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View Full Version : 14 year old girl with crohn's denied bathroom access at Old Navy


ibdcomfort
08-22-2004, 12:39 AM
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5747915/

This story is horrible. Some members of my Crohn's/Colitis message board & I started a petition boycotting Gap Inc. to let them know how we feel about about this situation. http://ibdcomfort.org/boycottoldnavy.html

Some of us have also emailed Old Navy. We all received the same response....

"Dear Lisa,

Thank you for your e-mail. We understand your concern regarding the
report of a Chicago-area teenager with Crohn's disease and her request
to access the restroom at an Old Navy store.

Old Navy and its employees deeply regret the embarrassment that this
young lady experienced while shopping with us, and we never want
something like that to happen again. A representative of Gap Inc., the
parent company of Old Navy, contacted the family to apologize upon
learning of the incident. Old Navy's non-public restroom policy was
clarified as a result of this incident. Old Navy does allow restroom
access to customers in emergency situations.

Again, thank you for your e-mail. Your feedback is appreciated. If we
may be of further assistance, please contact us via e-mail at
[email protected] or by calling 1-800-OLD-NAVY. Our Customer Service
Consultants are available 24 hours a day for your convenience.

Sincerely,

Shayne
Customer Service Consultant"


I'm glad they changed their policy and apoligized. But, I feel they only did that after this girl went public with her story :(.

No one should be denied bathroom access in an emergency, Inflammatory Bowel Disease or not :(.

Lucy
chrisfucci
08-22-2004, 02:02 AM
That's good that Old Navy/Gap has changed their policy. At times it takes public pressure to help educate corporations and for them to change their policy's. It looks like they have done all the right things end. The manager I believe had his hands tied because of the old policy. The thing I would of recommend happen instead of firing him or discipling him a better route would be training on special needs customer service to be given to store staff.
gonnascream
08-22-2004, 06:29 AM
there's a fine line between company policy and just being humane. this guy had his head stuck so far up his rump I doubt he would ever see daylight.

couple dozen years ago, I was out with my brother shopping, and he had to go do #1 real bad. well the employee wasn't letting him use the bathroom, he was like 5 freaking years old. so I took him outside and let him take a leak on the sidewalk right there. The manager came out screaming at me, and I looked at her and asked her if her "company policy" covered a public sidewalk ???

hey it was either let him do it there or go on himself.
Angelseyes28
08-22-2004, 07:18 AM
I feel horrible for that girl, but I have a couple of questions. Why didn't they just go somewhere that there was a public restroom instead of standing there for 5-10 minutes waiting for a manager and then bickering back and forth with him once he does show up? Just curious.
Next question is why in the world doesn't Old Navy just create a public restroom????!!!!!!
YankeeMary
08-22-2004, 07:47 AM
I feel horrible for that girl, but I have a couple of questions. Why didn't they just go somewhere that there was a public restroom instead of standing there for 5-10 minutes waiting for a manager and then bickering back and forth with him once he does show up? Just curious.
Next question is why in the world doesn't Old Navy just create a public restroom????!!!!!!

I agree were there no other stores? I sure feel for this girl. I don't understand why all public places don't have restrooms for the public.

I wanted to add...I would not have bought my kid new clothes that place after their refusal to allow her to go to the restroom. No way would I give them money..by her giving them money kinda excused what they did to them. And for the record the Old Navy in the Mall of Georgia has restrooms for you to go to and they are even in the back in their store room.
Freebeemom
08-22-2004, 09:20 AM
The old navy by my house has public restrooms...I have had problems accessing bathrooms at places for my children and I agree that it is a bad policy. Sadly, I think that too many people have used that as a way to steal merchandise and commit other crimes. Free-standing places like Old Navy and other non mall stores should allow access to a bathroom, or even pay bathrooms, like in Europe. At least that keeps it cleaner.
buglebe
08-22-2004, 11:52 AM
Maybe she didn't walk to another restroom because she knew she would soil herself if she tried to walk. And maybe she never expected the manager to respond the way he did. Poor girl.
gonnascream
08-22-2004, 11:58 AM
Maybe she didn't walk to another restroom because she knew she would soil herself if she tried to walk. And maybe she never expected the manager to respond the way he did. Poor girl.

thats what I was thinking too. my friend has this condition too, and when she has to go, get out of her way.
twinkiesmom
08-22-2004, 12:05 PM
thats what I was thinking too. my friend has this condition too, and when she has to go, get out of her way.
ITA - I worked w/someone w/this condition. If she got up from her desk and she slapped my arm, I knew what was up and I hadta go to her locker and grab her change of clothes and meet her in the bathroom. There is no time to move elsewhere and I'll bet this girl expected to be let in the restroom pronto. How humiliating for her.
YankeeMary
08-22-2004, 12:14 PM
Good point all of you have made. I have irratable bowel so I can understand, but I would think if she was able to wait out the 10 minutes she might have made it to another location. Either way its just horrible to treat someone that way.
WVCindy
08-22-2004, 04:18 PM
:( Sometimes it is impossible to move when the flair up happens.....but you can bet your sweet bottom I would have did it on the floor in one of the isles instead of my pants :eek:
YankeeMary
08-22-2004, 04:21 PM
:( Sometimes it is impossible to move when the flair up happens.....but you can bet your sweet bottom I would have did it on the floor in one of the isles instead of my pants :eek:


I am embarrassed to say but she would have...she would have pulled her pants down and gone right there in front of God and everybody...I know this because she is my sister. She then would have asked, nicely for toilet paper!!!
twinkiesmom
08-22-2004, 06:50 PM
I am embarrassed to say but she would have...she would have pulled her pants down and gone right there in front of God and everybody...I know this because she is my sister. She then would have asked, nicely for toilet paper!!!

this girl is your sis? I'm sry she hasta go thru this w/that disease.
YankeeMary
08-22-2004, 07:01 PM
this girl is your sis? I'm sry she hasta go thru this w/that disease.


No no...WVCindy is my sister.
twinkiesmom
08-22-2004, 07:17 PM
No no...WVCindy is my sister.

thanx for clearing that up!
WVCindy
08-22-2004, 08:46 PM
:eek: Heck no it wasn't me........I poop my pants for no one! :p
farren
08-22-2004, 09:02 PM
My bil has crohn's. I would imagine they did not know there would be a ten minute wait. I think walking and searching for somewhere else might have brought it on sooner. You know how bad you have to go when you are 9 months pregnant. Can you imagine the pressure being that way but only with diarrhea?

My bil can't eat beef and has to watch pretty much everything he eats. Even that is not a guarantee against an attack. The man should have let her use it.