The true cost of spending a penny?
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Not the most absorbing of subjects, but if you are 'more mature' like me and remember the days of Victorian tiled khasis where you literally had to have a penny to 'spend a penny', what are your views on today's 'modern' public toilet facilities?
I absolutely hate using public toilets where they are usually filthy, vandalised and overall a horror to use. Let alone the people that lurk in dark corners or the scriptures on the walls.
But I ask, would everyone be prepared to pay a reasonable amount to have access to safe, clean facilities say with a resident caretaker? Or are we all doomed to resorting to American style 'rest rooms' where you have to use a commercial outlet to use them? I am aware that local authorities have no legal responsibility to provide them and through constant vandalism, they are more often than not closed or unusable. So would you be prepared to pay, and at what rate? And what facilities would you like to see for your money?
And hey people, titter ye not ( as Frankie Howard used to say ) ... this is a debate of great national concern.
Responses (11)
At Waterloo you have to pay to use the loo, it used to be 10p but went up to 20p the last time I used it, possibly gone up now.
As for using a public toilet, most of them are now closed aroung our area as they got used for drugs etc and you never now what or who is lurking in them.
Our local authority has partnered with local pub's, fast food restaurants and other outlets to provide 'community based' facilities. These appear to reduce the financial pressures on local council budgets as having these schemes allow the businesses taking part to have a reduction in their business rates or receive a payment for providing such facilities.
Sadly though public conveniences have become public inconveniences and this has increased the amount of soiling in the streets.
I recall using what was left of the victorian built toilets, which where wonderful monuments to their advances in drainage and hygeine. Many of these were truly beautiful with gorgeous brass piping and creative tiling and ornate glass doors.
Now if toilets exist they are metal clad and invariably have blue lights to prevent intravenous drug use and other anti-social behaviour and never appear to be managed with paper or cleaned!!.
I so try to avoid using public loos. Shame that the days of the Victorian ones are gone as I remember as a child visiting London, how grand they were. Now when you go into public toilets you don't want to touch a thing. How people find pleasure in hanging around in them long enough to vandalise - I will never understand!!
Parchester and SJKenny ,,, both great points! I rue the day that such personal values disappeared and there is no doubt that the Victorians put a lot of pride into Britain. I work for a local authority and being an outside officer, I have to use their loos as well. I am constantly complaining about damage and poor facilities and I am so ashamed to use them ( not to mention the undesirables that 'hover' within whom I report to the police ) that I now carry a Radar key and try and use disabled facilities where I can. I was on a course recently ( to carry personal panic alarm radios ) and met the guys who service the loos. They were actually a great bunch of guys with massive sense of humours ( well you would need it ) but I did feel that there role was simply to open and lock up and report damage only. Personal pride did not come into it!
Very interesting, Snoopy48. My hair particularly stood on end when you mentioned people who 'hover within' - I mean, how desperate must you be to want to remain in a public loo for longer than it takes to relieve yourself (no matter WHAT their reasons!!!) I can't think of ANYTHING worse!!! Uuuugh!
Ms Fruitcake, I always knew deep down that you were an M&S/Debenhams kind of girl!
Only as far as clean loos go, Snoops, sorry to disappoint you! :-)
Primani I bet fruticake, and they have good loos too.
Nope, darry, not there either! :-)
No contest, I'd much rather pay a small fee to use a clean and safe loo than go for free in some of the horrors I've seen.
I remember the old Victorian public conveniences with great affection from when I was a kid - reaching up to put my old penny in the slot, turning the big, chunky brass handle and hearing the penny drop with a satisfying 'thunk'. Sometimes, if you were very lucky, a kind lady would hold the door open for you on her way out so you had an extra penny to spend on sweets!
Given tham I'm going back over 50 years, I actually think paying 20p now isn't bad value compared with how some things have gone up in price.
OH my Feline123, how we seem to share past experiences here! But if you remember, it was only the woman sho had to pay for 'routine visits'! But weren't these old Victorian jobbies ( excuse the expression ) very clean and reassuring, with their grandoise display of sparkling tiles and brass? And safe lockable cubicles? Yes, I would gladly pay a premium to use safe, clean and monitored loos, even say 50p if the standard was exceptional. Do you remember at one time, in certain places, there used to be a resident attendant where you were invited to leave something in the saucer as you left? In many ways, I think the Victorians had it right.
Yes I remember the attendants, Snoopy. To a small girl they seemed very intimidating, but they would regularly go into the cubicles to wipe the seats and make sure the loos were properly flushed. It was while they were doing this, so not watching everything that was going on, that you might get the kind lady letting you in while the attendant's back was turned.
In parts of continental Europe they still have similar standards. I particularly remember in Germany the attendant used to inspect the cubicle before each new customer entered, a service for which I was more than happy to leave a small tip.
It is a bit of a bummer (sorry!) that women have to pay every time. Perhaps this is why the ladies' loos are usually cleaner than the men's. Or so I'm told!
Ladies loos are definitely cleaner than mens loos, Feline123, I know from experience! If I'm desperate and the queue to the girly loo is massive, I'll dash into the mens...they never seem to mind!
Do you really, Fruitcake??? Can you imagine if a man did that in ours??? Oh, I wouldn't dare!!! Mind you, my hubby says I should enter the Olympics for how long I can hold it!!!! Sorry to lower the tone!!!!!!!!!
I have done it once gone into the ladies when I was desparate, and I had had a few too.
I must admit a lot of mens are not nice, the urinals do not help in some places. Certainly in these places I would not pay. I hate going into a night club with the looky looky men waiting to hand you a hand towel and waiting for you to pay them just to hand you a towel and spray you with after shave that stinks!
Too true Darry they must make a fortune from drunken party goers their little tin dishes are always full to the brim with gold coins not the copper ones!
And the aftershave pound shop stuff as well - smell worse than when you went in!
Its a wee bit seedy in my mind!
Hi Snoopy48
I HATE using public conveniences and will avoid at all costs, if I absolutely have to or my little has too (and remember I need a toilet big enough for a buggy and two other residents besides), I head for M&S. I will never use outside toilets, but to be honest even the ones inside of our shopping centre aren't always that great!
I do feel though that I am going to have to go against the grain and say that I would begrudge paying for toilets, we used to pay 2p for the toilets in our local market and they were not great either - you felt a bit ripped off.
Why would you pay for something that you can get for free within a large enough shop or department store? I would happily buy a cup of tea or coffee in order to use the facilities - at least you are getting something for your money!
Lol Snoopy, I know I'm not supposed to 'titter' but when needs must I will pay anything when that penny has to be spent.
When one hits a certain age it's a matter of finding somewhere as quickly as possible and be glad of it.
But I do hear what you say when it comes to hygiene and safety then yes I'm happy to pay a nominal amount for the services.
Lillie you are so right. No one can expect a public loo to be anything else other than utilised by all and sundry with lack of cleanliness to match. I would actually be happy to pay say 50p for a clean, well lit caretaker-led loo where it would be safe from vagrants and other undesirables and cleaned regularly. Home comforts will never come free, will they? And we all accept that good service must be paid for. There is little respect for others out there on the streets and a classic example is the way that people abuse public loos. Personally I would hate to have to clean someone else's mess up and as such I would fully expect for someone else to get paid to do it.
You would hate it if you go to Venice it costs an absolute fortune to do a poo or spend a penny!
Thats why the place stinks of urea as the tourists just go anywhere. There are hardly any toilets - certainly no public ones and you have to go to a bar or coffee shop to get access to one (in the few that there are) and of course buy something first - (Like a small Espresso only 10 Euros)!!!
I always expected Venice to be lovely but it was like a run down suburb of LA in the rain - full of African refugees trying to sell handbags on every street corner or on the Rialto bridge trying to pickpocket - even saw one of them attack a police officer when he tried to question him.
Not a nice place for a holiday - once in a lifetime visit!
As for British toilets hmmmm bit scary all the cottaging going on but definitely better with an attendant.
Price depends on how desperate you are - one time in Malcesine in Italy I would have paid £100!!!!!!!!!!!!
And thats the truth ruth!
>;o)
Nothing like having our resident comedian on board and boy do we love it! I guess it's all down to public spending, yet again, and this is definately an area where 'drastic slashes' will be made ( no jokes, please ... ). I mean, the government are not really going to commit to a world of gorgoeous bijou loos on every corner, are they? And you bet your life that every MP has a personal loo, monogrammed towels and and other little niceties. For the rest of us, its a question of finding one and casting our aversion to the wind ( if you excuse the expression one again ... )
I think Fruity is correct though the toilets anywhere are always vandalized and not looked after - I mean how much graffiti can a loo take of the my name is xxxx if you want a xxx phone xxxx.
And people are so dirty its very unhygienic even young women are pretty disgusting in their habits - my pal davie even waits until someone else opens the door before he leaves any toilet for fear of getting a disease off the handle lol Bad OCD that.
I think we are all developing bizarre OCD's of one sort or another.
Its all those chemicals in the food , water etc.
lol
I was at a loss many years ago when the local toilet was referred to as a 'cottage', I didn't quite understand what it meant. Then as I grew older, more aware and broadminded, I realised it was a specific gay reference to pulic convenience's and certain practice's that took place within them!!
I try to avoid using public loos and prefer to use the local library's facilities, or my favourite coffee shop/bar/cinema whenever possible. Better still, I prefer not to go at all!
But I do think that free public conveniences should exist, even if they are smelly and grubby. It's better than having people going in the streets!
Haha that reminds me of Blackadder classic episode when he was trying to sell his house and described his toilet as "Well, what we're talking about in, erm, privy terms is the very latest in front-wall, fresh-air orifices, combined with a wide-capacity gutter installation below" - You mean you cra* out the window!!!
Damn it I just spilled my Earl Grey again!!!
This site is getting expensive I thought it was supposed to save you money...harrrumphhh...
Yes m'lord. But if its colour is of purest green, you should visit your local apothecary...
Whatever happened to those 'superloo' things? Did they not catch on?
What the rotating cylinder type ones that opened up by mistake when you were doing a number 2.
I think they failed for reason no.2.
>;o)
Lol!!! Just spilled my mug of coffee laughing at that!
We have one of those around here ... you put 20p in the slot and you get 15 minutes to do the biz. When your time is up, the door swings open whether you're ready or not. Great for constipation I am told ...... :-))
I just spilled my cuppa Earl Grey laughing at you laughing at that!!!
Haaaaaa, haaaa, ha ha oops there goes another cup, ooh lol lol lol.
I think this may be what's known as 'toilet humour!' lol!!
Yes, Fruitcake. I think it's time for us to move on. I was going to tell a wee joke, but....
Lol! You're right, SJKenny, time to put the lid on it... ;-)
You know what people? I never thought a thread about spending a penny would cause so much response, fun and frolics! I was going to put this is verse but I couldn't find anything to rhyme with frolics. Seriously though, this was never going to be a question to go down the pan, was it? And I feel that a few of us have been going through the motions in their responses. And since my bathroom suite at home is a 26 year out of date, sage green, I think it's time I splashed out on a new one. I would like to see someone start a discussion on plopping bricks in their loo cisterns and the savings that can make ... and before you ask, that is a legitimate ploy to save water, not a euphamism!
Thank you one and all for keeping this discussion bubbling to the surface but I think we need to close the lid on it now, don't you? Oh how I rue the days of those gorgeous overhead cisterns and those long dangly chains to yank ... oh, one last thing ... the local public loo was vandalised last week and the vandals stole all of the ceramic toilets. The police were called in but sadly, they had nothing to go on, otherwsie they would be looking into it!
Snoopy, if there was a prize for best post of the week I would nominate you for it as soon as I could stop laughing for long enough to 'log' on!
Oh Feline123, as sense of sobriety pleeeease. :-)
Your comments reminds me of the sale of a loo basin made in the shape of the USS Enterprise Spaceship that appeared in Star Trek. Apparently, it brought a whole new meaning to 'Captain's Log'.....
Oh my word dear Snoopy what have you started? still
you must be 'flushed' with success at all this response. (sorry that was bad wasn't it!)
Well, you started it with 'splashing out on a new bathroom suite' and 'the police had nothing to go on'! etc., etc.......
Anyway, a sense of sobriety must be a sign of a closed mind - or something like that. Or maybe it was 'a tidy desk is a sign of a frigid woman'. Or maybe it wasn't anything like that at all - perhaps I should go and cook the dinner. Needless to say we won't be having chocolate log for pudding!
Oh, Lillie, that wasn't bad - it was brilliant! I just hope Donk isn't getting too annoyed by this thread - in which case he should log off!
Oh my people calm down .. have you noticed how everyone answers at their convenience? Sign of the times I guess. You women are so awful ..... :-)
Enough snoopy, my sides are starting to hurt now.
Perhaps we could make this into a 'chain' email. I might set one up if I could get a handle on how to do it. Maybe I need to use a Pan-European website. If not, I'll just have to paper ovcer the cracks - oops, sorry about that last one. totally unintentional.
Wow, Snoops, I think Feline123 is flushing you out and wiping the floor with you! Definitely time to put the lid on it! Sorry... ;-)
Oh my ladies aren't we all on a (loo) roll here? Tears have been rolling down my cheeks ...... but before I crack up, let me remind you of what Confucius say here ....
Confucius, he say "Man that drop watch in toilet pan, he have crap time ..."
I just dare you all ....
Oh where when will this end, anyone reading all this will think' wee v'e ' gone 'potty'. (sorry again)
wee, wee, all the way home! Sorry had to join in.
Well ladies and gents, I think it's time to draw the curtains on this one, don't you? And while men have little trouble pointing Percy to the Porcelain, women apparently are known to be filled with loathing at having to visit public loos and the below mentioned link ilustrates this! Oh, the link is quite wholesome, nothing you wouldn't show to your mum or daughter, so dive in freely. Makes me feel much better being a mere bloke at times like this ...... Read on ....
http://www.utterpants.co.uk/fiction/toiletfun.html
And just think, all this response about spending a penny!
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Thank you Darry! The last time I was at Victoria Station ( about seven years ago ) it was 20p at a turnstile but then you had to go to the basement loos where conditions were ( I felt ) unsafe with lots of people milling around. Privacy was simply not on the menu. I would suspect that the ladies side was a tad more civilised!