Bad attitude after asking to use the loo in Costa? Pregnancy

[Mummatobe98]

I'm only about 12-13 weeks pregnant but need to wee a lot.

I went into a Costa store which I regularly buy coffee in and asked to use their loo. They declined . I said 'I'm pregnant' and the lady at the till reluctantly gave it to me, rolled her eyes and pulled a face at her colleague.

My partner felt like saying something

Am I wrong for asking to use the loo?

Next time use a pub loo Op, you don't need to request permission 😃

This is actually a huge issue for many women, pregnant or not.

Every extra user is a potential person who will make a mess

It's nit just about "it costs money to clean etc".
We had to implement strict customers only after following experiences of non customers
-smoked crack and left drug paraphernalia there
-shat on the floor
-stole EVERYTHING what was not nailed down
-another drug taking, left used injection
And so on

While even paying customers can be a pain they are less likely to do this. They just are.
Except the twat who kept stealing the air freshener.

It's not piblic toilets. Lobby councils to provide these, don't bully private businesses into jobs council should be doing

But there are virtually no public loos anywhere! Our local pub and some cafes are members of the “Wee Care” scheme and will let anyone use their loo. The local public loos closed years ago and there is a helpful sign saying that the closest public toilets are three miles away!

In the next town from where my Mum lived, they closed the free council loos. The only public loos now are in the library, which is only open two days a week. The customer loo in Waitrose seems to be permanently closed, and there is nowhere else. What are people supposed to do? This is why men piss in the street.

@AdobeWanKenobi

This might not be relevant in OP's case, but I live in a very popular tourist spot where you are charged 50p to use public toilets - cannot get in until you zap your card. Cafes - even the big chains - do not want people nipping in just to use the bog. If they did allow that, there would be a permanent queue. And the toilets would end up in a horrendous state from that many people which in turn would not be nice for the cafe customers.

You'd never seen the staff before? Then being a regular customer matters not one bit. Why isn't your partner buy something? Or you buy a cake and then go?

If there is a working, empty bathroom in an establishment open to the public, why shouldn't someone who needs the bathroom be able to use it? Pregnant or not, adult or child.

But the bathroom is not open to the general public! You keep repeating that but it isn’t the case, the bathroom is open to customers which OP refused to be apparently because she had already had a coffee elsewhere.

Come on @Mummatobe98 . You were mean about the employee, plus not following the known rules of “buy something”, so if you can’t take it don’t give it out. And of course you don’t get credit for past purchases, the staff member wouldn’t know you from Adam. Being pregnant doesn’t get you a pass for everything.

I agree. Attitudes have really shifted towards other people in the last ten / fifteen years. Once there would have been some sympathy for a pregnant woman who needs to pee every 5 mins, many of us have been there, it's a nightmare. But instead of extending a little human kindness towards others, it's now an intolerant, spiteful, irrational and often misogynist pile on. I don't know what went wrong with people, where this kind of hatred and anger is now the norm. It's deeply disturbing.

I don't think YABU to use the loo in Costa. In a similar situation I usually pick a chain like McDonald’s ect to use the loo. Interestingly, I’ve just looked on my towns Courtesy Toilet Scheme and apart from the Town Hall, shopping center/market hall & leisure center, all 6 or 7 other places are independent cafes. Perhaps next time you’d have more luck at an independent cafe.

This is what I said earlier but didn't go into such graphic detail. This is why Costa etc don't let people walk in off the street.

Would be nice if people had a bit of understanding of how horrible it is for baristas on minimum wage to clean toilets when a lot of the general public is disgusting

Yanbu. I was desparate for the loo early in preg, then not, then desparate again at the end. It's to do with how the womb sits on your bladder. Ignore the f8ckers

For those saying OP should have bought something, would you feel the same about using the loos in a supermarket?

Yes

The op won't have any money left if she has to buy something every time she wants to pee, every 5 minutes.

Just ignore it op, if you need to go to the loo then just go. Don't worry about a few unkind people. Not everyone out there is an arsehole.

I think the OP has a level of entitlement and it's rubbed posters up the wrong way.

"I've done something people seem to disagree with but please don't leave any mean comments"

Unfortunately that's not how it works.

Some Costas I have been to have a coded lock on the toilet and you need a a receipt on a current purchase to be provided with the code.

FWIW I have an incredibly weak bladder (to the extent it effects what I can do in my day to day life as I always need access to a loo) and I have 3 DC so I'm not unsympathetic to the cause but I'd have just bought something [and have done in the past]

This.

OP do you not use this godforsaken website regularly? Because if you were familiar with it you’d never have posted this. This isn’t real life.

By “godfosaken website” you mean that there are posters who don’t always agree with you?

Funny that.

Some of these posts 🤣 I've never met another human who would actually give a shit about someone using a Costa toilet and not purchasing anything. I'll bet the majority of you have done it aswell! I do it alot. I even go to places I'm not a regular customer. Plus I never ask.

Their loos aren’t a public service, they are for paying customers.

This! They're a massive corporation, not a small independent. People saying 'you should have bought something' are being ridiculous. The staff get the same wage anyway and Costa certainly won't be any worse off.

This! They're a massive corporation, not a small independent.

Do you understand how franchises work at all?

Shocked by some of the comments on here! So sorry OP!! I would’ve felt like you, urgent need to wee when pregnant is painful and I’ve wet myself before when pregnant. Even in early pregnancy, your bladder can go haywire. Fine, they’re normally for customers but they could’ve been more understanding for a pregnant lady because pregnancy does compromise your bladder and ability to hold it. Hope you’re ok

I dont see any problem with this, sounds like you were polite. If you got to go, you've got to go!! Its a basic necessity....

But as a pregnant lady I DO think she is able to have some entitlement. You are basically saying she has to either pay or piss herself.

Jesus, can't believe the way of the world now.