Next changing rooms- how should I respond?

[Mattressahoy]

Looking for advice re how to respond to the following email. I recently contacted Next to let them know that on the last two occasions I tried on clothes in their Oxford Street store, there had been men in the changing rooms (at this point I thought they were single-sex). The first time a man was sitting in the communal area of the changing room, and the second time a man was in a changing room opposite mine. Both times I was trying on swimming costumes and felt really vulnerable being naked with a man directly on the other side of the curtain.

This was Next's response:

"Thank you for your e-mail and I am sorry to hear you have felt uncomfortable on your last couple of visits to our stores, due to the presence of male customers in the fitting rooms on the Womenswear floor.

Just to explain, our position has always been that all fitting rooms, irrespective of which department they are situated on, are open to all customers to use, and they are not designated as a single-sex provision. Hence the signage above the entrance just saying 'Fitting Rooms', rather than 'Men's' or 'Women's' Fitting Rooms.

We want to encourage customers to be able to use whichever facility is most convenient for them at the time. For example, for customers placing orders online for delivery to store, the collection point in most of our stores is on Menswear so female customers may find it more convenient to use those fitting rooms to try items on and decide what they wish to keep or return while they are still in store.

We are continuously reviewing and updating our fitting rooms, for example, by attaching hook and eye fixtures to secure the curtains in fitting rooms in our existing stores in order to make customers feel more comfortable, and we are also looking at alternatives to replace curtains in fitting rooms when we re-fit stores or open new ones."

I feel really disappointed with Next and don't feel they're taking women's safety seriously. They have changing rooms in the women's section and in the men's, so in what way would it be detrimental to them to make one specifically for women and one for men? There is absolutely no reason for men to need to access the changing room on the women's floor as all the men's clothes are on the upstairs floor, with it's own changing room. And I can't imagine many women actively choosing to use changing facilities on the men's floor. What is the legal position here? I thought that under the Equality Act companies can provide a single-sex space where there is good reason to do so?

At the very least, I would want there to be clear signage stating the changing rooms are unisex so that women can be made aware that they do not have access to a safe single-sex space before they enter. Is that unreasonable? Is there anything else I could add?

Marks have the same policy with the sign saying 'Fitting rooms' - except the images outside in the women's sections are photos of female models. Women think they are in single sex spaces. These shops are not taking women and their concerns seriously.

Oh ffs - Next only have curtains?

I wonder if it could be indirect discrimination against women

I complained to New Look a bout something similar and got a similar response.

they too only have flimsy certain that don’t meet at th edge and there were lots of men in the central bit just hanging around. I feel very exposed and uncomfortable.

new look didn’t care at all.

in their response , I was informed that the store manager was a queer identifying male and that he had the right to enter the changing rooms. I didn’t mentioned the store managers sexuality, presentation or appearance in my complaint. I merely pointed out that men in a female fitting room wasn’t ideal.

I don’t shop there any more.

I had this in a branch of John Lewis recently. Middle aged man sitting in the middle of the changing room (in the women’s department), giving feedback to his female partner trying things on. Why was he not sitting outside the changing room on the seat with all the other men??? I had three items to try on and he gave me the appraising look every time I went out of the cubicle.

I loudly complained to the young assistant, who looked mortified. Not her responsibility of course, but I wanted the entitled bloke to know he was not welcome in a single sex space like a changing room. Still cross about it!!

You had pants on right?

This whole malarkey seems to me to be a problem in “right on cities” i live in the Provences where i have yet to come across mixed sex changing spaces, including big name retailers like next or M and S

It annoys me somewhat because i would in a heartbeat take a retailer to court. In the Supreme Court ruling it was commented upon that such mixed sex provision would amount to sex discrimination.

if you do not have the metal or inclination to mount a legal challenge (which i totally understand) then complain away to no avail or boycott.

This is a weird question to ask.

Boundaries aren't foolish

Perhaps you should of told the man to fuck off not berate the poor young assistant who was probably at a loss of what to do

No it isn’t… the OP mentions being naked however obviously you shouldn’t be naked trying on anything! Of course underwear needs to be kept on underneath for hygiene reasons.. this person is obviously just checking they know this.

Making a complaint to someone who works there isn’t outlandish, it’s called speaking up. I wasn’t horrible or rude. But I wanted him (and the other women that were also using the changing room) to know that I found it unsettling and uncomfortable.

"Thank you for your considered reply.
I shall no longer be providing you with my custom, I cannot and should not be expected to put my safety and dignity aside for company profits"

Is being naked other than pants on stop a woman feeling vulnerable with men in the changing room?
So yeah, was a weird question going by the OP's reasoning about the thread.

Yep, this would be my answer too.

Am I mistaken too, there are supposed to be single-sex spaces again now by law?

I have to admit the Next I use has the pick up point near the men’s section, but it would never cross my mind to walk over to the nearest changing room (by men’s clothing) to try things on. Is this common? Personally I think for most of these shops it’s a big con - the changing rooms are inevitably besides either the men’s or women’s clothing and people naturally assume they are divided by sex. They don’t want to make a big deal about it because the more people become aware, they either complain OR those with bad intentions take advantage.

Is this bit of the Next response true

Just to explain, our position has always been that all fitting rooms, irrespective of which department they are situated on, are open to all customers to use

I'm pretty sure that, when Next was founded, in 1992(?) men presenting themselves in the ladies changing room would have been given pretty short shrift.

No. Men wait outside. It’s not an unusual complaint, believe me. Your belief that women uncomfortable with men in spaces where they have their clothes off is fine and dandy isn’t more important than the discomfort this causes huge numbers of other women.

CEO is lord Wolfson,

Contact information for Lord Wolfson of Aspley Guise - MPs and Lords - UK Parliament

Not sure what his position on trans has been during debates

It's a money saver Op, they keep staff numbers down by shutting down the till in menswear and letting everyone use the ladies fitting room. Once again, a shop thst puts money before women's safety and privacy

I was once very firmly told to leave the ‘male’ changing room in Next. This was around 10 years ago. It was in menswear, but not labelled as male only.
For context, dh was trying items on. I was holding an item that I wanted to try and was about to go to the female changing, then realised they both seemed to be unisex (as we would have said back then)
A male staff member approached me before I even got into a cubicle.

I think if it's labelled 'women's fitting room' it has to be for women so they've just made them all unisex but haven't advertised it

These sort of comments are nasty. I see lots of "I'm embarrassed for you" comments on aibu. It's not ok.

@Mattressahoy didn't make a fool of herself. She was making a legitimate complaint to a representative of the company. Or are all women just supposed to shut up and "be kind" now?

If we consider the guidance for unisex toilets in the workplace, unisex cubicles should have fully enclosed, lockable doors and recommend full height doors to ensure privacy. Toilets should be clearly labelled as unisex.
Therefore if Next are insisting on this position then they need to ensure that their changing rooms have lockable doors as opposed to curtains. However, this would require Next to spend money to alter their changing rooms.