4 ms·

Restrooms in the US are super easy to find, compared to Germany where I grew up. It's not only public restrooms (at least here on the west coast), but it's also

by jupp0r 3y ago

Restrooms in the US are super easy to find, compared to Germany where I grew up. It's not only public restrooms (at least here on the west coast), but it's also completely acceptable to walk into a restaurant or store and just ask if you can use theirs. Several visiting relatives and friends from Europe were completely amazed by this. Contrast that to the fact that lots of public restrooms in Europe cost a small fee - with cash in the right small value coins that you of course don't have on you when you need to go urgently.

JeremyNT 3y ago
The thing that's a little odd to me is that in the US it swings wildly depending on region, from "we don't really care if you're a customer" (suburban retail or gas station) to "there is literally no restroom here for the general public even with purchase" (in some big cities). And yet, here the "pay a small fee for the privilege" model seems to be completely absent. That model is also used in parts of Latin America, and it seems like it could be a useful middle ground between these US extremes.
- jupp0r 3y ago
  Yeah, my experience with this was mostly very positive in suburban and rural areas. Even gas stations in LA for example will often not have restrooms at all. Makes it hard to drive through with little kids who don't have great potty break planning skills yet.
- pjscott 3y ago
  In a lot of states it’s illegal to charge money for the use of a restroom due to lobbying by the Committee to End Pay Toilets in America in the 1970s. (Of course, the unintended but entirely predictable consequence is that in a lot of places it became very hard to find a restroom of any sort, for the reasons discussed in this thread.)
paint 3y ago
>but it's also completely acceptable to walk into a restaurant or store and just ask if you can use theirs. ...same as in Germany
- jupp0r 3y ago
  ... not my experience. At all. Most stores don't even have restrooms for non-employees.

by jupp0r 3y ago

JeremyNT 3y ago

The thing that's a little odd to me is that in the US it swings wildly depending on region, from "we don't really care if you're a customer" (suburban retail or gas station) to "there is literally no restroom here for the general public even with purchase" (in some big cities). And yet, here the "pay a small fee for the privilege" model seems to be completely absent. That model is also used in parts of Latin America, and it seems like it could be a useful middle ground between these US extremes.

jupp0r 3y ago
Yeah, my experience with this was mostly very positive in suburban and rural areas. Even gas stations in LA for example will often not have restrooms at all. Makes it hard to drive through with little kids who don't have great potty break planning skills yet.
pjscott 3y ago
In a lot of states it’s illegal to charge money for the use of a restroom due to lobbying by the Committee to End Pay Toilets in America in the 1970s. (Of course, the unintended but entirely predictable consequence is that in a lot of places it became very hard to find a restroom of any sort, for the reasons discussed in this thread.)

paint 3y ago

>but it's also completely acceptable to walk into a restaurant or store and just ask if you can use theirs. ...same as in Germany

jupp0r 3y ago
... not my experience. At all. Most stores don't even have restrooms for non-employees.