To be Angry with b&q

[Pregbabe]

Hi I am 31 weeks pregnant and yesterday was in b&q doing some shopping. I was bursting for a wee so asked the female staff member if there were any toilets, she said staff ones only and I couldn't use them. I had run across to Morrisons on the other side of the retail park.

Good point about security of staff facilities. A relative of mine had her handbag (including phone, purse, keys etc) stolen from her locker in the staff rest room in the small shop she worked in by someone who snuck into the back, forced the locker and grabbed it.

Obviously not accusing the OP of being a thief but it would be easy for someone to claim to need the toilet and see what they could grab when behind the scenes when shops don't have enough spare staff to keep an eye on things.

Yeah pregbabe that right I've been pregnant more than once and I have two children. Hence taking responsibility for knowing where the toilet is and going straight away.

I always check where the toilet is before shopping or eating. Wait until you have children and toilet training - every outing involves a reccy to check for the loos before anything else.

You might as well get used to it now!

My local B & Q's have loos for public use. Perhaps you just encountered a new employee that didn't know, or a unhelpful one ? ring them up and complain.

And my local B&Q doesn't have public toilets. Perhaps the OP encountered an employee who is well aware of the lack of public facilities in their store and advised the customer of this fact as they also knew that they couldn't allow the customer into the staff toilets. Don't ring them and don't complain because they have done absolutely nothing wrong.

The b&Q I worked in you had to go through the warehouse to reach the toilets. Like fuck were we letting customers play dodge the forklift to use them. Especially pregnant women.

YABU.

I used to work in a supermarket and would be worried about the Health & Safety of letting a customer out the back to use the loo, let alone a DIY store where there's probably even more machinery and goodness knows what laying around out the back.

I work 'on the road' quite a bit as part of my current job role, in my maternity risk assessment there's a part about learning where the local toilets are depending on where I've had to go to work. I just use this train of thought in my private life and make mental notes of where public toilets are wherever I may be, whether I need the loo at that moment in time or not. I've not been caught short yet.

I would discuss with my midwife the urge incontinence you experienced. However, also add that you managed to get to Morrisons, locate the toilets and use them without soiling yourself.

I've been pregnant to birth three times - six times pregnant in total, if you're looking for past experiences.

YABU. Be angry with yourself, not others and don't make that mistake again.

Take this as a lesson in learning where every single public toilet is and how clean it is because that knowledge ill be invaluable in 2 or 3 years time.

YABVU. She couldn't possibly have let you use the toilets; they're staff toilets not public toilets.

PPs have mentioned various reasons why it wasn't reasonable for you to use them; I hope you take them on board.

Exactly right Elendon.

I always think it's fucking rude when posters try the "well you've clearly never been pregnant/don't have children/must be a man" when someone suggests taking personal responsibility. It's not even logical to make the assumption on site called Mumsnet and is just a way to try to put others down.

I used to work in retail and we were told you aren’t allowed to refuse permission to pregnant women. I had to escort the ladies to the staff loo and stand outside until she came back out and escort her back. Through the stock room/boxes etc. TBH it only ever happened a couple of times.

I always thought that was policy everywhere but clearly not must have just been my lovely employer !

Not so lovely if pregnant woman trips over a box and hurts herself wetting knickers in the process

if a company sacked me for letting a pregnant woman using the toilet I wouldn’t want to work for them

You wouldn't want to work for a company who took their H&S and insurance liability seriously?

Because it's not "letting a pregnant woman use the loo" that got the employee sacked, it was violating H&S and insurance policy to let a member of the public into areas they are not permitted that they would be fired for.

I don't personally agree with every one of my employer's policies or management decisions but I am a single mother who relies on my wages to keep the roof over my and my DDs head, and keep us both fed, clothed and the bills paid so I will enforce them to keep my job.

Much more lovely than other customers slipping in the puddle of wee left on the shop floor from not having access to the loo. (Why the assumption that pregnant women are so clumsy?)

If a heavily pregnant woman was standing in a puddle in the shop I was in, I would call an ambulance and that's just as a customer.

Ha! I hadn't thought of that. Yes, it would be cause for concern.

If I saw a puddle of wee (how would I know it was wee?) I would alert the staff. What I wouldn't do is walk into it and slip and fall because I'm not stupid. I have what is known as common sense. And I use it.

Ugh. So many people desperate to follow rules and have no compassion. World's gone mad

Ugh, so many people only care about their own needs and have no compassion for min wage workers who could easily lose their job just so you can have a piss without walking for 2 minutes. Worlds gone mad.

Nice to see there are plenty of people of independent means on MN who can afford to work for fun. You can tell your employers exactly where to stick it, most of us can't do that.

Much more lovely than other customers slipping in the puddle of wee left on the shop floor from not having access to the loo. (Why the assumption that pregnant women are so clumsy?)

Why are you ignoring the very real threat of the company being sued, if a customer (pregnant or not) has an accident in a part of the premises they're not allowed to be on?

Anyway, why the assumption other customers are so clumsy?

Yes I am a multi millionaire who only works in retail for fun.

I agree with many others

As upsetting as it must be for the OP

Its not worth someone losing their job over it

I was desperate at my dds school the other week, they didn't seem to have a problem me using the toilet. What is the difference?

It wasn't the lady who decided you can't use the toilets. It was her bosses and probably because of insurance (some company has probably been sued when an accidents occurred) Yes it's crap, but luckily Morrison's was near by. Not every public building has to have public toilets.

Might the difference be that they are insured for the public, do you think? Because it's a school, where there is public access?

Not all shops have public toilets. We don't, and we're not allowed to let the public use our staff toilet as it requires them to go upstairs (no security cameras) where everyone keeps their personal belongings - so money, mobile phones etc.

I think if you're out and about and know you might desperately need the toilet for whatever reason, it pays to know where the nearest public toilet is. Our town is quite touristy, for example, and a fair few coffee shops/cafes will let you use the toilet without paying. Others will let you use their loo in exchange for a charitable donation.

Expecting someone to go against their manager just so you can have a wee is a bit entitled, really.