Another area of cost cutting I find unacceptable, while it's not as serious as health and toilet paper cost cutting, is with doors to the cubicles in public and/or shared toilets.
I hadn't really thought about this until today, but there I was, doing what I always do to help pass the time while I'm taking the time to 'pass', and that's reading the graffiti on the walls/door, and I spotted this bit at the bottom of the door: "Beware of limbo dancers!"
Well didn't that startle me into a bolt upright position.... as I looked around me to see if any had snuck in while i was reading the crap on the walls. Luckily for me none had! However, that's not good enough! Once I had composed myself - well enough - I looked towards the bottom of the door and was absolutely flabbergasted just how big the gap was to the floor.
"Never mind the limbo dancers. " I thought: "What about midgets dwarfs, fer crikey's sake? I mean, it's not like they've got far to bend before they can pop their head under the door and say "Hello!""
Now while some of you may think that's funny or "where's the harm in it", just think about the elderly and the feint of heart.... and then there's such a thing as 'stage fright', when people can't go if the think/feel somebody's watching. It mightn't seem like a serious thing, but believe me, it is. Now I think back on it, there was a time when this kid stuck his head under the door and shouted "BOO" at the top of his voice, Let me tell you, there was positively absolutely no resuming the necessary after that incursion into my ablutions.... the fright and ensuing panic. I had to go home halfway thru and wait 'til the next day to finish what I'd started. It was horrifying, and anybody who's suffered constipation knows what I'm talking about...polishing off 2 x 2 litre buckets off prune juice due to the interruption of regularity.
Yup, all this because some cost cutting bugger(s) decided to leave a feching gap under the cubicle door.... and there's more than just the one reason why the door should go all the way to the floor. Like those people who are... and you all know who I'm talking about, absolutely, positively pusilanimous. what's more, I don't have to spell it out why the door NEEDS to go to the floor, do I? I mean, everyone who works has one or more of these at the office, and when you know they've 'been' you wisely decide to go to the bathroom on the next floor down/up. Trouble is, there's one or more stinker on every floor... and that much time floor hopping in the elevator can get you fired.
Another reason cubicle door should go all the way to the floor is 'time out' when you just need a few minutes to yourself to think straight after a hectic morning. There you are quietly sitting in the cubicle and the boss comes in seeking you out, but you deliberately don't answer his call and hope he/she goes away, though deep down you know he/she is about to get down on his hands and knees and start looking under the cubicles doors. That's when you stand up on the pedestal and hold your breath..."Ah, thank God he/she is gone." and with the sigh of relief you lose your footing.. and now you've got wet socks into the bargain. Worse still, you didn't bring any spares... cos frankly, who foresees paddling in the toilet before leaving home for work?
I can't quite make up my mind as to the best reason cubicle doors should go all the way to the floor. I don't have a boss to hide from and I've not had wet socks in years, so while it may very well be a valid reason, my vote has to go elsewhere. Now I'm also relieved of the pusilanimous office colleague(s) because I'm a home body these days, but I have been forced to walk 6 blocks to the next public toilet because somebody had 'died' in the closest one.
That would constitute as a major inconvenience for sure, but there is a greater reason, and I think that's having some horrible midget/dwarf/kid sticking their head under the door, scaring your sphincter shut tight, then laughing all the way home about it while you're in agony half started, half finished - could never make my mind up - and your heart up in your mouth. For me, that probably has the most devastating effect of all and my vote goes there for all-the-way-to-the-floor cubicle doors.
Something else, another couple reasons came to mind, being that a couple of movies just popped up 'Snakes on a Plane' and 'Arachnophobia', and I feel that some would feel more comfortable knowing there'd be no legless and eight legged intruders coming to visit... well except for those pusilanimous persons who could leave the door open and no self-respecting snake/spider would dare to enter. Anyhow, it's further food for thought.
