I hate peaking under the stalls or knocking doors to figure it out. The answer is so simple.

  • @Crackhappy@lemmy.world
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    11 year ago

    To make sure you peek through the gap so you can see someone grundle a dense foshoomp while you try to figure if it’s occupied.

  • @Blackmist@feddit.uk
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    251 year ago

    Americans, isn’t it?

    Next they realise that toilets shouldn’t have massive gaps around and under the doors.

    Y’all are living with prison toilets.

  • @meco03211@lemmy.world
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    1241 year ago

    In the US just peer through the crack between the door and the wall. Ensure solid eye contact with the current occupant. Determine how much time they’ve left. Adjust plan accordingly.

    • CaptainBlagbird
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      201 year ago

      You shouldn’t do that.

      The doors are deliberately designed to have a large gap on the bottom, so you can poke your head through. This is the correct way of doing it.

  • danque
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    191 year ago

    You guys don’t have an indicator near the door handle?? It’s super common in the Netherlands. Almost every toilet has a small indicator, except for maybe some old doors the owners didn’t replace, but all else always shows if it’s occupied or not (not that people won’t try anyway even if red for occupied).

  • @Suru@mander.xyz
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    181 year ago

    I’m genuinely curious to know where in the world you live. I would be horrified if someone was peeking under the stalls or bothering people by knocking on the doors.

    • @Laticauda@lemmy.ca
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      1 year ago

      Idk about OP but where I live most public stalls do have indicators but not all of them. Often custom bathrooms for places like restaurants tend to be missing them since they’re to some degree custom designed to match a certain aesthetic and I’m guessing in those cases indicators are easily forgotten or just left out of more niche bathroom stall door designs.

      I wouldn’t be surprised if this is also an issue in older bathrooms with older stall designs because I remember indicators being less common when I was a kid. But I usually knock if I’m checking a stall like that and don’t try to look underneath until I’ve tried less invasive measures. Honestly usually you can tell just by looking at the shadows on the floor and seeing if there’s any movement or not, without having to bend over to check for feet.

      • Altima NEO
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        121 year ago

        Land of freedom.

        Freedom to poop with a giant gap between the door.

        Freedom to piss in a urinal with no divider.

        Freedom to wipe with toilet paper so thin, so dainty, that it’s practically see through.

    • Uriel238 [all pronouns]
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      71 year ago

      When I frequented small cafés before the epidemic lockdown, it was typical in San Francisco to get frequent impatient door-knockers.

      Part of the problem is the lack of publicly available restroom facilities. Shopping malls often might have two restroom pairs, usually at the food court and by the movie theater, and then one each at thr major department stores, typically hidden by the changing rooms.

      I cannot say how this compares to other towns or other nations, but designing public lots in The Sims 2, I quickly learned to make sure there were facilities a short walk from everywhere. (Also skip the sinks and install showers, since sims dress and undress with a quick spin)

        • Uriel238 [all pronouns]
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          21 year ago

          I don’t know. The Sims 2 was the last of the series by Maxis rather than by the eldritch maw of post-Origin EA lurking in the chaos void

          There may have been placeable bidets that weren’t useable. That said, it wouldn’t be too difficult to mod one together so that a sim sits down on it (as per toilet objects) and it increases hygiene.

          I did like that divicrats (floor threshold dividers) were regarded as room separators for matters of privacy and environment wheb I wanted a relaxed household where everyone poops and dresses in the open.

    • @TheSanSabaSongbird@lemdro.id
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      21 year ago

      Wait till you get a load of the accommodations in much of the developing world. I’ve had some real adventures during my travels over the years.

      • @locuester@lemmy.zip
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        61 year ago

        Never seen one in the US. Also in the US, 10% or so don’t even close right. Plus a 30 cm gap on the bottom and a half cm gap on both sides of the door.

        It’s only an illusion of privacy; anyone can look through the door or under the stall.

      • JWBananas
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        81 year ago

        The US is cheap. We even famously have large gaps between the door/stall panels. I can only imagine it is to accommodate temperature/humidity changes so that they don’t jam.

        Nicer places sometimes have actual deadbolt locks connected to a vacant/occupied indicator on the exterior. But it is rare. Usually it’s just a gapped stall with a sliding lock that will often not even line up correctly without wiggling the door.

        In some instances I have had to use my gym key fob in place of the missing sliding mechanism to secure the door.

        • @I_Fart_Glitter@lemmy.world
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          51 year ago

          It’s to shame you out of doing drugs and having sex in the stalls. It doesn’t work because people who are going to do that in a public toilet are usually immune to said shame.

        • @kablammy@sh.itjust.works
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          11 year ago

          I can only imagine it is to accommodate temperature/humidity changes so that they don’t jam.

          You could deal with that while still keeping privacy with a rabeted edge on the door sides.

  • @IronKrill@lemmy.ca
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    271 year ago

    Cost. The gaps in most NA stalls are so big you will know whether it’s occupied anyway just by walking past.

    • @sudafossil@lemmy.ml
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      61 year ago

      Wait till you see Kansas City airport they have lights outside showing you how many occupied, and lights inside showing you red or green for what’s empty full

    • @Riven@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      231 year ago

      Was a bit of a shock when I went to Japan and all the stalls are just small rooms within the restroom. It was nice. Bidet game is on point too.