Letting a delivery driver use your loo

Have I missed something?
OP’s delivery driver didn’t ask to use her loo, or did he?
I wouldn’t expect my shopping delivery driver to ask, but workmen in the house may of course.
I have to admit that when one of the gas fitters asked to use our downstairs loo during the pandemic, I was in there as soon as they had gone armed with the Marigolds, the Domestos, Harpic and Cif , new towels and hand steriliser and didn’t use it myself for a full 24 hours afterwards! We know now that Covid wasn’t spread by surface contact, uti we didn’t know then!

Ive got a young window cleaner/grass cutter chap and he uses my loo sometimes. There's no public toilets around here. It's never occurred to me that it might be dodgy. I think I can trust him. It is a problem though, isn't it.

My postman knows he's welcome to use my loo any time he needs to if I am in, and does very occasionally knock even if he doesn't have a delivery for me. Any delivery driver who asked would also be accommodated. I can understand if it was just a random knock at the door by a stranger, but anyone with a legitimate reason to come to my door who needs the loo will be welcome to use it, given that it will usually be in daylight hours. My biggest fear would be if I hadn't just cleaned it or if the hand towel hadn't been changed for a couple of days, when I'd be profusely apologising!

The problem is, there are so few public toilets now and many drivers out on the road - for extended hours.

What are they supposed to do?

The idea of them peeing into a bottle en route... hmm - do they sanitise their hands?

Perhaps it's time this problem was addressed - health, safety and adequate working conditions appear to have gone out of the window.

Per 100K of population we are 20th on the list with 15 toilets - behind most European countries... top of the list is Iceland and Switzerland, with 58 and 46 respectively. We tie with Lithuania and Cyprus, and only just beat Belarus who have 14 per 100K.

Global Britain - open for business. But tough luck if you need a pee whilst you're walking around.

But, at least we're not as bad as the American south - Louisiana has only 1.2 per 100K of population along with Mississippi, though Texas and Tennessee fair better with 2.6 and 2.8 per 100K.

I think these figures were compiled by The British Toilet Association (yes, there is such an organisation).

We live just down the road from a bus terminus, and there used to be a little public toilet beside it which was used by the bus drivers. It's gone now, and as the public toilets in the village (and many other local ones) are also closed now, I do feel sorry for them, as they must have a long wait if they do need the loo.

I notice many of you say that yes, you let them in to use the ‘downstairs’ loo.

What if you only have an ‘upstairs’ loo though?

Are you keen for them to be upstairs, do you hover about until they come down again?

I have very few deliveries, any workmen use the loo, but they are known to me.

I had an engineer here changing my electric meter. He was here quite a while and asked if he could use the downstairs cloakroom. I said yes. It would have seemed churlish to say no.

Yes I would, even if I was on my own, I’ve also offered cold drinks (compounding the issue?) when the weather is hot.

Last time I was asked was during lockdown when a taxi driver drove my (very poorly) daughter from Liverpool to my Cornwall home for respite care. Of course I said yes.

Previous to that I let a couple I didn't know use my town centre flat to change for a wedding. I'd got talking to them in a café because I'd noticed that they looked panicky; they'd arrived at their holiday let to not be allowed in for several hours and the wedding was imminent. No public loos nearby and anyway she needed a hairdryer. I've never seen anyone so grateful and suspect it's a story that's been told to their friends many times since!

JaxJaxy I too have done the same as you allowed delivery men and women the use of my toilet and given them cold drinks from the fridge when the weathers hot

For those people worried about being on their own when a driver asks to use the loo. Just pretend to call upstairs to someone so it at least sounds like there is someone else in residence. Might help.

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.

This is something I have never thought about before.
It must be awful, trying to do your job and needing the loo, public toilets are few and far between.

Our window cleaner once told me we are the only household that offers him a drink!
After our burglary the detectives kept coming to see us for no particular reason, we eventually twigged it was for good coffee, cake and a loo!

So yes I would have welcomed the delivery driver in to use the loo!

I think the various companies - Amazon, supermarket chains, etc, should be compelled to 'club' together to provide some kind of 'portakabin'-style toilets strategically placed (and serviced) throughout the country for the specific use of those on whom their business depends. Or fund local councils so that they could provide them.

It's upstairs here and I live alone no dog so it would depend tbh if they were known to me. However there is one in a big garage not too far away.

.....but I really do deplore the lack of public loos or loos in shops.

Just looked it up Dickens, "Over the last two decades, the number of public facilities in the UK has dropped by 39%, while the population has increased by more than eight million."

I have but felt uncomfortable as I live alone. But I look at them and think what if he were my grandson. I then do a military clean as I’m prone to,

The Sainsbury's delivery people sometimes ask to use my loo. Yes, I live by myself in a flat, would never have even dreamed of refusing this request OR to be nervous about it.

As my bathroom is only used by visitors (I use my en-suite), I know that it is always clean etc. Check it out after any visitor use it.

For ten years I suffered from Ulcerative Colitus - can remember how urgent it was to find a loo when I needed to go. Back in the eighties there were more public toilets, and I knew every single one and what time they were open on my regular driving routes (taking my children to their activities).

I would NEVER refuse anyone asking to use a loo in my home.

On Tuesday last week a lady rabbi actually spoke about this on Thought For The Day! I think you can get in on iPlayer.

No I would not offer the use of my facilities, I don't have a downstairs loo and I certainly do not want strangers upstairs in my home.

Our public toilets have all closed; even local M&S have closed theirs so for me life is more difficult so go on a bus a twenty minute ride away where there are proper facilities. Yes I would let a delivery driver (so long as he was delivering to me and not unknown.).

I live alone and am disabled so it depends on the circumstances. Many of my delivery drivers are familiar to me as I run a business. I would not hesitate to allow them to use the downstairs loo. Similarly the Tesco drivers as I know which company they belong to. None have ever asked.

I would not allow a random workperson unless they were actually doing a job in my house. There are pubs and cafes and garages within a 5 minute drive.

Here is yet another advantage of answering the door using a ring doorbell. If its not a delivery specifically for you then you can always say "sorry Im not at home. Try another house."

You could leave a box of matches. Sulphurous smells disappear. And so does the house...in a puff of smoke!

I suffer from severe Ulcerative Colitis and my life has been changed many ways since diagnosis, I'm also acutely aware of the lack of public toilets...any journey I make is planned around the availability of those facilities.
So I'd be happy to allow anyone to use my bathroom especially if it was a person who had reason to call ie delivering to my home.

Never had a supermarket delivery, but my mum did and she or he always brought the groceries into the kitchen
If you let her/him in for your own convenience without worrying, myself I'd let them use the loo for their convenience
How shocking they have to pee in bottles.