Loo-paper dispensers
Over the years, I’ve been to loos in cafés, pubs and public conveniences and often left embarrassed and angry. Why?
It hasn’t been the graffiti. It’s simply from trying to get my hands on the toilet tissue.
Take those single-sheet dispensers. The paper is ridiculously flimsy – so I have to yank out one at a time to make a wad thick enough to absorb anything. And no – you can’t force open the top of the dispenser to get a handful without the aid of an industrial screwdriver.
Don’t be fooled by those side-by-side double-roll models. I’ve pulled from one end and out came the final sheet – so I tried the other roll. Nothing happened. Foiled by a mysterious lever underneath that’s permanently stuck.
I once had to pull the paper from a container with a tiny hole for the tissue. A miserable half-sheet appeared. So I poked about with my nail file, which then got stuck. I shouted through to next door for help. No one answered. So I rummaged in my handbag to unearth a used paper hanky, before making a hasty, red-faced exit.
My most frustrating experience was when I reached out towards the wall to find there was no toilet paper at all. Luckily, there was paper on a shelf behind me and, grasping my knickers round my ankles with one hand, I waved my other arm frantically behind me. Finally a roll fell off – and landed just out of my reach. I managed to drag it towards me it between my outstretched feet.
I’ve complained often and always been assured that it won’t happen again. And then it does. Surely staff can do better than this. Just check regularly that the dispensers work adequately. It’s not rocket science.
CAROLYN WHITEHEAD
