To be shocked by what DD told me about her workplace?

YANBU to feel sad that this is happening, but I’m not surprised sadly. I work in various leisure centres, one of which has issues with exactly this sort of behaviour. The receptionists keep an eye on who is coming in to the centre and heading straight for the loos. They will call the duty manager if they see any of the ‘usual suspects’ but by the time the manager has arrived, they’ve usually gone. In any case, the manager can’t do anything other than politely asking them to leave and to please not leave behind drug paraphernalia in the loos.

Obviously Greggs already know about this as they are supplying special PPE for needle collection.

I agree it’s not right that the staff should have to deal with this but I very much doubt that the police would get involved with this unless perhaps they are violent. I’m not actually sure what constitutes a crime that the police attend these days but it’s a great time to be a criminal.

Greggs definitely shouldn't be expecting 17 year olds on the minimum wage to be enforcing bans on shoplifters/drug users. It sounds like they need to employ some type of security if this is a regular occurrence. I think some fast food places print door codes for the toilet on receipts, they could maybe benefit from having something like that in place.

That’s horrible that your DD had to deal with that, I would be worried about that too if it was either of my two DSs.

I also think the issue is low pay, people who work in retail have to put up with abuse and vile behaviour , day in day out for minimum wage, and that is not right. Employers use the minimum wage as an excuse to pay people low wages. I know there are arguments that if there was no MW, the pay would be even lower. (I’ve experienced this in the 90s, £3 per hour wages working in a well know Pizza takeaway while at college before MW came in), but it is now used as a target to pay people and not a penny more.

I am a registered dental nurse, and also on minimum wage, which I also think is too low for a medical professional who needs to deal with blood products and used needles on a daily basis, along with the risk of medical emergencies etc. I also don’t get sick pay and have to pay hundreds of pounds a year for my own indemnity insurance in case a patient sues me, and the GDC fees to practice, which is a legal requirement. However , I chose to do this work, whereas many people in similar situations didn’t , like your DD in her job.

I could get better wages working for Lidl or Amazon , but I like the dental nurse job so don’t want to do that yet, but might have to as the cost of living goes up.

i think in many ways, the society needs to change to support and protect those of us that work in low paid jobs and it needs to become socially unacceptable for people to come in and take drugs in a toilet which the staff need to clean, and other people have to use. Children are often vulnerable to picking these needles up, and we need to start protecting everyone better.

i don’t know what the answer is, but something needs to change, and soon. I feel like we’re imploding in on ourselves but can’t see how to get out of it.

I hope your daughter is OK OP, and I wish her the best xx

One of my DDs has specifically been told by her manager not to challenge shoplifters. She doesn’t get paid enough to out herself at that risk.

They don’t have a code on the toilet for the same reason - it just puts the staff in the firing line. Although in the placw she works the manager or assistant manager deal with anything found in there

@CatamaranViper it's shocking to begin with but you do get used to it

It’s rubbish OP. And really sad.

But it’s not surprising - same in McDonald’s etc or anywhere cheap and accessible with public loos. Police aren’t going to come and arrest addicts.

I agree, they should put a lock and code on the door.

It doesn’t sound as if your DD is being expected to deal with needles personally? And those that do have PPE? That’s good. First jobs are about life experience and she’s learning.

I used to work in Greggs in the centre of Glasgow. The customer toilet was removed for this exact reason...!

My 18 yo DD works in Starbucks and has told me similar things happen there. They have codes on the doors but doesn’t seem to stop it happening - I guess you only need to buy a coffee to get the code.

If anything is found a manager has to deal with cleaning it up but none of them are much older or experienced than her either!

It just goes with working in hospitality/retail unfortunately. I worked in M&S as a student and there were some shockers - people leaving all sorts in the changing rooms including needles and once human excrement 😱

Yeah I was going to say when I was 16 I pulled a bloody knife out of a pile of clothing when I worked in Primark.

Welcome to working life in retail ,you'd be shocked at the shit that happens on a daily basis
We've had people shitting on the floor, wetting themselves walking around,drug addicts,alcoholics ,and shop lifters on a daily basis it's grim and not for everyone but on the flip side some customers are delightful
You kind of just get used to tbh
Expect the worst of people and hope for the best

It's not accurate, seasoned users don't bat an eyelid and get on with it regardless

Do some Greggs have cafes? I don't think I've ever been to one with a customer toilet. If it's just a takeaway I didn't think they needed to provide toilet facilities. I agree it's not something your daughter should have to deal with. If they're shoplifters as well why doesn't the manager ban them?

Maybe greggs should install ultraviolet lighting in the toilets so that the junkies are unable to see their veins to inject into. Some supermarkets have done this

I expect the police could persuade the store to have a code lock. Would not stop everyone but would stop some.

A blue light won't stop the problem at all.

Children are surely accompanied by a responsible adult?

Needless to say in public toilets are so commonplace op.... it's not something the police will come out for, neither is shoplifting a few sausage rolls

They won't have enough staff to be running back and forth to lock and unlock doors or changing codes every hour.

Very common, most places are told not to challenge theft.

I've been in cafes where they use UV lights to deter drug users.

That’s great that they supply the correct equipment to clean up. Your DD should request she does the training or be sure to get someone who has been trained to do it. I wonder, if it’s an ongoing issue if they could liaise with the local needle exchange or drugs liaison officer to help with the issue. That may then impact on the amount of ship lifting taking place.

What are the police going to do ? Yes, it’s not pleasant but you do sound very naive

I am sure you could get someone to claim to be a customer and contact Greggs head office about this. As it is a toilet used by members of the public.