Woman urinates on herself

[yisman]

Thursday, June 9, 2005

Woman denied use of public restroom at Rochester thrift store

http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artic...EWS05/106090089

By ADAM D. KRAUSS

Democrat Staff Writer

akrauss@fosters.com

ROCHESTER ? The local Salvation Army thrift store is planning on allowing shoppers to use the restroom from now on after a Somersworth woman urinated herself Wednesday when employees would not allow her to use the bathroom.

The city's health and plumbing inspector, after conferring with the state's chief plumbing inspector, notified store employees and the supervisor that they were wrong in denying the woman access to the bathroom. City and state codes require that customers, patrons and visitors to such public businesses must be allowed to use toilet facilities.

City Inspector Robert Dingee said, "I called the state just to cover my (rear end) and, yes, they have to allow public facilities and that's what the code reads and that's what the code is and I brought it over to them and told them they need to have access to public facilities."

Nancy Allen, the state inspector, agreed, listing a series of state codes dating back to the late 1970s in addition to the 2000 edition of the International Plumbing Code, which the city adopted. Allen said a store that violates codes can be found guilty of a misdemeanor charge in district court.

Police were called to the scene by a store employee around 10:53 a.m. Both parties agreed not to file any charges, police said.

The woman, who requested anonymity because of the circumstances, said she stopped at Walgreen's to use the bathroom before making her weekly trip to the Signal Street store. The 42-year-old "every day mother" of four, who suffers from anxiety and depression, said the medication she takes makes her "have to go to the bathroom a lot."

"I went over to the (store) for not even 10 minutes and then all of a sudden I couldn't even move," she said. "I needed to use the bathroom ... asked them and they said no and I begged them and cried and made quite an ass out of myself and they said go ahead and pee on the floor so I peed on the floor standing near the bathroom that they would not let me go in."

The woman and employees said she did not pull down her pants. She was not forced to clean it up.

The woman named the store employee who told her to "pee on the floor," but that employee declined to speak with a reporter.

Carol Hirt, the store manager, witnessed what took place. She said the employees were following a longstanding store policy not to allow people to use the bathrooms and were not aware of the codes. Stressing nobody was trying to be mean to the woman, Hirt said it didn't make sense to her that the woman didn't take their advice and go to a nearby business to use the facilities as other patrons do.

"If she had the time to shop and the time to argue with us then she would have had the time to go to the bathroom," Hirt said. Later in the day, Hirt said, "We were just told ... that we have to do it (have public restrooms) so we'll do it."

Asked if an exception should have been made since the woman said it was an emergency, Hirt said, "We hear that all day. How do you know when which one is a true emergency and which one isn't?"

Hirt said this is the first time something like this happened, but not the first time customers, young and old, have relieved themselves in the store, like in dressing rooms. "I'm very sorry it had to happen," she said.

Chris Wagner, who supervises all northern New England stores, said the employees were not intentionally disregarding codes. "For years we were under the impression that if you're not a restaurant facility then you did not need to provide public restrooms." The store has been there since 1980 or '81, he said. "They were only going by what they were told when they were being trained. I don't fault them for sticking to the policy."

Wagner disputed some of what the woman said. He said he knew the character of his employees and "at no point would they say go in your pants." He claimed the woman got "belligerent" and cursed at the employeesThe woman did not deny she used a swear word when referring to one of the employeesb>, but said she pleaded to use the bathroom and was told she couldn't.

At least two other Salvation Army stores in the state allow the public to use the bathrooms. Mark Cincotta, a cashier at the Penacook store in Concord, said restrooms are available for customers. "I do know that all of the stores I've worked at do have them," he said. An employee who did not want to give his name at the Storrs Street store in Concord said it's the same case there.

The woman said she contacted a Dover lawyer who told her he was going to contact the American Civil Liberties Union. She said she was not looking for money, but is not ruling out bringing charges against the store.

"Do I want to sue a store that helps people?" the woman asked. "I give to the Salvation Army. ... I don't want to hurt the organization because they are really good people at the Salvation Army, but I'm angry at the people" at the store. She said this never happened to her before.

READ STORY HERE

Edited June 16, 2005 by yisman

[Kerm]

It's ridiculous to not allow her to use the bathroom which she was standing next to. She is on medication that gives her a weak bladder.

I'm placing blame on the store and employee's on this one.

[Doli]

Asked if an exception should have been made since the woman said it was an emergency, Hirt said, "We hear that all day. How do you know when which one is a true emergency and which one isn't?"

...............? :huh:

so there is potty and there is a potty emergency, i guess its an emergency when people have there hands holding it in, well for us guys :laugh:

[sdb815]

Poor woman. Too bad she lacks the proper equipment to aim, she could have ****ed right in their face. :laugh:

[Cyranthus]

if i was that woman, i would of pulled down my pants and peed on the floor, then spit on the employees, then leave... ****in pricks!

[zanzibar]

Screw that, if I have to go and somebody tells me "No", I'd push them aside and go into their bathroom anyway. What is the store going to do? That, or you could just drop your pants and urinate on the floor while giving the employee the finger. I think the second would be more fun.

[yisman]

she should've dropped her pants. But seriously, she could have gone to another store.

[devyant]

Well, employers don't ever teach their employees to be flexible do they?

[NeoXY]

Well, employers don't ever teach their employees to be flexible do they?

586055969[/snapback]

:laugh: :laugh: ....I think they just lack the brains...:laugh:

[Lasker]

this remember me a lot of public stores like wendy's and others that u have to buy something if u want to use the bathroom, that's stupid, u have to be a customer in order to use a dirty and nasty bathroom

[Denis W. Veteran]

Poor woman. Too bad she lacks the proper equipment to aim, she could have ****ed right in their face. :laugh:

586055411[/snapback]

LMFAO. If she did that it would be her that will be charged for some pretty perverted assault. :laugh:

That, or you could just drop your pants and urinate on the floor while giving the employee the finger.  I think the second would be more fun.

586055426[/snapback]

If that happened, you better hope that someone doesn't have a camcorder with them ;)

[devyant]

LMFAO. If she did that it would be her that will be charged for some pretty perverted assault. :laugh:

586056017[/snapback]

I think the guys wouldnt mind (if she was some nice chick), but still its enraging they didnt let the women in after she cried and begged. Especially the one who told her to pee on the floor.

[Gelob]

...............?  :huh:

so there is potty and there is a potty emergency, i guess its an emergency when people have there hands holding it in, well for us guys    :laugh:

586055395[/snapback]

Im surprised this isnt talked about in schools. They dont let us use the bathroom all the time even when we really have to go. Although by the 2nd semested my teachers realize i have no friends and wont sneak out anywhere

[Bushrat]

Point and laugh :D

[Fred Derf Veteran]

Yes, it seems like a petty issue (considering there was a washroom in a nearby restaurant that she probably could have gone to) but the store staff seemed pretty rude and unapologetic about the incident especially considering that they were legally in the wrong.

[xpablo]

I'd sue the store and get the manager fired !

if it's an emergency especially @ a drug store.

I dunno whats with retail stores these days, I was @ WalMart today there were only 5 cashiers lanes open and the store has 15 cash lanes, took me almost 40 mins to pay for my stuff. :angry:

But as for the bathroom thing I'd seek damages for humilation, even if it were only a couple G's . :crazy:

[tunafish]

were i work in the UK, a little local supermarket thing (sainsburys) as we are a little store we dont have to provide a toilet for customers, but if they ask we take them upstairs to use staff toilets

But i still think its wrong that they dont allow people to use the toilet!

[tomwarren Veteran]

Source?

[golazo]

that's hot

[Stonkwell Bogtrotter]

""If she had the time to shop and the time to argue with us then she would have had the time to go to the bathroom,"

Simple as that really. I think that says it all. :rolleyes:

[stanneh]

the salvation army should be hounded with complaints about that stores conduct.

[AXiao]

should be flexible to save the arguing part so she can pee, jee, someone obviously went through the entire "interview guide book" without even thinking about real life applications

[Farstrider]

This story sounds like a porn site, "I peed on myself in the store today!" :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

[zanzibar]

""If she had the time to shop and the time to argue with us then she would have had the time to go to the bathroom,"

Simple as that really. I think that says it all.  :rolleyes:

586057739[/snapback]

Doesn't change the fact that what the store did was illegal :rolleyes:

[Doli]

I'd sue the store and get the manager fired !

if it's an emergency especially @ a drug store.

I dunno whats with retail stores these days, I was @ WalMart today there were only 5 cashiers lanes open and the store has 15 cash lanes, took me almost 40 mins to pay for my stuff.  :angry:

But as for the bathroom thing I'd seek damages for humilation, even if it were only a couple G's .  :crazy:

586056621[/snapback]

a thrift store not a drug store and its the Salvation Army. You would sue the Salvation Army? whats wrong with you. What they did was bad but the woman is taking a better approach than you would. Would you sue the Red Cross for money also? sue charity come on man :no: