fio's earlier posts that there is no way in hell that anyone, having seen the toilets in my shop would WANT to go in them.

Be aware that most staff toilets in small shops are gross. Public toilets have to be cleaned. I was the first woman to ever work in my shop. I was nearly sick when I first saw the toilets. Took me hours to get them looking presentable. I would be too to let a customer see them.

Obviously Northerner, it is not your fault that your boy needed the toilet. But they are not at fault. They broke the rules to let your son use the toilet. You should be grateful. However, they were probably rude to you, so deserved a slap.

The problem is that an awful lot of people seem to think that it's okay to treat people that work in shops like shit. It's okay to swear at them and threaten them and treat them like shit on your shoe.

I was 7 months pregnant in my shop when an irate customer who was refused a refund threatened to smack me, before swiping all stock off three shelves and leaving.

Once they have let you use the toilet though, it reinforces the idea that you were right all along and that you were in fact allowed to use the toilet. Why is it okay to start being rude to them because they are doing their job?

With reference to the person who was handed tissues to clean up wee, I would always have a staff member clean that up. I would not have expected you to do it.

Having been through toilet training with both dc I have huge sympathy with Dr Northener et al about using toilets in shops, but I do also think there is a valid safety / insurance issue for the retailers. For the most part shop staff have to follow the rules, and therefore we should all have more of a go at the HQ of these large chains to provide public loos. I mean it is not a huge task to provide A toilet surely?
A while back while at our local Wickes my heart sank when I heard the 'Mummy I need a wee' from ds (3) - because it was in an isolated group of Currys/DFS type of shops and I ddn't fancy my chances of finding a loo in any of them - so I asked a staff member (not expecting any help) to be told that there was a public toliet in store. True it was not very salubrious, but it was clean and did the job. Surely for large chains it should be possible to provide this, given the positive PR it would gain. So perhaps we should all be more vocal about our views, but aim it at the top of the chain, to the people who can change the policy.

well it's fine for supremarket type items but if I wanted a bike I would only go to halfords if they had my chosen one at a better price than I could get it elsewhere...and I would hope to get more choice and a better deal elsewhere

Should have just gone and used the pub next door. dont see how it would have been slower than arguing, demanding the manager and then using the Halfords staff toilet.

Good point zippi. Our local ones isn't that good.

Only read the op and a few comments, but it is common courtesy to let a customer who needs to borrow the toilet - especially if it is a small child.

As far as the comment about going to the pub next door is concerned - were they expecting you to buy drinks as well, or just use the facilities because sometimes pubs don't actually like you using the toilets without spending any money.

Glad that they did eventually let you.

I totally understand them not wanting any tom, dick and harry wandering through the private bits of the shop, but it's a child fgs!

are you absolutely sure halfords was the best place to buy a bike

... which reminds me, when I was a teenager, I had to lie down for 10 minutes in a shop's staff toilet once after a heavy night. I came over all weird at the bus stop. I still think it was the pork chops we'd had for dinner but my mate reckons it was the Stella.

It's not the retailers fault though is it? Legally I beleive that toilets only have to be available to the public when food or drink is being sold to eat on the premises. If there is one toilet for the staff I don't think it's unreasonable to want to discourage members of the public from using it - of course discretion should be used when pregnant women or young children want to use it but I can't help feeling that all this moral outrage is a bit much Spotty teenagers aren't all that good at using their common sense and he was just following the rules he'd been told. It's the fault of the local council if there isn't a nearby public toilet or the owners of the shopping centre.