To be cross at Costa coffee not letting me go to the loo?

[Treatedlikeamaid]

I think of all the money I’ve spent in Costa and just now I nipped into a branch, it was empty. I asked if I could use the loo and the young man serving told me not if I wasn’t going to buy anything. I mean..it was empty! I’ve spent 100s in there over the years. ! I’m a lady of a certain age when we need the loo, we need the loo! I’m irrationally angry and then got all embarrassed and tearful. Not pleasant at all. It wouldn’t have cost Costa anything to show a bit of consideration. Humph!

And to the pp who says it's annoying cleaning up when that person hadn't bought anything - does Starbucks etc pay comission? Genuinely interested what difference it makes to staff if the customer buys or not

Because presumably it's their job to run the shop and that includes not allowing random people in off the street use the toilets?

YABVVVU

I think if some random person walked into your house demanding to go to the loo u would say no, i know this situation is not exactly the same but they are there for their customers not for people to walk in demanding to use the loo.

Yabu. Hth.

I always, always buy a coffee from there - even if they say to me to go ahead to use the toilet I try to buy a coffee first and not after.

There must be somewhere else you could go, department store etc.

There's an app or something or something towns/cities put in areas listing free toilets available to use.

Also, how the F do Costa expect to know how much you've spent there over the years? Maybe if you have a Costa card or something but even so...

You types would be the first to whinge if you were somewhere as a customer and couldn't access the toilet because of a load of randoms using it or if it was soiled etc, it'd be all "I'm a paying customer!" Then.
And it'd still be the fault of the poor fucker behind the till.
Most places have customer only facilities and a policy to refuse anyone who isn't, which falls to the staff, why do people think they can dictate to others what rules of the company they should break just because it suits them, and leave the concequences all to someone else to deal with?
Seems you don't even have to be a paying customer these days to do it either!

@Campervan69

I never ask. Just walk confidently to the loo. Use it. Come out. Leave. Always worked for me. What they gonna do?

Me too. It doesn’t cost them anything.

I think your reaction is reasonable as sounds like you were utterly desperate, and few things are worse than being bursting for the toilet, except being bursting for the toilet AND being refused entry! Would have cost the staff member absolutely nothing to do a good deed and let you in. Some people just love a power trip.

@DynamoKev

I do this all the time - I never bother asking, just use it. Sometimes buy a coffee, sometimes don't.

That, personally is rude. You should at least ask before you use it.

Loving the emotive language of boys vs women of a certain age and weaponising toilets!!
Yes it would have been nice of him to let you use it, but no, it wasn't your entitlement to use it without purchasing something, either before or after.

You know working somewhere with toilets which are seen to be public it's actually really irritating how entitled people think they are to be able to use them whenever they want.

Due to covid our building is now access only to people who are booked in advance. You'd be amazed at the number of people who will still ring the doorbell and ask to use the toilet and get angry when told we're not open, despite a big sign on the door telling them that.
They always want to "just nip" and "only being a minute".
We're had people try and push past the person at the door, we've had people that refuse to go and stay there keeping on ringing the doorbell.
We let a family one day in June come in because they had a child in tears. Next day we had four families ring the doorbell saying "we were told we could use the toilet if we asked..."

And you know the real irony:
There are genuine public toilets open for all to use around 15m away from our door
But they want to use ours because they're "nicer".

The number of times I've directed someone to those who is apparently "desperate", and they've walked off in the opposite direction. Obviously not that desperate then.

WHY DON’T PEOPLE BUY A BISCUIT?

You don’t even have to eat it.

when I worked in central London in some of the branded cafes (Costa, Caffe Nero etc) they didn't allow use of the toilets due to homeless etc people using them - I was told that by a member of staff.

But most cafes are fine.

YABVU , you should have ordered something and then said I’m just nipping to the loo whilst they make it . BTW what is the age when we need the loo as I’d love to know that .

I think if some random person walked into your house demanding to go to the loo u would say no

Completely different scenario, I am not a business open to the public.

You should at least ask before you use it that opens the way for them to say no - don't give them the chance

Loving the emotive language of boys vs women of a certain age and weaponising toilets I don't think men/boys get to tell women whether they can use the loo or not, given all they need to do is find a bush. Emotive or not, that is my view. Denial of access to toilets is a gender biological sex issue that affects women far more than men.

There are genuine public toilets open for all to use around 15m away from our door

15 minutes is a bloody long time when you’re just about to wet yourself.

There are genuine public toilets open for all to use around 15m away from our door

if they are genuine public toilets open for all to use around 15m away I will use them. If I don't know where they are, or they don't exist, or they are closed for spurious covid reasons, I will be looking for the nearest cafe.

@VinylDetective

There are genuine public toilets open for all to use around 15m away from our door

15 minutes is a bloody long time when you’re just about to wet yourself.

I think the pp means 15 metres ;)

What is a “certain age”? I’m certainly 38 at the moment. Does that count?

Many indie shops in London also have the same policy because of drug use Clever, not just the big chains. I've lost count over the years the number of cafes etc I've seen open that allow none customers use, and within the first year customers only.

I don't blame them tbh, some people can leave them in appalling states, at least they can reduce the amount of literal shit they clean by using customer only and the occasional out of order sign.

@VinylDetective

There are genuine public toilets open for all to use around 15m away from our door

15 minutes is a bloody long time when you’re just about to wet yourself.

15 metres!!! Not 15 minutes.

The more it’s used, the more it has to be cleaned. Why should someone do that without you spending anything at their establishment? The entitlement amazes me

I particularly hate boys refusing access to women. How dare they.

I particularly hate men being referred to as boys.

I wouldn't have asked - just go and use it next time. He won't know if you're about to buy something or not.

I don't think men/boys get to tell women whether they can use the loo or not
But why can't they, if it's their toilet? Not all women have bladder weakness problems, and bladder weakness isn't exclusively female. I would find it incredibly patronising if a young man in a coffee shop thought I did have because I'm female and getting on a bit.