I use them and don’t buy anything but feel guilty about it. I usually stop at WaWa on the way home from a longer trip and many times haven’t bought gas or snacks. If I’m in a mall I actually avoid Macy’s, they’re always gross, but it’s amazing to me how few restrooms there are available in the mall.
It wouldn’t occur to me to stop in Starbucks to use the facilities, but I’m in the burbs where they’re in grocery stores and strip malls.
In general I hate using public restrooms, very skeevy and I feel worse for the people who have to clean them.
We sue bathrooms without purchasing anything at places like McDonalds, gas stations, hotels and grocery stores if we are on a road trip. Not to say we never make purchases while we stop, but we don’t do it just to use the bathroom.
We are also open to purchasing something if the place asks for that - in NYC a few weeks ago my D21 had to go to the bathroom and she went into a Panera. They had a sign saying you had to buy something so she grabbed a water - no big deal.
When we were in Italy at most places you had to buy something to use the restroom. My husband had a lot more espressos than he planned due to the kids needing to use the bathroom. :)) At a little bakery type place next to the Leaning Tower you had to buy something and they gave you a token that was used to open the door. We weren’t hungry but ended up buying at least two bags of candy beaus the kids had to go but of course not at the same time!
When traveling we try to use a department store or hotel restrooms - I don’t feel any obligation to buy something at those places. Last time we were in NYC a security guard had to let us in the hotel lobby restroom (they were locked).
When using a restroom at a fast food place - McDonalds or a coffee shop - I buy something (even if just a bottle of water).
My friends and I meet outside our downtown Starbucks at last 3-4 mornings a week - our kids go to school a block away. We specifically meet there so that we can use the restroom before going for a run. At least once or twice a week, one or some of us will purchase something after we get back from running. Sometimes, we will hang out and talk for a while. I’m not a big coffee drinker nor am I a fan of most of their high calorie drinks, but since I do use their bathroom several times a week, I do feel obligated to buy something at least once a week. Because we are there so frequently, we have gotten to know the baristas, they know our names, and have never said anything about our bathroom usage. FWIW, there are no signs saying bathrooms are for customer use only.
I live in a tourist town so there are many, many visitors. This Starbucks recently moved about a block up the street from its previous location, opening up a larger, more modern store and yet, no combo locks or keyed doors were used in the new store so I guess it doesn’t bother them that non-customers might use the facilities. Funny thing is, there is another coffee shop nearby but they do have combo locks on their doors. As a result, we don’t use their shop to meet since we wouldn’t be able to use the bathroom and as a result, they don’t get our business. I would actually prefer to support this locally owned shop, but it’s not convenient with the locked bathrooms.
Prior to changing their location, the old Starbucks was a very popular spot for kids to wait after school for their parents to pick them up, mine included (private school, no buses). There were more kids in there just hanging out with friends, then actual kids making purchases. Sometimes my daughter has money and buys something, but certainly not every time. I appreciate that they are so welcoming to our community - I think they realize that by accepting themselves as a popular meeting spot, they are increasing their sales even if there are times when those people using their amenities are not always buying things.
I was just in NYC on Saturday. 2 moms and 5 teenagers (we were there for their dance performance) and we stopped in a Starbucks. Three girls got in line to order their drinks and the rest of us got in line to use the restroom (which was a keypad, but since it was occupied we just went in when they went out). If you were an employee you would not have known that we were there with someone purchasing a drink and yet no one said anything to us.
We live in Philly and that Starbucks is near where my daughter trains in Center City. My daughter will often be meeting up with friends and will grab a table and sit waiting for them to arrive and then place her order. Never ever had a problem. I’ve done the same thing in that exact Starbucks. Waited for my friends to arrive and then order. I’ve also asked to use the restroom first and then ordered my drink, especially if I am alone. I’m not getting my drink and leaving it on a table or taking it to a restroom.
When we are driving we will use a McDonald’s or other fast food restroom if we need to, although we usually end up grabbing a french fry or soda. We time bathroom breaks with gas stops and choose gas stations that have bathrooms.
Living in the City I definitely know where I can easily use a restroom (you figure this out when your children are younger;).
I remember reading an article once about how knowing where accessible restrooms are was a thing in NYC. Urban environments definitely have more pressure to manage their restrooms.
If I’m in a major city, I expect business restrooms to have a keypad and require a purchase, so I make a purchase and get the code.
If I’m traveling on a highway and need a restroom stop, I look for a Starbucks or a McDonald’s. IME, these two businesses (along major highways) will have clean, safe restrooms. I don’t always make a purchase, and I’ve never been called out on it. I’m female, white, middle-aged. I guess I consider myself a customer of both businesses at other times, and it hasn’t occurred to me before that there is something wrong with it.
I don’t always feel comfortable stopping at rest areas along the highway. Too remote and deserted, often times.
Oh, sometimes I’ll look for a Target too, but I’ll usually purchase something.
In our economically distressed suburb of Chicagoland, many, many businesses have signs on the front door saying restrooms are for customers only.
Our public library has restrooms that are accessible by librarian-monitored key only due to problems.
Almost any restaurant in NYS is going to need two handicap accessible bathrooms. They need to be open to clients, but I don’t think they need to be open to anyone.
I don’t know if Starbucks locations are independently owned, but McDonalds franchises definitely are. Buying a hamburger in Palo Alto doesn’t help the franchisee in Fresno.
Yes, of course I understand that being a customer at a franchise in Palo Alto doesn’t directly put money in the pocket of the other franchise owner in Fresno. But the goodwill of the customer towards a brand is worth something.
A positive experience — or a negative experience — can affect other stores under the brand. People are not just customers for one day in one location, especially for the big nationwide companies, where reputation and consistency is so important.
I always wash my hands before ordering food. How does it work if you have to make a purchase before you can wash your hands? Do you take the food in the restroom? Leave it unattended on a table?
I occasionally get the side eye from the staff. I cannot imagine eating without washing my hands first.
Every time we have another incident, I see a little bit more of my privilege. Although, as I’ve said, I usually buy something at a business when I use the restroom, sometimes I don’t. It never even occurred to me that someone could be arrested for hanging around in a coffeeshop waiting for another person. I know perfectly well that I would not be arrested for hanging around in a coffeeshop waiting for another person.
My guess is that these “anti-loitering” policies put employees is often-tough situations.
I confess to using bathrooms at fast-food establishments and gas stations without, at times, making purchases. But I did buy two Mr. Goodbars this weekend at a gas station at which I did NOT purchase gas during a long road-trip. Felt I owed them.
I do use bathrooms without making a purchase. In town, this happens at places I frequent, so I don’t feel bad about it. As has been discussed, this is more of an issue in big cities. I expect to make a purchase to use the bathroom in big cities.
If I’m using public wifi and working on my computer for a bit, I’ll buy lunch which means Panera > Starbucks for me. I like Panera’s turkey chili and salads more than Starbucks food. Haven’t noticed keypads at any restrooms in my neck of the woods.
Pay bathrooms are not uncommon in some parts of Europe. There are also public toilets in some cities that are very well-kept (neater than many restaurant bathrooms I’ve seen!).
I use restrooms without making a purchase. H just did so on a long drive yesterday. I also confess that I’ve used Starbucks restrooms without a purchase. When we visited my D in China we went to the Starbucks because we knew we would get a western toilet. When I’m in a large city on a holiday I also know that Starbucks usually will have a free and clean bathroom.
Most of the Starbucks in my city don’t have a key code. A few of the downtown locations do have a keypad. This is due to the large number of homeless in the area. I’ve walked in and asked for the code without making a purchase and they have given it to me. I will sometimes order a drink. Like many of you I would prefer to use the rest room before I get my coffee or tea. My D frequently meets up with people at several local coffee shops and she rarely makes a purchase. I’m assuming that at least some in the group do.
I would not sit and use free WiFi without making a purchase.
I can’t imagine any employee at my local coffee shops calling the police on someone who wants to use the restroom or was waiting to meet someone. If they did I wouldn’t shop there.
At McDonald’s or a similar place, I normally purchase a bottle of Dasani, if I don’t need food or coffee. This works fine for me. On very rare occasions, if the lines at the cash register at a McDonald’s are very long, I may leave without purchasing anything (maybe once a year or so).
Luckily for people in our area, the Macy’s at our mall has a very clean restroom, and I use it from time to time without buying anything from Macy’s on that trip. I buy a fair amount from Macy’s spread over the year, though.
Our Macy’s keeps their bathrooms clean and I know many use their restrooms because of it. It’s also more conveniently located than one of the mall bathrooms. One of the mall bathrooms is downstairs, which I find isolated and creepy. The other is near the theaters at the far end of them all, which can be inconvenient having to walk so far from Macy’s and CVS. I am now trying to mostly stick with the mall bathrooms at the far end of the mall, since walking is good for us anyway.
I don’t buy all that much at Macy’s and they are hungry for customers, so I guess I ought to try shopping there more often, but can rarely find things I want and prices I feel are reasonable.