Lockers v. leaving stuff in a cubicle

[JenniferAllisonPhillipaSue]

Inspired by another thread (but not a TAAT) how do you all react when you go to use a cubicle at a gym or swimming pool and somebody has left all their personal gear in there?

Happened to us just now. Was at a disabled swimming session with my son, came out of the pool and showered, then got our stuff from our locker and went into one of the two family changing cublcles (the other was in use). Another family had left two bags, three pairs of shoes, and even loose items of clothing on the bench and floor. I knew nobody had been in there only a minute prior as I could see it from the showers. So I just moved it all aside to avoid it getting too wet from us and started to get myself and son dried and dressed.

There were no staff in the changing rooms otherwise I'd have asked them to move it for me. The family knocked whilst we were mid change. I offered to pass them all the stuff so they could change elsewhere but they decided that they'd wait instead. When we finally exited, the Mum gave me daggers and said "Other people had done it so I thought it was okay". I pointed out the lockers directly opposite - not even hidden from view - and suggested that maybe she'd be better using a lockeri in future. I could tell she wasn't happy ...

So what's the protocol these days? Should I have moved it all out into an open locker? Or sat on their stuff in my wet costume to pay them back? [tongue firmly in cheek with that latter suggestion]

If there are other cubicles free I use another one. If there are not I just turf all their stuff out onto the wet floor outside the cubicle while I use it then shove it back in again when I leave. I deliberately dump it on the floor and not in a locker because if it gets wet then hopefully these people will realise it's not ok to just leave your stuff blocking cubicles and will start putting in a locker.

I used to just wait for an empty cubicle but this is such a big problem at my kids swimming lessons now I've completely lost patience with it.

No it’s really not ok to take up a whole cubicle that many other people could have been using in the meantime. Really selfish behaviour.

You’re nicer than me!
I’d put all stuff outside cubicle and left it.
just like they did.
I do they same when people “reserve” sun beds.

I move stuff out if there are no cubicles free. We shower at home after and so are in and out in a few mins. Have had a bit of agro from a couple of people. Such weird, entitled behavior. Periodically posters are put up asking for cubicles to be kept free which are swiftly torn down.

I'd move it out. I wouldn't keep it with me. Cubicles are usually fairly small, so I don't want the limited bench space to be used up by someone else's abandoned belongings. I'm already annoyed by their behaviour; I don't want to keep being reminded of it by their items. Plus, I'd rather avoid the people doing it if I can help it.

This is hard to follow. If you saw the cubicle empty 1 min before, how likely is it that a family changed into costumes, left their stuff in the cubicle, went for a swim, got out and back to the cubicle.....all in the time it took for you to finish your shower and get part way through changing.

Perhaps more likely they'd already swum, unloaded their locker into a cubicle and then had to take a child to the loo or similar, returning to find you using the cubicle?

But yes in general, cubicle hogging is very annoying. And I've never written the word 'cubicle' so many times in my life!

There are massive signs all over our local pool changing room to stop this. When people used to bagsy cubicles there were always lots of staff to ask who would just stick it in an empty locker - so maybe that's the protocol but I would grudgingly handle other peoples clothes. Some people would get very angry that their stuff had been touched/moved. I doubt entitled woman will do it again. I'm sure she was prickly because she knew full well she was in the wrong

At my local swimming pool people either use the lockers or lug their bags onto the benches alongside of the pool. Mainly the latter. We're tight in my neck of the woods.

Commandeering a whole cubicle whilst swimming is beyond cheeky. Bagging a cubicle while showering totally reasonable.

I would have moved their stuff into a locker.

I do what you did, its so selfish and lazy of people to leave their stuff in a changing room when clearly there are lockers. I have done it in the past and taken a bit longer to get changed!

I’ve seen worse than this at ds’s swimming lesson. A dad actually left stuff in an empty cubicle and then locked it behind him with a coin.

As well as being a total CF it seems bloody risky to me. There are lots and lots of changing rooms and all you have to do is count row 2, cubicle 3 when it should be row 3 cubicle 2 and you would find yourself walking in on someone else’s naked child and being accused of being a sex offender!

The real irony is that there are loads and loads of cubicles - the “reserved” ones are the ones closest to the showers but it is only a case of walk another 6 foot and there will be a lovely empty one.

At DC’s swimming lessons there was one woman who always left her DC’s stuff in one of the two cubicles (rest was open plan).

I moved it to outside the cubicle and used the cubicle (it didn’t get wet, she had a round mat for standing on, which I piled everything on top of). She got very cross and said that it was bagsied. I said that’s not the rules here. She accused me of racism.

Whole thing was very unpleasant, and her behaviour intimidated all the other mums there into letting her bagsy the cubicle every week.