What do you do when you’ve been waiting for ages to use a public toilet because somebody has just been sat in there for way too long?

15 comments

1. Are you sure that there was actually someone in there?

   In any case, you can occasionally jiggle on the door handle to remind them that someone else wants to use it. They won’t know it’s you doing it each time.

2. I knock after a few minutes. It’s annoying when people take too long.

3. Knock knock knock knock knock knock knock knock

4. I remember a news story of kids who would hold weekend Nintendo switch tournaments in the toilets of a department store, one in each cubicle, simply because the toilets had sockets for the washlets, so they could keep their batteries charged.

5. オイ、大丈夫?

6. Find another toilet and move on with my life without posting on reddit.

7. I’m surprised you were willing/able to wait 30mins. I usually just try to find other bathrooms if I see them already full.

8. That’s a while heap of assumptions. Go to another one?
   I sometimes take a while because uhhh. My personal plumbing isn’t the best.

9. By default, I go to higher floors in any department store – you can count on it, people are lazy and comfort-oriented.

   Eventually, toilets for disabled if it is urgent

10. If it’s the only one with a changing table, I’m knocking. If baby has shit himself, he needs a change.

11. At least you will get a pre-warmed toilet seat.

12. Knock and ask, “Are you okay? Do you need help? Do you need me to call an ambulance?” . And if he doesn’t answer, you actually call. I think this is the smart thing to do.

13. Maybe they have bad IBS which is a disability and can often cause people to unavoidably take 30 minutes or more every time they go, or are sick and fighting for their life in there. Maybe they’re having difficulty and can’t do things as fast as you.

    There’s no such thing as “way too long”, only “as long as they need”. Move on and find another toilet. Other people’s biological needs grinding your gears is a terrible outlook, I hope every time you need to go someone pulls their phone out and decides to doomscroll for an extra 20 minutes.

14. I assume they’re having an unpleasant time, silently wish them my sympathies, and move on with my life.

15. Tell staff if someone staying long “out of concern for the person”. Or knock on the door daijoubudesukaaaa?