People leaving belongings in changing rooms to reserve them at swimming pools

[Bellad19]

So our local swimming pool have just refurbed the changing rooms. There are no communal areas to get changed at all, it’s very small in there. There’s cubicles for individual people and then 2 really large family sized changing rooms. (Disabled changing rooms are also available separate from the 2 family ones) then there’s a couple of rows of lockers so there isn’t really any room for you to get changed out in the open and no benches for you to put stuff on so even if you were to squeeze in a corner you’d have to put your clothes etc on the floor.
We are a family of 5, we have 3 young children. When getting out of the pool it’s always amazing if we manage to get a family changing room as we fit all of us in and husband and I can quickly get all of the children changed before sorting ourselves out and they have a baby changing table in there too! We normally do try and get out of the pool 10 mins before the session ends so we can get a family changing room and be done before everyone else gets out so someone else can use it. On the occasions family changing rooms haven’t been available, I’ve gone in a small individual cubicle, had to leave the door open as no room, get 2 children dressed and my husband gets the other one dressed and then I watch all 3 children(while I’m still in my swimming costume) while my husband gets dressed and then he takes them out to the cafe while I get dressed.(or vice versa) It’s fine just a bit more hassle! Sorry for such a long back story I was just trying to set the scene 😂 but I was just wondering on peoples opinions on the correct swimming pool ‘etiquette’ I guess is the right word for it?
Last weekend when we went, we got out of the pool ten minutes early as usual and both family changing rooms had people’s belongings left in them, I would assume to ‘reserve’ the changing room? Another lady who got out at the same time as us went and informed reception about the changing room she was trying to use and the manager came and put all the belongings from the changing room into a basket and left it outside the door so the lady could use it, manager says she doesn’t condone this and there are signs asking people to please not do it. By this point we already had 2/3 kids dressed in one of the smaller changing rooms so we just carried on without mentioning that the other changing room was also ‘reserved’
I guess I’m just wondering what people’s opinions on reserving changing rooms are? I don’t think we are entitled to a big changing room just because we have children, it’s first come first served, but i don’t like causing a fuss and would feel a bit wary of using a changing room with other people’s belongings in!
Sorry this is so long winded, I’ve tried to word it as best as I can and explain myself so I don’t get any hate lol. This is my first
Time posting xx

It happens all the time at the swimming baths I use. I just move their stuff and put it on the floor as there are no benches and carry on. They’ve banged on the door but I just ignore them, tell them to read the signs about trying to reserve a cubicle or to take it up with reception.

I've chucked the stuff outside on the (wet) floor before. I mean what mentality do these people have?!?! ''I'll leave my stuff here so no other fucker can use the cubicle'' ....

You're a wanker if you do this.

Ooooh i'd LOVE someone to bang on the door!!

Sadly when i'm done the clothes are always either still in a wet heap outside or have silently disappeared ...

That set up sounds very similar to our local pool op. During swimming lessons it's almost impossible to get a cubicle and people leave their stuff in them all the time despite the signs telling them not too. It's very annoying! The staff used to do a blitz now and again and bring all the gear out to reception and put it in a big pile for people to rummage through. They are no longer allowed to touch anyone's stuff in case they are accused of stealing something so the problem persists.

Seems standard here. I usually just use the changing rooms anyway with their stuff inside. One week one woman gave us dirty digs on the way out as she had to stand waiting outside until we'd finished (she'd left all her stuff inside). There are massive signs on all the doors telling people not to leave stuff in cubicles and they still do it.

I got so fed up of this kind of thing happening at our pool. The managers had put up notices asking people not leave bags in the changing rooms, staff would walk through and ask people to use the lockers but still the same selfish twats ignored it every bloody week. There are only two family cubicles and even those are a squeeze with a pram. They would never be free as people left bags and coats in them. I'd tried leaving the pram outside a normal cubicle and getting DD changed with door half open so baby could see us and vice versa. But the pram causes too much of an obstruction as the changing rooms are so ridiculously cramped and I could sense people getting irritated with me being in the way and also I felt this was unfair on DD to expect her to be getting changed when people could see in the cubicle as not they arent single sex changing room and it's so busy when lessons are on and kids of all different ages. After a few weeks of struggling and feeling awkward and in the way, I'd had enough. Swimming lessons were becoming my most hated time of the week! The next week, I went to go into the family cubicle as thought at first it was actually empty for once but nope a swimming bag was hung up on the peg as per usual. So thought fuck it I'm using it anyway. Half way through getting DD ready an angry woman bangs on the door shouting who's in OUR cubicle, I left our bag in there. I opened the door and she practically spat in my face saying why have you stolen MY cubicle? I said I haven't stolen it, there was nobody in here and I need the space as have a baby in a pram. I pointed out that nearly all the standard cubicles were free and passed her the bag and shut the door. She continued ranting and raging and made a complete tit of herself tbh. I was shaking like a leaf as I hate confrontation but also proud of myself for standing up to her. She is one of those types who rushes in and reserves the biggest cubicle as god forbid she should have the slight discomfort of being in the more cramped ones to get her one child ready who quite frankly was more than capable of getting ready by himself.

Love the idea of staff taking everything out and leaving in a pile. Can see how it puts the staff open to complaints but the people have left their stuff unattended in the changing rooms after all 🤷‍♀️

Just move the stuff out. The family will soon learn. Make sure to inform the reception desk that you’ve done so.

The bloke who runs the swimming club and several of the club members not only leave their stuff in the cubicles but they somehow manage to lock the doors from the outside too!!!

Gives me the rage.

Always just used it anyway without touching their stuff or just shoving it to one side.
They can wait outside until I am done. Don't care. Perfectly good lockers to use. It is selfish and lazy.
If anyone accused me of stealing shit, I would remind them their stuff has been unattended since they left it there and that is the risk they take for being lazy. Then again, I really don't care what they think when I am freezing and have two small wiggly moaning, tired and hungry kids to get dry and dressed.

This happens every week at local pool.

The manager clamped down a while ago and kept just removing everything and taking it all behind reception. It helped for a while but the entitled types have started again.

They also seem to be the ones that walk around in outdoor shoes with no overs on then stand there with their dc with three different tubes of hair stuff and combs etc whilst everyone else is standing there.

I was talking to him about it again this week and he said he's got something up his sleeve 🤔

I think the reason these people reserve the changing rooms is because more often than not they’ll get away with it.

Most people would rather avoid confrontation.

It is acceptable to get one's things out of a locker, put in changing room then nip for a quick shower.

No it's not. The correct procedure is: take your shower stuff from the locker; shower; gather belongings from locker; go to cubicle to get dressed.

I've never been unable to find about cubicle, there's always some that aren't reserved. But, still involves wet people in swimming costumes wandering up and down looking in each cubicle - but it's ok to inconvenience others, as long as they get their first choice of changing space.

I'd use the cubicle then throw the wet swimming stuff about on top of their belongings.
Also boils my p*ss when people leave their coats on chairs in the swimming pool waiting area while they go change kids and then the next load of waiting parents can't get a seat! They come back ten minutes later put the coat on and leave

It's 8 years since my DS had swimming lessons and it happened then aswell. We used to use the cubicle anyway and push their stuff to one end off the bench.

I hate this with a passion and so glad many agree. However I am saddened by the number of people who think it is ok to reserve a changing room if you are ‘just having a shower’ - no it is not!! This happens all the time at my DS swimming lesson and it boils my piss because there are never enough changing rooms and there are always people wandering around searching for them. My DS is often in and out of the shower and changed before most of these “only having a shower” reserved changing rooms are used - and he has a long(ish 3-4 mins as we have a full day of clubs after and no time to go home) shower. If nobody reserved at all there would be plenty to go round. It’s just that some people can’t stand the thought of their little darlings (who would’ve spent time out of the water poolside in their lessons) standing wet for a few seconds but don’t mind others shivering for ages trying to find somewhere to change. Just don’t reserve at all!

Also how do people who want to use the rooms know if the person who has selfishly put their stuff in there has gone for a full session or is “just” taking a shower? They don’t.

I bet they're the same parents that park like twats outside of schools.

Just to add to my PP - I realise a 3-4 min shower is a long one to many at the pool. Our pool has plenty of showers and if there is a big queue near them (there isn’t usually) then he is told to hurry up. I have even known some parents try to reserve a cubicle shower with a towel and their shampoo!

This is amazing. You must all go to very nice pools. If you left anything lying around in the pools near me it would get nicked.

Just realised that makes it sound like I would do the nicking

We literally have this every week at the kids swimming lessons. I chuck their stuff out in the corridor and go in.
Only one person has commented on my actions as most people know that they are being CFs.

Also how do people who want to use the rooms know if the person who has selfishly put their stuff in there has gone for a full session or is “just” taking a shower? They don’t

When I go you know who the people are because they've just got out the pool and I've seen them put their stuff in the cubicle, so I know that's what they are doing and that they haven't gone off for an hour's swim. But I'm there lateish evening when it's not busy.

Although when I go, half the pool is in use by a swimming club and their coach nabs a cubicle for his stuff. And he doesn't even get in the pool he coaches from poolside! I do keep meaning to say something about that but they're so entitled and spread their stuff all over poolside as well. I know there might be a future Rebecca Adlington amongst them but probably not.

(the spreading their stuff poolside annoys me more than the cubicle thing as we all have to pick our way through it to get to our lesson)

I avoid swimming lessons at the leisure centre for as long as possible because of this. It gives me rage.