Next’s fitting room policy

[Darkwoodfurniture]

Long story short went into Next changing room on the women’s floor and there was a man in there.
I complained onsite to just get ‘oh ok’ so complained to HQ.
Their response was that all their fitting rooms are now unisex (even though store staff said they were women's) even if they are on separate floors I.e women’s or men’s.
I queried with them why they didn’t provide lockable doors etc and provide some level of security other than a curtain, along with some signage.
They escalated my complaint and they got back to me saying they feel their fitting rooms are appropriate as they are and won’t be publicising the unisex nature via signage.
I get it’s a trend to make fitting rooms unisex, but surely letting customers know so that they get to make a decision if they want to use them or not, should be the bare minimum.

All you women who ‘don’t mind’. My rights are not yours to give away. I don’t want men in women’s spaces. I don’t give a fig for their reasons

Women deserve & need privacy dignity & safety.

These are all examples of people doing stuff from outside the changing room so has nothing to do with it being unisex, rather that there’s only a curtain between the person changing and the whole shop.

I can’t understand why somebody would move floors to use the changing room? Our Primark has women’s clothing on the ground floor, I can’t imagine wander8ng up the escalator to use the changing room upstairs. Very random.

in our local store, the click and collect is next to the ‘mens’ changing room, which is quite a large area, with plump sofas in the middle, so it’s easier to nip in there then trudge downstairs.

My husband goes to the local leisure center and everything there is mixed too. One of the shower doors is broken and he opened one on a fucking naked lady! He was mortified.

Mixed changing rooms, mixed sauna, mixed steam room, mixed showers. It's a recipe for disaster. I wouldn't be getting naked there, that's for sure.

I've always assumed it's an unwritten rule that the changing room in the women's or men's section, is for the exclusive use of that sex. I wouldn't be comfortable in a mixed sex changing room that didn't have lockable doors. I would only be marginally more comfortable in one that did have lockable doors, provided it was manned by staff.

I remember many years ago when there was a spate of clothing shops having communal changing rooms ( male or female, not mixed, it was a looooong time ago) everyone hated them. They didn’t last long and shops quite quickly went back to individual changing rooms, mostly because people COMPLAINED, and stopped shopping in the shops that had them . I think we have the solution,, complain, take your money elsewhere.

Oh yes I remember them in the late 80s early 90s. Either Top Shop or some other trendy teen shop. I hated it then.

You are right on the money.

It's always disappointing to read women here bleating on about how we're all neurotic about men and that they're not all bad.

No, they're not but some are. And they're only the ones that are caught. How many more are getting away with their planted spy-cams, up-skirting habits and flashing. Not to mention the "oops, wrong cubicle" or the poor confused dears that accidentally throw open curtains (and go back the second time because the view was nice or the distress it caused more thrilling).

I think there are an awful lot of be-kind women here who underestimate the power of the male sex drive. Not to mention the many who don't understand that some men's sex drives aren't fulfilled by 'normal' sex or outlets like porn.

The kind of men wanting to use women's spaces aren't the teen boys of old hoping to catch a glimpse of female flesh. They're grown men who have developed specific fetishes about sex and/or enjoy their power over the women they've spied on (by cams or in person) or deliberately distressed in person by being allowed access to places they've not been allowed in previously.

And to the women asking what's the harm or are telling the rest of us to allow strange men into our spaces I'd suggest like a PP that you check out the myriad of hidden cam videos on Porn channels. You never know, you might see yourself or a female family member you care for on there. This might even allow you a sense of empathy for some of the women here who have suffered SA from men and do not want to be around them in spaces traditionally considered safe for them. Or a bit of respect toward women who, for whatever reason, are simply uncomfortable having men in these spaces.

As so many PP have already pointed out, no decent man would be caught dead demanding access to women's spaces so ask yourself why these men are so hellbent on accessing them.

👏👏👏👏
Lets hope this excellent post makes a few silly women think again.

You’re so right. I actively avoided those shops back then unless I knew it was empty for precisely these reasons.

"VaddaABeetch
All you women who ‘don’t mind’. My rights are not yours to give away. I don’t want men in women’s spaces. I don’t give a fig for their reasons

Women deserve & need privacy dignity & safety.

You are right on the money.

It's always disappointing to read women here bleating on about how we're all neurotic about men and that they're not all bad.

No, they're not but some are. And they're only the ones that are caught. How many more are getting away with their planted spy-cams, up-skirting habits and flashing. Not to mention the "oops, wrong cubicle" or the poor confused dears that accidentally throw open curtains (and go back the second time because the view was nice or the distress it caused more thrilling).

I think there are an awful lot of be-kind women here who underestimate the power of the male sex drive. Not to mention the many who don't understand that some men's sex drives aren't fulfilled by 'normal' sex or outlets like porn.

The kind of men wanting to use women's spaces aren't the teen boys of old hoping to catch a glimpse of female flesh. They're grown men who have developed specific fetishes about sex and/or enjoy their power over the women they've spied on (by cams or in person) or deliberately distressed in person by being allowed access to places they've not been allowed in previously.

And to the women asking what's the harm or are telling the rest of us to allow strange men into our spaces I'd suggest like a PP that you check out the myriad of hidden cam videos on Porn channels. You never know, you might see yourself or a female family member you care for on there. This might even allow you a sense of empathy for some of the women here who have suffered SA from men and do not want to be around them in spaces traditionally considered safe for them. Or a bit of respect toward women who, for whatever reason, are simply uncomfortable having men in these spaces.

As so many PP have already pointed out, no decent man would be caught dead demanding access to women's spaces so ask yourself why these men are so hellbent on accessing them."

100% agreed

The poster had no way of knowing what the man's intentions were in being in there. Let's be honest - no decent man would.go in where the women are.

Why does that even matter I'm sorry 1 in 2 woman have been sexually assaulted perhaps your one of the lucky ones or maybe your assault didn't effect your life as it has others. Why are we giving up safe spaces to biological males. Let's be clear i don't know any parent who allows their daughter to go into a changing room alone anymore meaning you can't just nip away to get a different size or the right accessories. Crazy your more concerned about someone's feelings than a woman or child's safety

Do you see the thread flying over your head ???