don't gas stations have bathrooms any more?

    I filled up at a fairly new looking Marathon gas station yesterday
morning, then went inside to use the bathroom.  I was told "We don't
have one."

   Now I had my receipt in hand, so obviously I was a customer.  This
was also one of those places that sells loads of food and "huge gulp"
type drinks.

   Obviously, they would have to have a bathroom for employees.  If it
was an old gas station, I suppose I could see why they might not have a
bathroom if they didn't want the expense of making sure the bathroom met
newer standards, such as handicapped access.  However, this thing is no
more than a few years old.

   Is this a new trend? (my bladder is hoping not)  The only gas station
where I've seen this before was one that OBVIOUSLY didn't have a
bathroom - it was a tiny shack about 8' long and 5' wide, with just
enough room for the attendant.  This was a full sized one where it looks
like they took the space normally reserved for a bathroom and used it
instead to showcase merchandise.

  wrote:


I think you should call both Marathon and the state Attorney General.
The building code probably requires a bathroom for the public.

I travel extensively, and I have not seen any kind of trend towards
eliminating bathrooms from convenience stores or gas stations.  I
have seen more and more have these rooms locked where you have
to ask for a key.

I ran into only 2 gas stations that I can recall that didn't have
bathrooms.  One was in Port Arthur, Tx, just after a hurricane,
and the city water was not working yet.  The other was in
Waterloo, IA, and their sewer was backed up, so they have the
bathrooms closed.  Perhaps the location you were at was in the
process of remodeling or had some problem like this.

At any rate, there are always more stations and fast food outlets
that do have bathrooms, plus rest stops on the Interstates.

-john-

--
======================================================================
John A. Weeks III           612-720-2854            john@johnweeks.com
Newave Communications                         http://www.johnweeks.com  
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I don't think public bathrooms are required in Minnesota.  The state
either passed or was considering a law that required stores and the like
to allow people with a certain malady to use any bathroom including
private employee only bathrooms.

I don't think such a law would be required if public bathrooms were
required.


I have run into quite a few gas stations with no restrooms.  There is at
least one near me and it happens to have gone out of business recently.

 

My thought with calling Marathon is that it might be contrary to
the station's franchise agreement.  Not having a bathroom would
be a negative as far as corporate identity goes.

-john-

--
======================================================================
John A. Weeks III           612-720-2854            john@johnweeks.com
Newave Communications                         http://www.johnweeks.com  
======================================================================

 
Oh yeah, I can see trying to enforce that one with some joker at the
local Hadji-mart. Wonder even if you took it to the extreme of calling
the cops if they'd even know about it. Then after that they'd just lie
and say "eetz out uv oorrr-duhhrrr", which is what many of them do
anyway.