GameStop Employees are Not Good People

Re the restroom... two words... PULL UPS. Or go potty before you
leave.

Are you sure that the employee was taunting you? Smiling and waving
doesn't really seem like taunting to me. Maybe he didn't realize that
you had had a problem at the store, and recognized you from earlier,
before the restroom incident. Maybe he was trying to be friendly.

need to get that boy some pull ups, if he can't handle holding it
until getting to a restroom.

Public restrooms are not a requirement for all business. I know for
many it's a huge security issue, employees can't keep an eye on the
bathroom and the front of the store as well. Some businesses have
abandoned allowing the public to use their restrooms because of the
filthy disgusting messes people left behind for employees to clean
up.

Game-Stop employees are not bad people just because they don't allow
you to use their PRIVATE, staff only bathroom. You're the father, you
need to plan ahead for your children's needs better, it's not the
responsibility of "The Village" to do that for you.

As a mother of 2 small boys I know how frustrating it can be when they
have to go now, but I really don't see how it is Gamestops fault. They
do not have to have public restrooms available, and with a store like
that I can understand why they do not. That would be a thiefs dream
come true.

LOL
too funny. Maybe you won't get him the BigGulp to drink on the ride
there next time :)

I agree - people who work at GameStop are jerks, but its mainly
because of the management. I worked for a GameStop back in 2002. I
know why customers arent allowed to use the restroom. Because they
have a TINY little back room and no place for storage, so for example,
our store bathroom had about 20 different console systems stacked in
there. And, the only way to get to the bathroom was to walk into the
back room full of all the overstock.

I myself would let CHILDREN .. not adults, to them I would apologize
for the inconveninece, but I'd lets kids use it once in a while, but
to be honest, we would get in trouble for doing that. So really, dont
take it out on the employees of the store, its the Jackass District
managers and store developers who are the idiots - not taking that
into consideration.

So yeah, be not mad at the poor employee who never really was told if
someone was allowed back there or not - for one day he will let a
child back there only to be written up by DM the next day .... not
their fault - crappy higher mgmnt.

There is a difference between an employee restroom and a public
restroom.

They just cant let you come into the back room and use their bathroom,
there is a rule against it, which they enforced.

Newsflash - The rules apply to you, and your son too.

Many thieves ask to use the restroom, then steal small items in/near
the stockroom. The employee told you he had just placed product "back
there"

For all he knew, you could have been using your kid as a decoy so you
could steal games. I am not saying this is the case, I am saying
employees must be aware of this possiblity. It apppears he was, since
he mentioned the merchandise.

last time i checked, i dont remember video game stores having PUBLIC
restrooms. Nor have i ever heard of a game place secluded in a lone
rural area,without a bathroom for the next 50 miles. I'm sure there
were shops, and restaurants nearby you could have taken your kid to.
This is not a good letter.

I'm pregnant and have to pee all the time too. If I'm somewhere that
I'm not sure has a restroom, I will ask. If they say no, then I leave
find a restroom, then if whatever I was doing was really important, I
will return to it. I know that it isn't quite the same, since being an
adult, I have the capacity to hold it.
Just because there is a washroom for employee use doesn't make it
available to the public. Instead of standing there arguing with the
employee, you should have left the second they said no.

owned by a mother of 8

PB4UGO

Based on this guys other letter, he is clearly just writing letters to
get noticed. He's doing a good job, but clearly, has no reasonable
argument for either one of his letters. Just another nut case surfing
the 'net.

It is frustrating when your child has to use the restroom and there
are no facilities available. My son has the uncanny ability to need to
go when we are in the least convenient place humanly possible. In a
restaurant or a nice clean highway rest area he's fine. But put us on
a stretch of highway with 200 miles between exits or in some labyrinth
office building and he's got to go right then. But that's just one of
the many joys of parenting.

Gamestop is not the type of store where I would expect a bathroom to
be available. I would understand why they would not allow it to be
used. I do think it's pretty gross that they store product in the
toilet though, because even if customers aren't using the facilities
the employees are.

Anyway, I hope you got your son cleaned up quickly and that he was not
embarrassed, because accidents do happen.

Next time use the potty before you go, but if it does happen again,
little boys do have "emergency options" so to speak. And it wouldn't
hurt to keep a change of clothes in the car anyway, in case of spills
or other types of accidents.

Tell that to the GameStop people when the product is full of urine.
"I couldn't make it to the can, so I just peed your inventory."

I'm not surprised Moe's manager wasn't gleeful to see your son and his
urine soaked pants. Who would be?

while I understand your frustration as a mom, I also know that many
small stores keep back stock and new shipments in small cramped areas,
usually near the employee (note that word.,... employee) bathroom.

You cannot expect every establishment to cater to your toddlers
biological needs. Kids do not realize they need to "go potty" until
they are on the verge. ergo, you as a parent need to learn a
valuable lesson "Never take a child on any venture lasting more than
one hour."

No public restrooms means exactly that. I am sorry that you had to
learn the hard way (as most of us moms can attest to) but welcome to
the "I peed my pants" society.... population .... every mom on EARTH.

No, the West layfayette store is not the only one that does not allow
customers no matter how young to go into their back room and use their
toilet. Its pretty much a normal policy for any store that does not
sell food/beverages.

And I bet you told your son "see, those bad people let you wet your
pants".

Not all children have total elimination control by age 5. Unlike
adults we get used to try to holding it while the bladder and kidneys
of a child are much smaller.
Either know how long your child can go without needing to relieve
himself or do not take him on trips unless he urinates before you
leave.

And I am sure angry as you were you hunted down the manager at Moe's
to let him know that the Game Stop employees send people over to his
place. Gee, after using the restroom they may even buy some food or a
beverage.
So I guess you did show the Game Stop employees a thing or two by
tattling on them and in the long run gave Moe's more business.

I was once a child. I have a not yet five-year-old sister. Both of us
understand the concept of "Go before we leave" because our parents
seem to realize that many places that do not serve food or drink have
a policy against allowing non-customers use their restrooms and that
employees must follow the policy or risk their jobs.

So they are bad people for wanting to listen to their boss? Evil
creatures. How do you know he was mocking you, by the way? Smiling and
waving seems like a friendly gesture of "no hard feelings" to me.

Seriously! You have some issues dude!

You were directed to a place where you could take your son, isn't that
good enough?

Next time you go somewhere with your son, have him go to the bathroom
first. I am the mother of a six-year-old boy myself.

You cannot judge whether they are "good people" or not as you don't
know them. You should have made sure he used the restroom BEFORE
embarking on your journey or put him in a training diaper since he
seems to have a problem controlling his bladder.So...go before you go,
diaper, or leave him with a sitter.

Tony R, grow up.

There are many reasons why retailers will not allow a person to go
back to use a bathroom. The hallway leading up to the employee
bathroom is used as a overstock area. You wouldn't believe the number
of customers who have ignored the EMPLOYEES ONLY sign to go into the
back to use the bathroom.

I am so tired of customers thinking they can do what they want, such
as going into employee only areas, and treating me like scum because
the bathroom is on the top floor and there's not one on the bottom. We
don't have to have a bathroom, neither does Gamestop. It's a courtesy,
not a requirement.

There are places in stores where you can't go. The bathroom at
Gamestop is one of them. The bathroom is not there for you or your
kid, it's there for the employees.

that is required BY LAW to have a restroom for
guests/patrons/customers is any facility that prepares and serves
food. (i.e. grocery stores, restaurants, food courts, etc.)

Gamestop clearly does not fall into that category.

They had expensive games locked up in that restroom and they told you
so. They don't want customers back there unattended. While you are
apparently far to oblivious to realize it, some people do use their
kids like that to gain access to restricted places to steal. I don't
blame them at all for saying no.

And how self-important are you to assume that because the associate
smiled and waved that it meant he was taunting you. Way to ASSume
there, Tony!

Next time go to Best Buy, they have public restrooms and your poor
child won't have to suffer the embarassment of wetting himself because
you are stubbournly arguing to make a point!

You havent figured out the joy of having boys yet, have you?

There is NEVER a time when a boy CANT go potty.

This has happend to me numerous times when my son had to go and there
wasnt a bathroom. I have let him pee into cups, bottles and most
often, I open my car door and let him stand between the door and the
car facing inward so no one can see him...and let him go! Bushes and
trees are great potty spots for little boys! LOL!

Fact is, YOU are the mother and therefore its YOUR responsibility to
get him to the bathroom. If there isnt one there for him you take him
somewhere else. Not demand that they find a place for him to go.

So letting your child wet himself, an indelible, heart-warming memory
for any child, has become your form of corporate civil disobedience?
That's what I'm getting from your original letter and your earlier
responses. Way to stick it to the man. And your son.

A public restroom in a retail store is not a constitutional right as
many people seem to think. A lot of places I have worked have the
employee restroom located in a breakroom or storage area. How would
you like it at your job if strangers were trampling in and out of the
small place you were trying to take your break in. I have small
children and have managed to find somewhere appropriate for my
children to use the facilities even when they were being potty trained
without accidents or asking to use a place that obviously didn't have
public restrooms.

Years ago, when I worked in a shoe store, our restroom was in the
basement along with stock and various displays. We were not allowed
to let customers down there due to insurance reasons. All we could do
is direct them to the nearest place that had a PUBLIC restroom. See,
that's the key word here, public.

Although I don't have children of my own, I do have a stepdaughter.
When she was younger and had to go, I hightailed it to the nearest
establishment that had a public restroom so, yes, I know what it's
like. I also know not to argue when I'm told they don't have one.

At my work. I don not have a public restroom, And to let anybody in
the back would be immediate termination for me. There are ladders,
stacks of product and other unsafe things back there. In this day
where people are searching for a lawsuit, my back room is one big
liability. Also, I have a back door, so people can take shoe boxes and
put them out the back door and then drive around and get them.

I also see, on a daily basis, children say that they need to use the
bathroom, the parents ask where the closest one is, and then continue
to look at shoes while their kid whines and jumps around holding
themselves.

While I don't think it was right of the employee to taunt you, and it
may warrant an apology, I don't think they did anything else wrong.

It's your kid. You gave birth to him. It's YOUR responsibility to see
to his comfort. Not Gamestops.

I really don't see what the issue is here. I don't believe I've ever
been in a Game Stop that has had a public restroom. So...I just
assume that if I'm going into one there will be no restroom to use. I
have two kids myself and know that at 5 years old most kids have the
whole going to the bathroom thing down. They typically don't have
accidents immediately after they tell you they have to go. Which
leads me to believe that you may have had time to get to a bathroom
had you left immediately after the store employee told you there was
no restroom you could use. If the employee is having to use the
bathroom and/or backroom area for storage, there is always the
possibility of injury or theft by letting your son (and presumably
yourself) back there. There are a lot of dishonest people out there
and even if you aren't one of those, there is no way to know that. As
another poster said, I'm sure that it isn't common practice for these
employees to send customer's over to Moe's to use the restroom. They
could have sent you to the public restrooms, but I'm assuming those
weren't right around the corner. As far as the employee taunting
you...My first thought was that maybe they were just trying to show
you that they were sorry. Possibly trying to make your child feel
better? But of course not having been there myself, I can't be sure
the employee wasn't teasing you.

what i don't get is why you bothered trying to argue with the
associate when your kid is crying to go pee. i also don't understand
how in the length of five minutes or so, your child had to pee then
immediately wet himself. perhaps you weren't paying attention?

I got fired from gamestop for letting someone in the bathroom.
(nothing was missing, btw)

I'm not kidding.

I got fired.

2 days later.

I got fired.

I was an asst manager.

I got fired.

So, I am proof you can get fired for letting non-employees in the back
room at Gamestop.

Also, thats a little harsh, saying they are bad PEOPLE. I can
understand maybe calling them bad employees (if you wanted to say
that), but to say they are bad people is extremely judgmental... you
don't know them on a personal level, and you don't know what they do
outside of work.

There are many places that DO NOT have public restrooms, that is all
there is to it. They have employee restrooms, but the public is not
allowed to use them due to liability. I don't have children. I myself
have been in places where there is no restroom and it is frustrating!

If your son had been allowed to use the bathroom, and had a piece of
the employee-mentioned merchandise fall on him, injuring him, would
you have sued?

Or, what if the merch in the bathroom made it so that it would have
taken the employee a few minutes to clear a safe path for your son to
use the bathroom, and he had an accident in the mean time?

I agree that if you were taunted, that was completely uncalled for.
And while it is unfortunate that your son had an accident, you
yourself might have been able to prevent that by taking the employee
at his word and heading directly next door. Sometimes, part of having
small children means that you pay attention to where the nearest
public restroom is, so accidents don't have to happen.

Finally, I find it terribly offensive that you've deemed these
employees "bad people" because of one incident, where they may have
been safeguarding their job. While I feel bad for your son, if I was
working a minimum wage job and knew I might be fired for
breaking/bending the rules, I probably wouldn't. Not because I'm a bad
person, but maybe because I need that money to pay my bills.

Gamestop does not have a public restroom. If you kid is five or if you
grandma is 85, they do not have a public restroom. Enforcing the rules
and policies of their place of work does not make them bad people,
just people trying to keep their job.

Next time your kid tells you he has to pee, ask for the nearest
bathroom and take him, don't argue with the clerk. On that note, I
sure hope you cleaned up after your kid.

I'm not even going to touch the bit about an employee 'taunting' you
because as you say, it's a bit surreal and out in left field.

Given the OP's ridiculous comments below, I guess I'm just thinking
how he maybe, just maybe, deserved a taunting.

now you know why florida requires public restrooms over a certain
square footage.

when I was working at Tower Records eons ago there were employee
bathrooms in the public hallway leading up to the store. Customers
could NOT understand why they were solely employee restrooms but the
reason was this:

We rented the space from a particularly strict property management
company whose insurance only covered the employees who worked in the
building. Allowing customers in was a huge liability issue for them.

The agent for this company, our landlady, made frequent & random
checks of the property & once found an employee allowing a customer
into the restroom. That employee was fired on the spot. It was in our
contract that immediate termination would occur in the event of such
an infraction.

So, yeah, no-one ever let customers in there again. We needed to pay
rent. :) And, believe me, that wasn't fun or easy. We wanted to be
the good guys.

So to you "good people" are those who would break company policy and
risk getting fired for a stranger; after all, you pointed out
"employees are a dime a dozen."
When my child was younger, I went NOWHERE without a change of clothes
(stick some in the trunk and forget about them until you need them);
it saves embarrassment and doesn't ruin plans that way.

As a mother and an aunt to a 3 year old, the minute the phrase "I have
to go potty" is uttered in a store, I'll ask if there's a public
restroom and if they say no, that's my cue to make like a bread truck
and haul buns either to the nearest location that has a public
restroom or home. The last thing I'm going to do is argue the fact
because it's not going to change the fact that they don't have a
public restroom and the chances of the child having an embarrassing
accident is extremely high.

With that said, taunting you is wrong and that should be addressed and
it is best that you bring up the washroom incident with corporate as
they are the ones who set the rules regarding public/no public
restrooms. There may be good reasons why they don't have a public
restroom and the employees may have been told from the higher ups that
under no circumstances is the public allowed in the restrooms. Yeah,
it sucks for the public because I know what it's like when you have to
go but at the same time, I can understand why someone is not willing
to risk their job because let's be real... if an employee gets fired
for allowing a customer to use the restroom, are you going to pay for
his bills when he's out of work?

Here we go again with the sense of entitlement of parents with small
children.....as others have said there are many reasons why would not
let customers into their backroom. Those reasons may not mean
anything to you, but to an employee who dosen't make much who could
lose his or her job because of something going wrong it is a BIG deal.
I'm sorry your son wet his pants, but he'll get over it. Kids are
resilient. I wet my pants a few times as a young child and I turned
out okay. It's not a fun situation I know, but it's not Game Stop's
problem.

Did you ask to speak with a manager while you were there? If not, why
not?

Your lack of planning does not constitute an emergency on their part.
If they don't have a public restroom, then they don't have a public
restroom.

Do you have any clue how full of stuff their back room is right now?
Letting someone go back there invites theft, and it means a risk of
injury. It also means a risk that whoever lets it happen will lose
his or her job. I wouldn't put your son's need to get to a bathroom
fast ahead of my need to pay rent. And I don't think that makes me a
bad person.

(And believe me, I *get* having to go and not having a bathroom
available to me. I feel for your son's predicament. I just don't
think it warrants them doing what you wanted them to do.)

Pointing you in the direction of the nearest bathroom available to the
public seems to me to be a good call in a situation like this. If
there had been more time then maybe they could have pointed you to a
bathroom available to the public who aren't patronizing a particular
business.

I agree that the employee shouldn't have taunted you, no matter how
you behaved in the store. But I suspect, based on your willingness to
conclude not only that GameStop has policies you don't like but also
that they are not good people, that his behavior didn't come out of
the blue.

I've worked at a couple of smaller retail stores where the bathroom
was in the backroom. To let non-employees in a part of the store where
inventory is located is a potential liability issue. So, I'm sorry,
but I'm on the side of the store in regards to this part of your
letter.

Where I'm on your side, however, is the employee taunting you. That
was truly uncalled for, and for that you are owed an apology.