Is it being a CF to use all the machines at the launderette?

[SquishySweets]

At the Launderette, there are 4 washers in total; 2x 20kg and 2x 9kg plus two massive dryers. When I arrived all the machines were empty, I put my washing in a 20kg machine and started the cycle.

A couple minutes later two guys arrived with an enormous amount of washing in shopping carts - they filled the rest of the machines and still had enough for several loads more. A minute later another person arrived and realising all the machines were in use sat down to wait.

My washing finished first and as I switched it over to the dryer the lady who had been waiting went to start loading her washing into the now empty machine. But the two guys said they had dibs on the machine as they weren’t done with their washing and were there first!

What’s the etiquette here? If you have multiple loads of washing do you get to use all the machines simultaneously or should you use one or maybe two machines (accepting you’ll be at the launderette longer) and leave some machines free for other customers?

Yes it is. As there was two of them they should use no more than two washing machines.

so those only 2 washing machines?

oh sorry 4 but different capacities

thoughtless of them
but perhaps up against it with time
and if it’s not the policy to only use a maximum of a certain number of machines at one time… then 🤷

They should have waited till their washing finished then loaded up again but guess they were there first, what happened in end

We’ve currently got no washing machine - a potty trained-ish toddler and a baba with reflux. I need a 20kg load and a 10kg load at one time at minimum once a week. At my local launderette area this means using both washing machines (there’s also one dryer I don’t need). I know the quiet times, target them, and often have to wait a few mins 8-10 to get both machines. A hard “rule” of one per person would make my life so difficult (unless you count the three kids under 5 I have with me). If I’d been waiting and the men hadn’t told me they intended to take the next machine - I may have cried and I absolutely would have said something! But my difficulty would have been with the lack of communication rather than them being ‘entitled to it next’, if that makes sense? Ie. They shouldn’t have let the next person wait without saying they needed/intended to take all machines. It’s the most stressful part of my week. Can’t wait for the machine to be working at mine again!!

Sorry, those who are already there get first dibs,

I hope you told the greedy fuckers to piss off.

First come, first served in a laundrette AFAIK. But they were being pretty inconsiderate to bring so much laundry in one go, thereby using all the machines.

It’s just first come first served, but if they weren’t standing waiting while you unloaded then she wasn’t to know they were first.

well that would have been rude and a bit weird

First come first served. The washes only take 25 minutes don't they?

I don’t think it’s CF. They’re paying for a service and they were there first to use it.

I would say technically no
It doesn't make any difference if there was 1 person with 6 loads of washing or 6 people with 1 load of washing - first come, first served.
If she'd arrived a few minutes later they would have put their stuff in and she wouldn't have been any the wiser. Nobody would suggest they kept 1 washer free on the off chance someone else would turn up and want to use it.

Same as if you were in any other queue and the person in front of you had loads of stuff - as annoying as it is you just have to wait for them to finish before it's your turn.

Saying that if I were them I would have let her go ahead, mainly because if they had so much stuff they would still have needed to wait until their first loads were finished anyway to put the rest in so giving her your one wouldn't save them time overall.

Heck no! I didn’t get involved.

The guys let her have the machine after she called them inconsiderate and selfish.

If they only had enough for one more load then fair enough they use the machine, but if they were going to need to wait until the other machines finished and then do more loads then no they were being selfish.

Jolly good.

They were there first so it should have been their option

They sound really selfish

I'm glad she told them

This.

It doesn't matter that they knew each other.
They could have come in, as 2 total strangers and the amount of loads needed was the same, and that wouldn't bother other people, so why does it matter that they knew each other?
First 'washing load' in the queue gets to use the machine first is the fairest rule.