Have you ever used a pay toilet?

[exitseven]

There were lots of these around when I was little. I remember crawling under the doors or holding the door open so my brother could use it after me without paying anything.

Every time I hear this song I remember the old poem I used to see scrawled on the walls of pay toilets.
Here I sit broken hearted
I paid my dime and only farted.

Updates

1 y

It turns out that there was an organization called CEPTIA (Committee to End Pay Toilets In America) that lobbied politicians to end the use of pay toilets in America. They began to disappear in the 80s. I cannot remember the last time I saw one. Most people thought it would be a good idea not to have to pay for go pee. What really happened was that there are much fewer public toilets available. Before I got married I went into the city with my wife to buy some home furnishing s for our apartment

Updates

1 y

I had to pee really bad and the men's rooms were all locked to keep the junkies from going in there and shooting up. I ended up going in the elevator and stopping it between floors and I peed in the corner.

[Jamie05rhs]

I honestly have never even heard of that before.

However, as crazy as this sounds, I would ALMOST accept the idea of having a pay toilet as opposed to no toilet!

(The only reason I'm not fully on board is because I feel like a lot of businesses would stop installing toilets if there were public toilets nearby.
I personally prefer the system of businesses being required by law to offer restroom use as a public accommodation.)

[exitseven]

I did not know businesses had to let people use their bathrooms. All you see around here are signs that say "No Public Bathroom" especially at places near the beach.

[Jamie05rhs]

@exitseven If the bathroom is public, they have to let people use it. If it's only for employees, then they do not.

[Jamie05rhs]

Thanks for the MHO!

[RolandCuthbert]

Overseas many nations make you pay to use public toilets. The money goes to the upkeep.

[exitseven]

that is the whole idea. Short sighted people demanded an end to pay toilets. Private entities complied and got rid of the pay toilets by getting rid of the toilet itself. When you think about it, this is sort of like socialism. People demand the government to make things free of charge. So they make things free and this is the result. People end up peeing behind the bushes.

[RolandCuthbert]

I don't know why you make the weird comparison to socialism. Because socialism isn't getting stuff for free.

It is exactly what you have said, contributing tax dollars to build a service that we all can take advantage of.

What the fuck is going on with this freakazoid forum?

We literally call Social Security. . . Social Security. . .

[midnightmoon05]

I came to the US in the 80s… never encountered a pay bathroom. In China, you have to bring your own paper. It’s not something I did, often I didn’t have paper when I visited. But I learned fast.

when I was with my ex husband, he had ulcerative colitis. He always needed to use the bathroom a lot. I eventually helped him find all the nicer hotel lobby bathrooms to use since no one knew if we stay in the hotel. I also learned more and more shops that are baby friendly have toilets and supermarkets have bathrooms. So it wasn't a big deal looking for one in the city.

[midnightmoon05]

Updates…
Been here 4-5 days now. Been paying to use the toilets. Tourists area charge 2 europes (nice and clean with attendant). local areas.40 europes. (Not so nice/clean)

[exitseven]

Is this China?

[midnightmoon05]

No… we are in France for a week now and we had to pay for toilets here.

[WindAtMyBack]

Yea, I think they used to have them at airports. I saw them a lot but I only used them once or twice.

I've also used pay showers. Those can get expensive because you pay by the minute. I'd bring a big stack of quarters. If you run out when you are soaped up then tough luck.

[exitseven]

I stayed in a motel that you had to feed quarters into the TV.

[Jamie05rhs]

@exitseven Wow!

[WindAtMyBack]

@Jamie05rhs

I remember the pay TVs also. I never used one though because they are such a ripoff. One thing to consider though is that when I was young, TVs were still somewhat of a luxury. In the early 60s half of Americans didn't have TV, not even black and white. It wasn't until the end of the 60s that half had color TV. A lot of motels didn't have TV at all.

[Jamie05rhs]

@WindAtMyBack I had a B&W TV when I was a kid. I bought it at CVS.

[exitseven]

@Jamie05rhs I had an ancient one when I went to college. My uncle gave it to me.

[Jamie05rhs]

@exitseven Nice! How big was it? Mine was 5 inches. Lol

[exitseven]

@Jamie05rhs it was pretty small. It as a portable with a telescoping antenna. I had to change channels with a pair of needle nose pliers.

[Jamie05rhs]

@exitseven Mine was similar! But I had a dial to tune to the various channels.

[DaveJord]

So I do believe they are still around in Europe. I for one was born in 1976 and I never remember seeing a pay toilet in the United States.

I lived in Europe form 1998 to 2013, and they were fairly common up into the early 2000's. It really was a pain in the ass because you had to have exact change for the damn things, and in the Pre-Euro Zone depending on what country you were in at the time and having the right coinage, they only took coins.

So yeah if you really had to go you jumped the turn stall. But again in Europe its vary common to just see people peeing on the side of the road, there's no laws against it. I mean there might be individual city ordinances or local laws... but you could find people peeing on the side of the road or in the alley almost any where. So if you didn't have the exact change or proper coinage to pay it was not like you would get arrested for peeing on a tree.

[Charliefretz329]

I’ve never used a pay toilet but if it were well maintained I’d be ok with it.


On the other hand, the big cities always either have no toilets, or only for customer toilets…


I hate big cities and have no problem dedicating in their parking lots or on the side of their buildings…


Once a very rude gas station clerk denied us use of his toilet, so myself and all my family took dumps behind his store. We really didn’t have a choice in the matter and my children were too young to try to hold it…


I’m in favor of any entrepreneurial spirit which seeks to supply a solution to a need. Where I live many things are considered “price gouging”, and highly illegal. Problem is now, when those things are really needed, no one has any tucked away, so shortages abound

[exitseven]

I ran a marathon once. It is a famous race with lots of entrants. Thee were only a few porta potties set up and I went into an alley between two buildings along with dozens of other guys and we were peeing on the sides of both buildings back to back. A little yellow river trickled out of the alley.

[Charliefretz329]

Yep… the law destroys capitalism

[TrueConfection]

No, I have never used a pay toilet (I'm not sure I've ever seen one).

That's a horrible elevator story!

[exitseven]

yes, my wife gave me a hard time because I wanted to , leave and find a place to pee so I improvised.

[Brainsbeforebeauty]

As I pay for water usage and use water everytime you flush, I have a pay toilet in my bathroom🤣

[exitseven]

yes, i guess I do too.

[Brainsbeforebeauty]

Only it costs more than 10¢ lol

[Jamie05rhs]

@Brainsbeforebeauty You crack me up. Lol

[Brainsbeforebeauty]

@Jamie05rhs I aim to please, now if men could just aim in the pay toilet🤣🤣(joking, joking) lolol

[Jamie05rhs]

LOL.

[Brainsbeforebeauty]

@Jamie05rhs 🤪🤪😂

[SaoirseS]

I'm not old enough to remember the coin-op pay toilets in the US you're referring to, but I've been to hotels with washrooms where you'll expected to tip washroom attendants. I also left a few coins for public restroom attendants in Spain, so I guess that's a form of "pay toilet" in a way.

[Lliam]

I have never used one that you have to insert coins into.
In Mexico and Germany, though, I used toilets that had attendants who charged money to enter. At one place in Mexico, the attendant gave you a three square strip of toilet paper when you entered. WTF good would three squares do if you took a shit? LOL

[Jamie05rhs]

3 squares lmao. Damn 😂

[AviatorTom]

Haven't seen or used a pay toilet in the US in many many years; last I remember I was very young in NYC and the pay toilet cost a dime. I did see one in a tourist area in London England though I didn't use it about 10 years ago. In Germany, "pay to pee" is the norm; during a vacation 3 years ago, I stopped at a service area and you had to put a 1 euro coin in the slot to activate the turnstile into the men's room.

[GoodGuyBreakingBad]

Yes, at the five and dime store located in Elizabeth PA USA you needed a quarter to use the restroom but that store went out of business possibly in the late 80's

[Bratsondanielle]

Lol I don't think I ever have but the elevator story made me giggle

[Anonymous]

Huh! What do you know about that?

I wonder if there's a lesson in there somewhere? Maybe something we could apply to "hey let's make college free for everyone!" or "hey let's make housing free for everyone?"

NAAAAHHHHHH!!! Those things must be WAY different!

[exitseven]

I never award MHO to Anons. but you make a valid point.

[Jaximus-Lion]

Yes! Specially when am in Stockholm city. Of course we hold doors just not to pay and it happens all the time.

[MTC29]

I've used them in Turkey, as well as a few other countries.

Here in the USA, I haven't seen a pay toilet in decades.

[TacosRAwesome]

Yes. Europe is full of them and I don't afford a drink at a restaurant everytime I need to pee.

[loveslongnails]

I did, at a train station somewhere, but I forgot which city.

[plredhead]

If you have ever toured Italy you probably have used pay toilets.

[Juxtapose]

I have never used that, it sounds like a shitty deal that is of piss poor quality.

[MysteriousDarkness]

I never heard of them until now.

[Aerissa_Jade]

I have used one, but it was in Mexico.

[ronaldo75]

I came here to say the same thing lol. I've used them in Mexico