Letting a delivery driver use your loo

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...

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!

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 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.

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

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.

I would rather they ask to use the loo than what happened to me. I used to own a small piece of woodland over the road from my home and a delivery driver needed to go and defecated in my wood he used some of his paperwork to wipe himself so I knew which company he came from I complained to no avail I was the one who had to go and dig a hole and bury it.

JackyB

As I have said before (sorry if it's too often) we don't have supermarket deliveries here in Germany.

That's interesting. How do disabled people and those who are housebound manage if they cannot get to the shops - do they have to rely on family or kindly neighbours?

As a 'medically vulnerable' person - during the Covid lockdown, the supermarket deliveries were an essential to people like us - no family in the UK... of course we have friends, but many were in the same boat, and anyway one doesn't like to impose on a regular basis.

Do you think it will 'catch-on' in Germany?

LizVck

I would rather they ask to use the loo than what happened to me. I used to own a small piece of woodland over the road from my home and a delivery driver needed to go and defecated in my wood he used some of his paperwork to wipe himself so I knew which company he came from I complained to no avail I was the one who had to go and dig a hole and bury it.

I think I'd have been tempted to take that story to the Daily Mail - they're quite good at naming-and-shaming. They're also quite good at campaigning for groups like veterans, pensioners, etc - they might have felt inclined to campaign on behalf of the drivers for regulated sanitary amenities!

We are a first-world nation - this is so damned primitive! There should be facilities along the routes, specifically for their use, where they can use soap and water.

On-the-road workers can, of course, use the facilities in supermarkets - as the man who came to read my electricity meter said, "no one checks on who is going to the loo". But it's all a bit hit and miss.

if i had a house with downstairs toilet yes i would let them as i have a home thats one leval yes again i would let them but an up stairs loo then no

JayDee60

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.

What would you do if a plumber had to replace something in your bathroom, have the smelling salts handy?

I remember asking at a petrol station in Germany if I could use the toilleten, bitte. I was given a key and long instructions which I barely understood. I must have found it and was grateful. 😀

I seem to remember seeing a programme about Taxi drivers, in London, and dotted about were little green painted huts? that the drivers could use.
Delivery drivers could do with a network of such facilities, but who would finance it?

I have sympathy for anyone doing that sort of work. I worked on the census in 2021 and found going door to door for long periods a bit of a problem. There were a couple of places near my main area - Tesco and the railway station - but one day I was in a part of town I was unfamiliar with and suddenly needed to go. I was working with another person and had to make my excuses, dive back in the car and drive to the town centre Tesco. Thankfully I made it in time but in doing so I was concentrating so hard on getting there fast that I drove in a bus lane and got a ticket. I ended up spending rather more than a penny!

I have a downstairs cloakroom so would let a driver use that but I wouldn't want someone I didn't know going upstairs.

I do let tradespeople on my premises use the bathroom when they ask but I'm always surprised when they query removing their workboots before going upstairs. I've noticed they rarely wash their hands and almost always leave the seat up! We once had a male/female decorator couple that used the bathroom first thing and always opened a window that we never used as it was hard to close (there was an alternative!). I wouldn't allow a random stranger in, but if they were genuine a delivery person would be allowed in. I would find it embarrassing to ask tbh so I imagine they'd feel the same.

Auntieflo

I seem to remember seeing a programme about Taxi drivers, in London, and dotted about were little green painted huts? that the drivers could use.
Delivery drivers could do with a network of such facilities, but who would finance it?

... it could / should be financed jointly by those that employ them, or for whom they deliver?

Of course, it would eat into their profits, so they'd pass the cost on to the customer.

But it is unsafe, and unsanitary, for them to use plastic bags and hedgerows, and, I am informed by a Tesco driver - they are not supposed to request to use their customers' toilets. For legal reasons.

A delivery driver asked every time he came to the house could he use the lavatory. Became rather concerned (prostate cancer) and asked if he had a problem (ex nurse) and he replied that my house was clean 🫢. Now a regular routine!

Why do we not have enough public lavatories? Is it due entirely to lack of funds for provision and maintenance, or perhaps under use has prompted local authorities to close the facilities. There were several public lavatories in the local town, but a department store with spotlessly clean and very smart cloakrooms has closed, and the council are allegedly 'upgrading' the ones near the town centre. They have been closed for so long that people suspect they may never open again .

My home town has lost three sets of public loos recently. One in the bus station, which is a real loss for people making long journeys, one because they were demolished to create a car park, and the other because the Town Hall foyer is no longer kept open.

When the shops are closed the only loos are in pubs, and even when the shops are open it's only M&S that has ones that are open to passers by - the rest are all 'customers only'.

My late DH was an insurance inspector (back when they had them), and told me how desperate he used to get.

So, yes, I do let people like that use the loo.

I've never had a problem with doing that.🙂

Sadly, so many public loos are vandalised. It’s been a problem in my nearest town, visited by many holidaymakers.

This is all made worse by the disappearance of public loos. Public loos disappeared years ago. Since covid the local supermarkets have closed their toilets. . The library has no customer toilets. Large shopping centres are the only places with public loos but are often in hard to find out of the way places.
When I travel outside London, stations have toilets but none in the london suburbs except for a few large stations like East Croydon.
I sometimes resort to buying a tea or coffee in a cafe so I can use the loo.

Not if I was alone - no way.

Of course I would let a delivery driver use the loo. Not a problem.

mabon1

Not if I was alone - no way.

Why , on earth, not? Do you think they are going to attack you? ransack yourhome? hold you to hostage? These are people doing a difficult, job, very time restricted.

I am quite astonished that people are so very scared of anyone they do not know. How do you all manage when needing to have builder or repair people coming into your homes? They are strangers also.