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?

You're not being petulant. That was a needlessly unpleasant comment. I think it's completely rubbish that there aren't more public toilets. Who can afford to spend at least £2 every time they need a wee out of the house? In Edinburgh the council has closed almost all public loos. It's not ok.

Maybe 'That was rude. There was no need to treat her like that.'

You can hardly accuse people of being horrible when you asked the question AIBU and you are being unreasonable. You should be grateful it’s not AITA! Saying you should have bought something isn’t horrible. Just because you have bought coffee there before doesn’t give you the right to use the toilet this time which is why people are saying your entitled and they way you’ve responded won’t help your case.

Yes I agree

Bloody hell

@RubbishRobotFromTheDawnOfTime

Maybe 'That was rude. There was no need to treat her like that.'

Why is it rude? She's not a paying customer and they're only supposed to let paying customers use the toilet. So she said she was pregnant. She doesn't look pregnant.

They let her use the toilet which is what she wanted. They're not obliged to be polite to her - she's not a customer

Depending where she lives, she can.
Not all Costas are code locked. Many are just normal doors and you can just walk in.

At this point in pregnancy, the urge to pee a lot has nothing to do with the pelvic floor. It's hormonal. I was the same. Three kids later and I have zero issues with leaking pee and never did during pregnancy either.

You could have at least bought a bottle of water or something

I wouldn't have asked, they probably wouldn't have noticed if you just nipped in and used the loo.

For my costa you're given a code to use the loo on your receipt. Without the code, you can't get in.

So you have to buy something or ask them for the/a code (which they really aren't keen to give to someone not buying an item.)

YABU
The toilets are for paying customers only.

It does annoy me that there are only a few available toilets because the council won’t pay to maintain them but if the council won’t pay then why should costa.

They’re not a replacement for public toilets closing.

Maybe chalk it up to experience, the where within their right to refuse. I have a medical condition meaning when I need to go I have a few mins or have an accident. My youngest teen fully makes the best of the situation as I dump her in the queue to get something while I use the loo as a "customer", many frappes and milkshakes have been bought over the years 😂

I know very loo in the local area and try to use the public ones with my radar key, supermarket, Matalan even tkmaxx before I would opt for a coffee shop. I would be mortified and soggy if they said no!

Of course yanbu. Especially as you generally go in there. If you need to go then you need to go.

YANBU! Legally were they entitled to let you in? No. But really, what sort of person doesn't let someone use a loo?! It's really not a big deal, and an eye roll is very rude. Just human to human, it's unnecessarily unpleasant.

And congratulations on your pregnancy OP!

I agree with PP that a lot of people don't seem to get the idea of franchises.

Just because a local outlet displays the sign of a huge international business, that doesn't mean that the running costs they incur in their branch are automatically covered by some vast multi-billion balance sheet.

They're already having to pay a lot of their turnover direct to that huge business for the privilege of trading under their name, so it's a bit of a kick in the teeth to use that fact as 'justification' as to why they should happily spend more above and beyond their legitimate small-business expenses.

Seems like you’re getting a hard time here, OP, which is unfair as you’re obviously quite vulnerable and your posts speak like you need a lot of support in life. I guess you know for next time that the social norm is to buy something. My tip would be to just get something small, even a biscuit or a fruit pot

My list for toilets that ive used

Libraries
Cafes
Bookies
Supermarkets
Public toilets
Pubs
Doctor or medical surgeries
Hospital's
Private car dealer ships
Car mechanic / repair shops.

Pretty much anywhere I can think of mainly, my rule is always be polite and good manners and consideration.

Just out of interest, what are Costas losses from letting a none customer use the loo?
Genuinely, I’m not trying to be goady here I just can’t see what difference her using the toilet would have made to a large chain coffee shop. They’re not losing money by allowing her it’s use, unless you count the few pence worth of loo roll, soap and electricity to dry hands. Surely the goodwill of the shop is more likely to have someone return and purchase from them because they let them use their loo.

There is nothing wrong with asking to use a toilet OP if you're desperate. The attitude of the staff would not bother me one bit and I wouldn't feel inclined to purchase something afterwards either! Some people need to get a grip (not you!)

How condescending

No they don't. I regularly use toilets in places, have never needed a code/key anywhere, and have never been challenged for not being a customer.

Next time OP just walk in somewhere confidently and use the toilets. And ignore the hysteria that businesses will go under because you had a wee without buying a coffee