To just p*ss on the floor next time?

[peeingforbritain]

Obviously I would never do that intentionally, however...

Im 7 months pregnant and was out shopping on Saturday, and I had been the loo before I left, and when I arrived at the shopping centre.

I was in Superdrug and I literally just had to go, so I politely asked the security guard and explained I'm pregnant (even though it's very obvious) and she outright said no. That there are toilets in Asda, which is at least a 5 minute walk (10 minute waddle) away.

Let's just say it didn't end too great for me and I was mortified

Surely there's some sort of law for pregnant women to use staff toilets when shopping?

By choice. Why do people think that choice means that the rules don't apply to them?

Ok jack, we’ve noticed you.

Direct Line says about public liability:

"This provides cover against your legal liability for death or bodily injury (other than to an employee) and / or loss or damage to third party property arising out of the operation of your business."

Now if I was Direct Line and you contacted me saying that a customer had slipped in the warehouse, been hit by a forklift or a box of stock had fallen on them, i'd be refusing to pay up as they had no business to be there. Plus whatever the insurance situation are you really going to stand and argue the toss with a shop worker on barely more than minimum wage who has been told nobody in back shop under any circumstances?

Theft's the other major reason. My first job on a monday when I volunteer is to cash up the takings for saturday and sunday. There's often £1000 or more, in cash, lying around on the table. A table which you have to walk right past to get to the loo. So no, you can't come in. I don't care if you're pregnant or if you'll only be "two minutes". No means no.

To the people who keep messaging asking if I'm a pee troll, no I am not.

Thanks for everyone who's been sympathetic and helpful in clarifying. As this is my first pregnancy and the internet seems to be of divided opinion I thought I'd ask here.

I think pads are the way forward as no matter how many times a day I pee lately, it never seems enough 😂

Op,

I think the world has gone mad in regards to h&s.

I suffer with a condition & nearly shat myself in the middle of a store. The staff just didn't give two craps!

Those laws still exist Windy so there's technically more chance of using a police officer's helmet than a staff toilet.
Sorry you had an embarrassing moment OP but yabu. You have responsibility for your personal dignity as an adult.

It will all be in the small print of the public liability insurance, not on the main certificate which is displayed.

The public will be insured when on the premises if they remain on the shop floor, not behind the scenes where the staff toilets are going to be.

I suspect that there will be some exceptions if they do have to invite people to the offices, or visitors are expected.

Sorry you were caught out that way OP, but there is no special legislation governing pregnant women as far as I am aware. Public toilet facilities may be inadequate in many places, but it is what is available.

I do feel your pain though, and not just from years ago during my own three pregnancies. I get IBS and also extremely heavy periods (prone to sudden and unpredictable flooding), and can need the toilet at a moment's notice sometimes. It can be awful.

Wherever I go I find myself making mental notes of where the available toilet facilities are likely to be, and planning around that if I can. It is all I can do.

Staff can't just leave the shop/post unattended to take people out the back to use their staff loos. Whilst not being insured to do so that also means trusting strangers to not pinch stuff from the staff room or attack staff who are now alone in a confined space with a customer.

No one wants to be awkward but you simply can't just take customers to the staff loos.

Years ago I worked in a shoe shop and we wouldn't let any customers use the staff toilets. We weren't insured to let any non staff member use them. People often got angry when we refused.

I wish I could have said 'Your son might need to pee but I need my job, which I will lose if I let you use the toilet!'

Interestingly, I was in Costa the other day and they have toilets for customers but you have to ask staff for the code to access them. I assume this is to stop people using them like a public convenience.

Well I think in English law it is not an offense for a pregant woman to wee in public. So next time go for it!

The policemans hat thing is still a law too but I doubt you'd find one who would oblige!

Sorry you wet yourself though, that can't be pleasant.

DP was kind enough to let a customer use the staff toilet recently.

That customer shat everywhere and made no attempt to clean it up. Didn't even flush. I

He then had to clean it. He said that day he'd never allow it again.

@Myotherusernameisbest I don't remember the last time I saw a policeman wearing a hat! Maybe too many pregnant women were weeing in them!

@peeingforbritain not at your stage of pregnancy yet, but I remember my Mum telling my sister to just use any toilet she walked past even if she didn't think she needed it! Hopefully you won't be caught short again, sorry that you ended up feeling embarrassed :(

That customer shat everywhere and made no attempt to clean it up. Didn't even flush

People forget about that. The public leave toikets In a disgusting state and then exoevt to use staff ones? Then have the nerve to be pissed at staff saying no?
Angry at the wrong people!!!!

@BlueBug45 tbh I hadn’t really thought about where I might use it I’m lucky enough not to be in that position I don’t think it would have occurred to me to ask to use staff loos but maybe if very desperate to politely jump the que in the ladies if I need too. I’m too embarrassed to use the disabled loo as people assume I’m being cheeky.

I've found the lack of public toilets in many places to be difficult even when not pregnant, but I never asked to use a staff toilet because I knew the answer would be no. That's based off of my own experience of working in a shop with no public toilets, not everyone would realise it would be an issue.

What the...? You can piss in a policeman's helmet?
There is a law that says you can piss in a policeman's helmet?!?

There is nothing worse than being at that bladder bursting stage and being told you can't use a toilet!

It's like when you're out for the day and spend ages wandering around with full bladder looking for a toilet. You finally spot one and head towards it, only to find one of those annoying signs blocking the way of the ladies saying "Sorry toilets closed. Cleaning in process"......while the mens is OF COURSE open!!!! It's never the mens!!!

@Tara336 Some supermarket toilets now have signs on the door stating something like "Not all disabilities are visible".

Anyway please use them if you need them.

I had to use them when I had to take medication a few years ago and couldn't in normal toilets as the cubicles weren't wide enough, lighting was often poor and sharps bins are only in disabled toilets.

Old disabled people may get annoyed with you but you simply tell them to bog off if questioned.

Yes, you can use a policeman’s helmet in an emergency. The old style ones that are tall, rather than the cap style.

It’s an ancient law, I love all these random laws.

Of course the chances of seeing a copper when you are bursting is remote. But technically you can ask for the helmet to be used as a toilet. I’m sure it only applies as women can’t possibly wee in a bush as men can.

If you are peeing yourself at 7 months I urge you to go and see your doctor as this can be a sign of infection.

The people who are saying they can't believe that stock rooms have stacks of boxes is just hilarious. There are some products that come in, say, boxes of 40 items and a retailer could sell 6 of those boxes in one day. If a retailer just had one box of each product delivered at a time then we would have shops full of empty shelves.

YABU

@BlueBug45 thank you I haven’t seen anything like that yet but it’s good news that those signs are going up! I think my paranoia stems from being abused in the street by an old woman for parking in a disabled bay because there is clearly nothing wrong with me (I do have a blue badge). It’s probably a whole other thread could be created on the subject!

I am a security guard. I was pregnant and still had to refuse pregnant women through to the toilet. They would moan at me but there was nothing I could do.

What Lefroy said.
Get checked out for a UTI if you are getting frequent and/or uncontrollable urges to pee.