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Washroom Atendants

Started by Brandon, August 03, 2018, 06:59:35 PM

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corco

People around here use it the way that HB is referring to - particularly in the context of camping equipment. If I'm camping somewhere remote, I would pack my gear in and out as opposed to carrying it.


qguy

Quote from: MNHighwayMan on August 05, 2018, 04:30:29 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on August 05, 2018, 04:18:10 PM
2. You don't live here. I've lived in Kentucky all my life. It's a phrase in common usage around here. Surely you've heard the term "packing heat," which means "carrying a gun."
All right, I take back what I said. I've never heard it used in any way besides that.

Mules or other animals used to carry loads are called "pack animals." Now you've heard it another way as well. :thumbsup:

oscar

Quote from: corco on August 05, 2018, 04:57:32 PM
People around here use it the way that HB is referring to - particularly in the context of camping equipment. If I'm camping somewhere remote, I would pack my gear in and out as opposed to carrying it.

And for users of parks that don't provide trash bins, "pack it in, pack it out" is the slogan to encourage people to take their trash with them (with, uh, uneven success).
my Hot Springs and Highways pages, with links to my roads sites:
http://www.alaskaroads.com/home.html

J N Winkler

"Pack out your own trash" is also the watchword in the parts of Denali National Park that are open to backpackers through a reservation system.  The only thing you are supposed to bury in those places is your own dung.

As for the question in the OP, I have personally seen washroom attendants only in public bathrooms in Europe that charge for entry.  Their main function is to keep the bathrooms clean and to ensure that the entry fee is paid.  In the contexts other people are talking about in this thread, such as nightclubs, casinos, expensive restaurants, etc. in the US, the washroom attendants are there to support an atmosphere of exclusivity and unspoken assurance that the riffraff will be kept out.
"It is necessary to spend a hundred lire now to save a thousand lire later."--Piero Puricelli, explaining the need for a first-class road system to Benito Mussolini

abefroman329

Quote from: J N Winkler on August 05, 2018, 06:47:40 PM
"Pack out your own trash" is also the watchword in the parts of Denali National Park that are open to backpackers through a reservation system.  The only thing you are supposed to bury in those places is your own dung.

As for the question in the OP, I have personally seen washroom attendants only in public bathrooms in Europe that charge for entry.  Their main function is to keep the bathrooms clean and to ensure that the entry fee is paid.  In the contexts other people are talking about in this thread, such as nightclubs, casinos, expensive restaurants, etc. in the US, the washroom attendants are there to support an atmosphere of exclusivity and unspoken assurance that the riffraff will be kept out.
" Keeping out the riffraff"  from a bathroom in a club that charges a hefty fee just to get in? Seems superfluous. Maybe they're there to make patrons feel like big swinging dicks, though.

Those pay toilets in Europe sure are immaculate.

PurdueBill

Quote from: Brandon on August 04, 2018, 06:10:16 PM
This was a the Old Crow Smokehouse (on Kinzie) on Wednesday for an event on their second floor.  The main washroom (thankfully) lacked an attendant.  Apparently the women's had two of them.

Coincidentally, a group of us was taking a friend out for a pseudo-bachelor-party day on Friday and there was an attendant in the upstairs restroom at the Old Crow in Wrigleyville then.  That night, after a Cubs game and visits to several other establishments, we were at Old Crow again and no attendant in the downstairs restroom.  Wonder why only the upstairs one seems to have the attendant.

I also remember the CLT airport ones.  Haven't passed through there in some years now, but did find it odd that on one visit when burning a US Airways Club pass, their restroom had no attendant, but the airport's own restrooms may.  Weird.

briantroutman

Quote from: abefroman329 on August 05, 2018, 08:10:42 PM
" Keeping out the riffraff"  from a bathroom in a club that charges a hefty fee just to get in? Seems superfluous.

"Riffraff"  might not be the best word, but I think there's a kernel of truth in the "chaperone"  angle. I'd imagine that even among wealthy patrons in high-priced nightclubs, bathrooms would be popular places to buy, sell, or enjoy some mind-altering refreshments that aren't on the bar menu. Or to make a brief hookup with someone they met on the dance floor. But with a live attendant in the room, they might be dissuaded from trying either.

That said, I've rarely ever encountered washroom attendants, and certainly not the Jeeves type with a town over his arm and a silver tray of mints and cologne.

Duke87

Quote from: hbelkins on August 05, 2018, 04:18:10 PM
Surely you've heard the term "packing heat," which means "carrying a gun."

See this is interesting because I would parse "packing" in this context to mean "being armed with", not "carrying" - and would therefore not think to apply it to anything that isn't being used as a weapon.


As for the original subject at hand, another thought occurs to me - I have definitely been to establishments where I have encountered an attendant in the men's room, but have been informed by female companions that there is not one in the ladies' room. Which does make me wonder - well why not?



If you always take the same road, you will never see anything new.

abefroman329

Quote from: briantroutman on August 06, 2018, 12:07:03 AM
Quote from: abefroman329 on August 05, 2018, 08:10:42 PM
" Keeping out the riffraff"  from a bathroom in a club that charges a hefty fee just to get in? Seems superfluous.

"Riffraff"  might not be the best word, but I think there's a kernel of truth in the "chaperone"  angle. I'd imagine that even among wealthy patrons in high-priced nightclubs, bathrooms would be popular places to buy, sell, or enjoy some mind-altering refreshments that aren't on the bar menu. Or to make a brief hookup with someone they met on the dance floor. But with a live attendant in the room, they might be dissuaded from trying either.

That said, I've rarely ever encountered washroom attendants, and certainly not the Jeeves type with a town over his arm and a silver tray of mints and cologne.
Oh, I see what you mean.  That's very plausible.

abefroman329

Quote from: Duke87 on August 06, 2018, 01:18:04 AMAs for the original subject at hand, another thought occurs to me - I have definitely been to establishments where I have encountered an attendant in the men's room, but have been informed by female companions that there is not one in the ladies' room. Which does make me wonder - well why not?
Maybe because the items they sell (gum, candy, mints, loose cigarettes, sprays of cologne) are items women can carry in their purses, but men can't carry easily in their pockets.  Or because they're vestiges of an era where gender parity wasn't a concern.  Either way, I'd say women are better off without them.

bing101

Quote from: Duke87 on August 05, 2018, 11:07:16 AM
They're unfortunately common in bars in New York City.

I get the sense that the concept in general is a holdover from a time when the cultural expectation was that a business provide all sorts of service for its customers. A bagger bagged your groceries for you at the store, an attendant pumped your gas and cleaned your windshield for you at the gas station, a bellhop carried your suitcases for you at the hotel, the mailman brought the mail directly to your door instead of leaving it in a mailbox at the end of your driveway, etc.

Culture in the US has since shifted - we as consumers now expect low prices instead of high levels of service, which has resulted in a lot of these positions being eliminated to cut costs. And we now expect to be left alone by people outside of our social circles rather than appreciating friendly behavior from strangers, which means that when these positions do still exist many of us see them as an unnecessary person butting themselves into our business uninvited rather than as a nice gesture on the part of the business.

True though.

SP Cook

- "Pack" as meaning "carry" is a proper Appalachian / upper South word.

- I have only seen washroom attendants maybe 4 times in my life.  It is an unnecessary job. 

- In Europe, indeed many places have somebody there to charge to use the facilities.  Different culture.   In Latin America, many places have self-appointed attendants who just create a job for themselves, blurring the lines between fees, tips and begging.


abefroman329

Quote from: SP Cook on August 06, 2018, 09:56:57 AM
In Latin America, many places have self-appointed attendants who just create a job for themselves, blurring the lines between fees, tips and begging.
Different culture.  Also, it's not really "begging" if they're actually performing a service for you.

Rothman

Quote from: abefroman329 on August 06, 2018, 10:05:46 AM
Quote from: SP Cook on August 06, 2018, 09:56:57 AM
In Latin America, many places have self-appointed attendants who just create a job for themselves, blurring the lines between fees, tips and begging.
Different culture.  Also, it's not really "begging" if they're actually performing a service for you.
Pfft.  Right.  Those guys who would rush out to clean your windshield in the 1980s and then block you until you paid weren't begging...it was outright thievery. :D
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

abefroman329

Quote from: Rothman on August 06, 2018, 10:44:15 AM
Quote from: abefroman329 on August 06, 2018, 10:05:46 AM
Quote from: SP Cook on August 06, 2018, 09:56:57 AM
In Latin America, many places have self-appointed attendants who just create a job for themselves, blurring the lines between fees, tips and begging.
Different culture.  Also, it's not really "begging" if they're actually performing a service for you.
Pfft.  Right.  Those guys who would rush out to clean your windshield in the 1980s and then block you until you paid weren't begging...it was outright thievery. :D
Fine, "performing a service for you that you want them to perform."

inkyatari

I've encountered one at the long gone Planet Hollywood in Chicago.
I'm never wrong, just wildly inaccurate.

US 89

Quote from: Rothman on August 06, 2018, 10:44:15 AM
Quote from: abefroman329 on August 06, 2018, 10:05:46 AM
Quote from: SP Cook on August 06, 2018, 09:56:57 AM
In Latin America, many places have self-appointed attendants who just create a job for themselves, blurring the lines between fees, tips and begging.
Different culture.  Also, it's not really "begging" if they're actually performing a service for you.
Pfft.  Right.  Those guys who would rush out to clean your windshield in the 1980s and then block you until you paid weren't begging...it was outright thievery. :D

Not just in the 1980s -- that happened to me in Austin two years ago.

bing101

https://www.forbes.com/sites/instituteforjustice/2018/01/03/oregons-freak-out-over-pumping-your-own-gas-shows-why-many-dumb-regulations-still-exist/#1ffe59ed600e

Are there any state regulations that require "Bathroom Attendants" kind of in a similar manner to Gas Attendants at Gas Stations?  Note as far as I know California does not have these jobs though. It's usually automated car wash and self serve gas plus a janitor doing bathroom maintenance in my area.

I read some stuff that gaa attendants were required by law for some reason and somehow about safety.

abefroman329

Quote from: inkyatari on August 06, 2018, 12:09:47 PM
I've encountered one at the long gone Planet Hollywood in Chicago.
That's what you get for going to Planet Hollywood.

abefroman329

Quote from: bing101 on August 06, 2018, 01:08:46 PM
https://www.forbes.com/sites/instituteforjustice/2018/01/03/oregons-freak-out-over-pumping-your-own-gas-shows-why-many-dumb-regulations-still-exist/#1ffe59ed600e

Are there any state regulations that require "Bathroom Attendants" kind of in a similar manner to Gas Attendants at Gas Stations?  Note as far as I know California does not have these jobs though. It's usually automated car wash and self serve gas plus a janitor doing bathroom maintenance in my area.

I read some stuff that gaa attendants were required by law for some reason and somehow about safety.
The last time I saw a gas pump jockey in the US (and not in Oregon or New Jersey)was in 1997, and they were a relic even then. My grandmother (born 1919, died 2011) never pumped her own gas, she would either pay for full-serve or my dad would fill the tank of her car, but women like her aren't really around any more.

I understand they still exist overseas, particularly in Japan, where they'll even stand in the street to stop traffic so you can merge into traffic when you leave.

jon daly

I occasionally see a full service station. There's definitely one in Seekonk, MA and one in Riverside RI.

I've never seen an elevator operator.

J N Winkler

Quote from: bing101 on August 06, 2018, 01:08:46 PMAre there any state regulations that require "Bathroom Attendants" kind of in a similar manner to Gas Attendants at Gas Stations?  Note as far as I know California does not have these jobs though. It's usually automated car wash and self serve gas plus a janitor doing bathroom maintenance in my area.

I don't know about state regulations, but several states promise 24-hour security at some if not all of their Interstate rest areas.  I have seen this in Mississippi and Alabama.  In Mississippi there is typically a security booth apart from the toilet block, and in Alabama there is a guard on duty (I-20 near Meridian) or a janitor always present (I-65 between Montgomery and Mobile), in both cases in the same building as the toilet block.  The availability of round-the-clock security is advertised on the white-on-blue advance guide signs for the rest areas.

Quote from: bing101 on August 06, 2018, 01:08:46 PMI read some stuff that gas attendants were required by law for some reason and somehow about safety.

That is the alibi in Oregon and I believe it is still part of the policy intent language in the ORS sections that deal with gasoline dispensing.

Quote from: abefroman329 on August 06, 2018, 02:03:32 PMThe last time I saw a gas pump jockey in the US (and not in Oregon or New Jersey) was in 1997, and they were a relic even then. My grandmother (born 1919, died 2011) never pumped her own gas, she would either pay for full-serve or my dad would fill the tank of her car, but women like her aren't really around any more.

My paternal grandmother had the same dates yours did, but pumped her own gas.  I think she became accustomed to it when she was widowed in 1976.  My mother, on the other hand, rarely pumped her own gas--my father usually did that for her.  As is also the case with loading the dishwasher, I think it is the type of chore that often ends up devolving onto one family member, and there are probably families where the wife makes sure the cars are fuelled.
"It is necessary to spend a hundred lire now to save a thousand lire later."--Piero Puricelli, explaining the need for a first-class road system to Benito Mussolini

jon daly

Lamore's Gulf in Wethersfield CT was full serve when I was last there 5 or 6 years ago. I'm not sure if it still is. But there was also a Mobil station nearby that had a full serve aisle; and gave self serve prices to those with handicap stickers.

hotdogPi

"Full service" stations in this area aren't that uncommon. Actual full service is pretty much unheard of, although one person did check the tires at a particular station.
Clinched, minus I-93 (I'm missing a few miles and my file is incorrect)

Traveled, plus US 13, 44, and 50, and several state routes

I will be in Burlington VT for the eclipse.

abefroman329

Quote from: J N Winkler on August 06, 2018, 04:02:44 PM
Quote from: abefroman329 on August 06, 2018, 02:03:32 PMThe last time I saw a gas pump jockey in the US (and not in Oregon or New Jersey) was in 1997, and they were a relic even then. My grandmother (born 1919, died 2011) never pumped her own gas, she would either pay for full-serve or my dad would fill the tank of her car, but women like her aren't really around any more.

My paternal grandmother had the same dates yours did, but pumped her own gas.  I think she became accustomed to it when she was widowed in 1976.  My mother, on the other hand, rarely pumped her own gas--my father usually did that for her.  As is also the case with loading the dishwasher, I think it is the type of chore that often ends up devolving onto one family member, and there are probably families where the wife makes sure the cars are fuelled.
This was also my paternal grandmother, and she was widowed in 1982. She was largely self-sufficient, but never pumped her own gas. I think it was vanity (she was pretty fussy about her hair and nails and probably didn't want to spoil the latter by pumping gas).



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