Letting a delivery driver use your loo

Exactly the same thing happened to me whilst in Boots Opticians in the centre of Sheffield. Due to major surgery due to esophageal/gastric cancer, I suffer from the symptoms of IBS. I had to leave the shop to use the loos in nearby M & S. I will never use Boots Opticians again.

My ds delivered for Ocado for a while & it's shocking & disgusting how little opportunity they got to use a toilet! They would only ask if they were absolutely desperate. In fact they are not allowed to even step over the threshold of a private home, not even to use the loo. This is for their own protection as much as anything. You could put yourself in danger or be falsely accused of anything if you go into a private house. One hot day he was so desperate for the loo, not even had time for a lunch break the home owner invited him in to use the loo & gave him a drink, she felt so sorry for him

I know its not logical in terms of thefts, but unless it felt wrong I'd let a woman delivery driver use my loo.

Its not happened yet so I'm not sure about the towel change as I live alone and the towel is for hands face and everything.

I’m sorry but as much as I sympathise with drivers doing a great job delivering I would not let any use my toilet facilities. I wouldn’t feel comfortable knowing a perfect stranger had been in my bathroom.

I’d let a supermarket delivery driver use my downstairs toilet. I’d feel pretty bad saying no as I’m sure they’d only ask if they were desperate.
I have let the window cleaner use the toilet in the past but he had been cleaning our windows for years.
I’d never let a random stranger use it though!

Many years ago, I lived directly opposite a primary school. One morning, a mum I knew only by sight knocked on my door to ask if she could use my loo. She lived 200 yards further down the road. I directed her in that direction...

ParlorGames

We have a downstairs and an upstairs loo so offering the use of toilet facilities wouldn't be a problem. The delivery drivers who do call here don't hang around long enough to even say "hello" - just drop the parcel on the steps and hoppit back to the van. There is a large 24 hour supermarket very close by plus two pubs so I might be inclined to direct someone there if I was on my own at home.

However, during the hot weather we do tell our posties to ask for water if they want a drink - the only time we buy bottled water - and offer the use of the loo should they need it.

* * *

From what I hear - and from experience - delivery drivers often don't have time to stop, and just drop the parcel and run. I wouldn't be surprised if they wore nappies to enable them to keep within their inhumanly tight schedules.

As I have said before (sorry if it's too often) we don't have supermarket deliveries here in Germany. I can only judge by Amazon and other parcel services.

Bijou

Years ago they would use the hedge!
Remember in the 1930s coaches would draw up in convenient place. The men would go in front of the hedge and ladies behind the hedge.
In the 1960s in Belgium my husband pulled up at a garage and asked for the toilet and was pointed to the wall in full view of the road!

... as long as the hedge isn't surrounding your garden - because there's not that many other hedges in an inner city.

Years ago they would use the hedge!
Remember in the 1930s coaches would draw up in convenient place. The men would go in front of the hedge and ladies behind the hedge.
In the 1960s in Belgium my husband pulled up at a garage and asked for the toilet and was pointed to the wall in full view of the road!

pascal30

Fortunately my seaside town is now reinstating public loos after a big public outcry, I would always let trades use my loo and make themselves a drink whilst they work on my house.. I've never been asked by a delivery person but would probably say yes..
however OP answered the question directed to her..which was fair enough IMO

Fortunately my seaside town is now reinstating public loos after a big public outcry,

Glad to hear that - a seaside-town removing its loos? Ridiculous.

When I was in Cape Town SA - all the beaches had public toilet facilities... if that nation, with all its challenges, can provide them, why can't we?

Why do we appear to just accept this removal of such a very basic and necessary public amenity?

Delivery drivers peeing in bottles, millions (and it is millions) of people with medical conditions necessitating the need for them frequently, families with children...

Councils are starved of cash so they can't provide the basic amenities because they have to focus on the 'essentials', whilst £millions are awarded to companies to run our public services - and £billions wasted on useless PPE equipment.

"But there's not enough money" we meekly cry. Well, actually, there is - governments choose what they spend it on, and they've chosen not to spend it on public services.

Delivery drivers shouldn't have to depend on the good-will of their customers, or pee in a bottle. It's so bloody primitive. We're becoming like the third-world countries that so many deride.

(and yes, I was having a rant - because I'm one of the millions with 'problems' and have to think carefully before I go anywhere, which not infrequently means I can't go where I want to because there's no 'facilities')

I think I would if it was the downstairs toilet. If I was on my own, I would stand by the front door until he had come out though. I can see the toilet from the front door.

I do sympathise with delivery drivers when it comes to toilets. There seem to be fewer and fewer public loos these days.

I would have thought some of them would have one of those portable urinals. I know I would if it was my job.

If you need the loo every five minutes then being a delivery driver is not a good idea. For others I guess it depends how long the shift is as to what is reasonable. If someone is working in the house then even if you don’t particularly like the idea it would be churlish to refuse. I’m not particularly happy about delivery drivers using our loo, especially since Covid when no one came in at all. How did they manage during lockdown one wonders?

62Granny

Just had my supermarket shopping delivered and the driver ( not one I have seen before) asked me if there was any public toilets in our village, I pointed him in the direction of the library and the community centre both within a few yards of each other. Hubby said I should have offered him to use ours ?
What do you think ? AIBU?

Well I decided to do just this last week, I won't name the supermarket but the driver asked if there were any public toilets nearby, I said no , he said he was desperate so I said he could use ours. I won't be too graphic but what followed was me having to leave the fan on and countless amounts of bleach and anti bac spray. So no, don't think I will volunteer again !!!

Fortunately my seaside town is now reinstating public loos after a big public outcry, I would always let trades use my loo and make themselves a drink whilst they work on my house.. I've never been asked by a delivery person but would probably say yes..
however OP answered the question directed to her..which was fair enough IMO

We have an outside loo and delivery and post man are welcome to use it.

5 years ago I had to register my father's death. The registry office was inside the library in Stratford upon Avon and they made a point of saying that no toilets were available to the public. Their advice was to visit the one in Debenhams which was 2 streets away. Just what you need when you are upset and stressed about registering a death!

I would always allow someone to use my loo… it’s inhuman not to!

I too have had unfortunate experiences - a man repairing the washing machine in the utility room used the adjacent cloakroom without asking, and when he left I discovered that he had not flushed, and clearly had some sort of major internal problem. Only a few days later another man who had come to look at the drains along the road used my cloakroom without asking and left it in a dirty unpleasant state. I must be most unlucky - it has put me off allowing the use of the lavatory, but it would also depend upon the person; I wouldn't refuse a little old lady, particularly as I am one.

I live in retirement property and wouldn’t have a problem allowing anyone delivering to my door access to my toilet. I live alone and have a very soft dog i.e. I would probably have to protect him in the unlikely event that I was attacked or robbed. There’s nothing worse than being desperate to ‘ go ‘ However, when my Ocado delivery man asked where the nearest toilet was recently, I offered mine, he said they were not allowed to use their customer’s facilities ! So I directed him to one on the ground floor.

I was once in a seaside cafe with my 3 Yr old gd. She was eating ice cream when she asked to go to the toilet. The cafe owner told us to cross the busy road to the civic centre. His toilet was for staff only. We reluctantly went across the road and she barely made it. When we got back her ice cream had melted. What a fiasco.

Buffy

I said yes to an IKEA delivery driver because he’s been on the road for hours. I’m embarrassed to say I changed the towel when he left.

What a horrible thought to have about someone 😟
Not only horrible but senseless, he’d washed his hands.
Do you change the towel every time you use it?

B9exchange you can get a Just Can’t Wait Card which you can discretely show in shops and they should allow you to use their toilet.

🙂much easier for a man to have discreet wee! I wouldn't like to ask tbh would you

I bet the drivers are choosey who they would ask bearing in mind the number of premises they visit!

many years ago my child was playing at a friends house but ran home to use our toilet, I asked why and he said the friends toilet was 'dirty rotten filthy'.

I said yes to an IKEA delivery driver because he’s been on the road for hours. I’m embarrassed to say I changed the towel when he left.