Laura Stricker

Anyone who knows me knows that I do my best to avoid using public washrooms at all cost. And with good reason - most of them are beyond disgusting. The other day, for instance, I was in Union Station and had to use the washroom desperately. I went into five different stalls before finding one that did not already have something in the toilet. And even that one had a tampon wrapper (thankfully not the tampon itself) on the floor. That washroom was so vile I held my breath the whole time I was in there.
This story brings me to my main point, which is about respect. Or rather, a lack of respect. People seem to forget that there are actually people who get paid - not very well - to clean up the mess they leave behind in washrooms. So would it kill them to take five seconds to, I don’t know, flush the toilet? Or is that beneath them and better left to the minimum wage earners?
My mantra has always been if you would not do it in your house, don’t do it in public. Would you use the bathroom in your home and not flush the toilet? I certainly hope not. Would you leave paper towel strewn all over the floor? Again, I hope not!
As anyone who knows me will also know, I have worked in a lot of stores. Almost too many to count. One common factor I have noticed no matter which store I’m in is the lack of common courtesy from customers.
My very first job was in a toy store when I was 15. One day after closing I was cleaning up around the cash registers. While organizing videos I found an opened, half eaten drumstick hidden in one of the racks. It wasn’t even like it had been randomly thrown or dropped. It was intentionally shoved behind a bunch of videos! I could not believe it. This is around when I began to lose faith in the human race.
At this toy store we also had bathrooms for customers to use. One time (thankfully only one time) I was given the unlucky task of cleaning them. Let me tell you, the smell in the washrooms (especially the one for men) would have choked a skunk.
Something else I have observed during my many years in the retail industry is how disrespectful people are with merchandise. If you can grab something off the shelf, I’m pretty sure putting it back where you found it won’t break your wrist or cause any lasting damage. Seriously, what is the point of picking something up and then instead of putting it back, wandering around until you find someone who works in the store only to throw it at them saying “I don’t want this?” Would it not have been infinitely faster to put it back yourself? And yes, this has actually happened to me.
I would also like to point out that I do my best to behave respectfully in public. If I am forced to use a public washroom, I take care when washing my hands not to splash water everywhere. I throw my paper towels in the garbage can (that’s the large bin usually sitting on the floor) and I ALWAYS clean up around the sink if I have splashed water. Just because someone may not have as much education or work in a low paying job does not mean they do not deserve the same amount of respect as someone who earns more. In fact, I respect them more. I can tell you with absolute certainty that I would never take a job cleaning up the disgusting messes people leave behind.
Something else anyone who has a superiority complex should keep in mind is that once they were probably the person cleaning washrooms or slaving away in retail. It wouldn’t hurt for them to keep that in mind next time they treat people disrespectfully.