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

It is harsh on employees I agree, but so fecking annoying.

Still, what kind of bastard would I have to be to sue a charity?

I agree with Lazyline. If you help an old lady up in the street and do your back in, who's going to sue you? No-one. Equally if you hurt the old lady by mistake no court in the land is going to award damages against you for just trying your best to help.

But if Northerner's DS trips over on the way to the loo and decides to sue then it is very likely Halfords would have to pay damages, and if they did they would be within their rights to sack the employee for failing to follow company procedure.

Have to agree with Lazyline. Although as a parent I know how frustrating that policy is, when you have a child desparate for the loo, I have also been a store manager faced with implementing a "No public allowed in the loo" policy. It was difficult and I was faced with many yelling parents threatening that their child would go all over the floor. I sympathised but was only carrying out my instructions. I would have been faced with disciplinary action/dismissal had an accident occured while someone was in the loo.

I had the "I neeeed a poo!" from DS (3) in Halfords. I took him to the corner of the car park, laid out babywipes, held him while he went then put poo wrapped in wipes into a nappy sack. I imagine that your 5 year old would not have been too keen on the idea of this though!

Shops like Halfords, which are often quite isolated from other shops/public loo's, should have customer toilets.

It's not the same Margo as there is a better chance that should the woman's child fall over whilst in the staff areas that the store will get sued and the store manager will lose their job for not following company policy.

It is not the store staff's fault that there is no toilet in the shop.

I'm sure they are not insured for this but really, we all do things we are not insured for, because we are normal thoughtful human beings.

It would be like my refusing to help an old person who had fallen over in the street because I was not insured against doing my back in whilst helping them get up again.

good on you! i once asked in topshop if ds1 could go for a wee and they said no. popping outside wasn't an option cos was in a shopping centre so had to run round to find a loo and he didn't make it in time.

had to buy ds1 new trousers etc, i went back to topshop and asked for the manager, was sooo (and heavily pregnant and prob quite scary!) and he was hugely apologetic, said the staff should have let him go and paid for the trousers we had bought and gave us 10% off our shopping. (we'd spent about £400!)

not something i'd normally do but the pg hormones took over

I'm sorry but they really are not insured to have members of the public in staff areas.

I dunno... I sympathise with your situation but I think you're being a bit unfair on the member of staff, it's difficult. I mean the "spotty teenager" has been told by his boss that members of the public are not insured to use their loo. If he ignores his boss he will get told off, or sacked. You can see from his POV that a little poo on the floor may be preferable.

As for the manager, he too will have been told by head office that members of staff are not allowed to use their loo. What if your DS had tripped on an electric cable on the way to the loo, or fallen down stairs, or got locked in? They would not be insured for damages, and if you chose to take the complaint to Halfords head office he could be sacked for not following company procedure.

I am not exactly defending their stupid policy, and really they should just have a public loo, but having been a shop assistant myself I think you are being a bit unfair on the poor bod behind the desk who is only doing what he's told and trying to make a living.

Blimey that is madness, like the pubs that won't warm baby food in a microwave for you incase they are sued even if you promise to take responsibility for the heat of the food you put in your child's mouth.

Exactly muminbrum! I was tempted to hang around said charity shop so dd would just happen to wee on the floor!

It's a right PITA when they act like that!

I remember dd at aged 2 being refused use of the toilet in a charity shop!! We were toilet strained so I was really worried, luckily she managed fine and I whisked her home in time.

I thought it was ludicrous, I mean I would have gone in with her!!

what a load of bolleaux

When I was 7 months pg, BA refused to help me lift my carry-on bag into the overhead lockers for the same reason. "We're not insured". Instead a NICE PERSON and fellow traveller helped me. Also not insured. Just kind.

Whatever happened to good old fashioned helpfulness?

good on you!

I hate this so much. I'm thinking of carrying a signed letter in my handbag that says "I promise not to sue you if I fall over in your bathroom" that I can hand over to these jobsworths (as I rush past on my way to their loo).

Its trickier with slightly older children. With a 2-year-old you can just pull their trousers down and say "go on, you can pee on the shop floor, Mummy says its ok just this once" and know they won't feel embarassed!

Quite right too and good for you. I had the same thing in Accessorise - we had to run across the road to the big Waterstones where there is a public loo. Poor little DS was crossing his legs and everything else. Bloody silly - I got "it's health and safety". What utter crapola. It would have been a bigger H&S risk if DS had peed on their floor and left a puddle for someone to slip on.

I don't believe them - Next don't have public toilets but whenever my DD needs the loo whilst in there (which is a lot) the staff always take us to their toilets with no hassle.
I think they're being unreasonable - I'd have told them it was that or he'd poo on the floor!

you were absolutely 100% reasonable