I never feel guilty - just grateful there's a bathroom available when I need it!!!

I've used McDonald's or other fast food restaurants restrooms and I have used one at a convience store...but, I wouldn't go into a sit down restaurant, just to use the rest room. No.
I don't feel guilty. I hardly ever use the restroom in those places, but if I have to go, I will. Once in awhile I will buy a drink on my way out...if I want a drink...but I don't feel guilty if I don't.

No I don't feel guilty. When I have to go, I have to go.

I have run into a convenience store before to use the restroom, and I do feel guilty if I don't buy anything. So I will buy a pack of gum or a lottery ticket before leaving.

If I hadn't bought from them before I suppose I would feel a tinge of guilt. If it was a daily stop, I would probably buy from them. Going into a fast food chain that I buy from regularly (even in another city) I don't feel guilty at all. It has to be clean though!

A whole nother story....
When I had younger kids I remember telling my friends that I wouldn't shop places that forbid my toddlers use the bathroom. If they want my buisiness, the kids have to potty WHEN they have to potty. If they send us out to walk two blocks, we don't return, ever.

Yes, I do it when I need to and I don't feel the least bit guilty. I figure that I have been in there to buy coffee many times when I didn't have to use the bathroom, so I should be able to use the bathroom when I don't have to buy coffee!

No, they put them there as a courtesy to customers. I buy enough McD's food every year to justify using their rest rooms any time I want. I don't leave a mess behind. I gon't sprinkle when I tinkle and I always wash my hands.

I've never done it but the truth is that I certainly would and not feel guilty.

I don't like using public restrooms. I avoid it whenever possible. But when ya gotta go, ya gotta go. And I don't feel guilty. All too often I'm disgusted at the condtion of the restrooms though!

I guess I don't stop at a coffee shop. Stores are generally where I'd use them. There's been times I've been grocery shopping or at Target, Kmart or something and had the urge to purge. Once even at a Walgreens. Felt a bit bad about asking there. I should say I was more embarrassed than feeling bad about it. They shouldn't have to provide restroom facilities for the world.

One of the c-stores I managed had a bathroom with paint spattered all over it. It was clean, but just didn't look good. And there was no hot water in there. Naturally people complained about it so much, made threats about calling "the state" and whatever, I finally said enough, and made a storeroom out of it. No more use by the public. Whew, talk about angry people! LOL It was funny.

Always use them when I am in NYC

If I need a restroom, I use what's available (even yes, a sit down restaurant when I wasn't eating there, once)--and no, I don't feel guilty a bit. No, I wouldn't make an unplanned purchase just because I needed the restroom. I've made RR stops at fast food places, supermarkets, convenience stores, etc, over the years. Do try to avoid the dreaded and usually dirty gas stations, of course!

Just too many other things in life to worry about that are more important, IMO.

We make the drive to visit our family in Oregon usually once a month. For rennovations all the rest stops along I-5 are shut down and have only "chemical toilets" aka porta potties.
I refuse to use one of those nasty things, and I make my DH take me to either Startbucks or a fast food place to use the restroom.
So, no it doesn't bother me a bit! If you gotta go, you gotta go! Kathy

We make long road trips and will absolutely stop for no other reason. In fact, we use the motto "All for one and one for all..." if we stop, everyone goes in. Otherwise, the next kid will need to stop on 20 miles. Err! Even taking a bunch of kids in, I do not feel guilty. Especially at a McD's, where we have purchased enough on other days to make up for it. Even a gas station, though, I don't feel bad about it if I made no purchase.

I stop where ever I have to. If ya gotta go, ya gotta go. Sometimes I will buy something on my way out but most of the time, I will not. I don't feel guilty.

Here is an interesting web site that some may find interesting/helpful.

http://www.mizpee.com/mizpeeweb/welcome.do

sooey

Don't feel a bit guilty. I have a little thrift shop and have had people stop and ask if I have a restroom and don't mind them using it even though they don't buy anything. They may stop another time and make a purchase and as many have said, when you gotta go, you gotta go.

Have a funny story about a co-worker of mine. Many years ago she and her DH was going somewhere and stopped at a restaurant for lunch and she had to go to the restroom really bad, made a mad dash went in and sat down and said it was such a relief. She came out of the stall and that was when she noticed the urinals along the wall and man standing there, she was mortified, went running out and told her DH to hurry up they were leaving. He told her he thought she wanted to eat, she dragged him out and on way to the car told him what happened and didn't want to face that man when he came out the restroom. When she told us this at work we laughed until our sides hurt, this lady was so sweet and a minister's wife to boot!!

I do not feel guilty, because I always try to go into places that I go to alot anyway and feel that makes it OK:)

I go ahead and make a small purchase. Those businesses provide the bathroom for customers. I'd feel bad if I didn't buy a little something.

My dh and I take the family to Colorado and New Mexico for vacations. We like to go to out of the way places where you camp and there isn't much access to restrooms or running water. The businesses there require people to make a purchase before you can use the restroom. I don't blame them. If they didn't have those policies, they would probably be spending more on non-customer bathroom use than they were getting in business. Some of those non-customers are using the bathroom to practically bathe in which makes it even worse.

Nope.

I rarely use coffee shop rest rooms, but if I do I buy a little something. I don't know if I would feel guilty if I didn't, it's just automatic that I do that. I have noticed that coffee shop and convenience store rest rooms are cleaner than some of the department stores RR's that I have used.

Interesting topic, and I would not feel guilty at all about it. OTOH, when I was in France for my first vacation there, I was advised (when a bio break is needed) it is customary to always pause at a cafe, order something, at least a drink, and then it is proper to avail oneself of the restroom. It is considered impolite (and the waiters will stop you!!) to just drop in to use their bathroom.

Mind you, this I loved, because a pause at a sidewalk cafe in any part of France, is delightful to me! The people watching, the fragrances, the flower girls, the bakery aromas....

It has become more common around here to see a sign saying "Customers Only" and have the door locked so you have to ask for a key. It is to keep the homeless from using it. Once when we were at downtown Santa Cruz, my son had to use a restroom and we couldn't find any he could use. Finally we stopped at a coffee place and HAD to buy a cup of coffee to get the key. The problem was there was a line to use the one and only toliet and it was taking forever so we had to go elsewhere. I thought he was going to have an accident because of it. They have been doing that for many years around here. I understand a store's reasons for restricting use but don't like it. I have used chain restrooms like McDonalds and Target when I had too and not purchased anything.
Clare

You should feel guilty if you don't buy something in my opinion.
Business owners don't owe us the use of their bathrooms.
Their bathrooms aren't a public facility.
Toilet paper and water costs money.

I rarely go into a coffee shop but make it a point to purchase something at whatever store I use the restroom at.

Lori

I don't feel guilty. I know which restrooms are the cleanest in any direction I go on my regular running-around routes. I also know which have signs saying "For customer use only."

Where we live drugs are a huge problem. Most places of business have a sign on the window that washrooms are for customers only. It can be very tough to find a bathroom. Even the convenience stores don't have one for public use. Walmart, Zeller's, Safeway I know have bathrooms for the public, but restaurants and most stores here will not let you use the bathroom unless you are a customer, some won't even then.
Pay phones, too. The city has taken most of them away to cut down on the drug trafficking - I think there are maybe 2 pay phones in the whole city. If you don't have a cellphone you're not likely going to be able to make a call here away from home.
I don't have the issues with the bathroom anymore but before 2007 I had to know where a bathroom was available on every block. I sure don't miss those days!
Suzan J

Nope, no guilt at all. If there is an option to use indoor plumbing, I use it. ;)

Moni

I don't think I have ever stopped someplace to use the restroom without buying something...except rest-stops. To me it is just common courtesy. You use their facilities, you help their business so that it is there next time I need to use their facilities!

Using a coffee shop's or store's restroom without purchasing something, even just a small coffee or iced tea to go, is, in my opinion, wrong.

The coffee shop/store/whatever is providing toilet paper, soap, and paper towels that they have to purchase. Why should they have to buy this stuff and supply it to you if you aren't buying anything -- which allows them to have the money with which to purchase the supplies?

I once went to the St. Patrick's Day Parade in New York City. I couldn't see much of the parade, cause I'm short. But I had to pee, bad. Stores and restaurants had signs "For customers only" so I went in a bar, ordered and drank part of a Seven Up, then used their facility. At least it was clean.

When you are a traveling sales rep, you get over it in hurry.

Funny story - one time I had to go pretty bad. I stopped at a convenience store (that had sit-down eating booths) and the girl told me the bathrooms were around back...port-a-potties. Oh Yea, my favorite!
Well, it was an emergency. So I opened the door and it was FILTHY! I walked right back in and asked very politely if they had an indoor facility. (I REALLY had to go by now.) There was absolutley no way I could get back in the car, I HAD to resort to drastic measures, and this is where politeness took a detour.
Well, she told me there was no others except for employees. (remember I am desperate here...) I told her state law requires eating establishment to have a public restroom and if the ones out back were it, I was going to call for an inspector.

Long story short,
I did use the "employee only" room successfully,
I did go ahead and buy a soda (or something)
and I did NOT call the inspector

That type of behavior is totally not normal for me, but I cannot remember a single time when I needed it more! LOL