Toilet 'Attendants'
The ludicrous spectacle of otherwise unremarkable clubs and pubs in London gaining toilet 'attendants' is becoming worryingly common, with Highbury Corner's White Swan being perhaps the most unlikely recipient of these blackmailing salespeople. At one point, after a Swedish friend asked me what on earth it was all about, I actually emailed the office of the London Mayor to ask if this practice could be outlawed. Though my request was rejected on the grounds that they had no jurisdiction over this area, I still think the greatest threat these people pose is to hygiene.
I should probably take a few lines to explain what I'm talking about, for those lucky enough to live away from the capital: They stand in the toilets (there are male and female attendants in the respective loos) by the sinks with a metal plate on which are several pound coins and a vast array of eau-de-toilet, perfumes and aftershave. As you come to wash your hands they attempt, as if this were an exclusive Mayfair club or hotel, to turn the taps on, provide you with soap and towels for your hands and then to squirt various tinctures from their supply over you. They may actually sell this stuff too but I've never received any of their perfumed products.
Obviously, the tactic here is to make you feel guilty enough to tip them, and they'll be expecting an amount of at least a quid. They do their best to make it clear you can afford this for the service they're offering with their body language and it lies somewhere between emotional blackmail and outright intimidation. And the venues conspire to help them, making sure both the soap and any means of drying your hands are either non-existent or out of reach behind the 'attendant'.
So, while my comment about hygiene might seem to border on hyperbole, consider that the quickest way to avoid the guilt and ministrations from the attendant (after all, do any of us really need to be helped to wash their hands?) is to simply avoid washing your hands altogether.
On top of this, these guys do not appear to be the ones responsible for cleaning the toilets. At least when I was paying my baksheesh to the guys in the Egyptian toilets their job did appear to be about maintaining the facilities. But in these clubs clearly some poor bastard is still going to have to go in and clean the place for no tips whatsoever after we've all gone.
- Login to post comments
the fresh-up men
this trend is not confined to the capital neither - crying "fresh up? fresh up?" anywhere in cambridge will provoke stony-faced panic.
i'd be happy to receive that kind of attention in a 1930's kubrick-style establishment, but in the grimy dives i frequent, it does seem like a small overstep.
Dear Theobald,I can
Dear Theobald,
I can understand your concern about 'emotional blackmail' but please appreciate the fact that these attendants are not travelling con artists playing on our liberal guilt. They are club staff trying to earn a crust. I am sure that they do not enjoy having to flog lollypops to inebriated punters anymore than we enjoy feeling compelled to tip them. It is true that pub and club owners are complicit in this practice, however more blame should be assigned to them, rather than to the toilet attendants in question. Needlessly employing attendants in grotty mediocre establishments means they will often find themselves working in more cramped, less pleasant and less sanitory conditions. I am glad to learn that your bakhsheesh went a long way during your foray to the land of the Pharoes, but please spare a thought for the British toilet attendant.
Larry 'the Lavy' Larkin
General Secretary of the National Association of Toilet and Cloak Room Attendants
Nah, that's bollocks, isn't it?
Laying aside your clearly false credentials...
If it's a shit job there are plenty of better ones out there that will pay more. If they're employed by the clubs then they shouldn't need tips. Otherwise they're not 'staff'.
If people want to buy lollypops and crap off someone then that's fair enough. No one should have to and nor should anyone who's plying their trade there be making you feel obligated to spend your hard-earned money on such trivia.
TheoGB
http://theogb.com
Toilet Attendants
I would suggest Theo that you spare just a moment's thought for how it is that people end up doing these jobs. About what backgrounds and circumstances lead people to have to make a living this way. When you've done this then try and muster some gratitude that you are not in their position.
I agree with Larry that your anger is misplaced. Blame the clubs who exploit the poorly paid, mostly immigrant, labour you will find in such roles. Surely better to channel your anger into this than at a man who's living it is to sit in scummy toilets offering wet wipes and lollipops to the rude and ungracious?
You clearly didn't read my reply to Larry
As I said, they're not employed by the clubs otherwise they wouldn't need tips and they're not doing anything more than attempting to make you pay for the hygine facilities the club should be providing free of charge by law to their clientelle.
TheoGB
http://theogb.com
hygine law
They are lucky, because they aren't supposed to obey the elongated toilet law. In some states, the law clearly specifies the fact you need only a certain type of toilet. I can't tell you exactly why, but I can tell you that not respecting the law can end up with a very big fine.
I remember at a nice
I remember at a nice restaurant in the city they had some franke sinks and really expensive toilets. The attendants were normal people
Yes I quite agree that these
Yes I quite agree that these toilets ‘attendants’ are irritating. I have a writer friend who tried to write an article about them, but apparently since they don’t receive least salary they’re theoretically unlawful, so the inns reject all knowledge about them, and none of the attendants would give an interview. It all seems very illegal. nokia certificate , macromedia training , nortel certification
the most important thing
the most important thing anywhere is how nice and clean your washroom is, its therefore very important to use an expert group to do the plumbing, Charlotte plumber works for me, its very important o use a group because they guaranty you quality work, its the most important thing