I go with my mum and sister to her swimming lessons every week.
When the classes finish the kids usually wash up and then get changed in the cubicles however whenever I try to look for one alot of them are taken by people leaving their things in the stalls and ‘reserving their spot’.
WIBTA if I just took my sister into one of their stalls and removed their stuff because we and up having to wait for a long while in the cold?
As classes are usually staggered by 15 minutes if parents from the later classes ‘reserve their spots’, people from earlier classes can’t change until they become free.
I’ve spoken to the staff but a lot of them are from overseas so don’t want to risk complains by brings it up so can’t do much , whereas my job isn’t at risk so I’d happily remove their belongings?
Would I be wrong for doing this?
NTA. Reserving spots in a public swimming pool is ridiculous and entitled.
When this happens at my pool, people just loudly say “is anyone using this cubicle?” in case they are just using the toilet before their shower, and if no one answers it’s accepted to move their stuff.
Unfortunately the bathroom is in a separate room so it’s really guessing game of how long you will wait.
You need to take that one straight to the management of the centre I think
Yep. Escalate this issue. Its only happening because nobody has put a stop to it.
NTA for treating unattended stuff as forgotten items and bringing them to lost and found. That’s what lost and found is for.
If the stuff consistently ends up in lost and found, the people leaving it will stop because not only is it ineffective, but it’s more hassle and time wasting than just not leaving it behind in the first place.
Great idea!
Yta it not your job it not your stuff.. you can’t touch other people things..
You also can’t reserve the changing stalls at the pool when you’re not even in the bathroom, but actively having a lesson instead.
Also community cubicle no one has the right to reserve cubicles for the entirety of a swimming session so they dont have to wait. It would be the same as leaving stuff in a washing machine for days of a communal washing machine.
NTA but staff should put up notices.
I think it would be wiser to address it with the staff so that they can enforce their rules across the board (or maybe create a rule addressing this if they haven’t already); and so that you are not confronted by an angry parent, or accused of losing or taking something in the process of moving it
This is an entirely reasonable thing to have staff address, and I would consider it very poor management if you suffered retaliation for bringing up such an issue.
The places I’ve belonged to the cubicles are for *changing* only, not storing your things. That’s what the lockers are for. Talk to staff, tell them people are leaving their things in the cubicles while they swim/work out. They will tell you if it is or isn’t allowed. If it isn’t allowed, suggest they install permanent signs, not just something they print themselves and tape to the doors/walls.
If leaving things in there isn’t allowed, absolutely move the *abandoned* property so your sister can change privately. Though, I would also encourage her to get more comfortable with changing in the aisles. I’ve never been in a facility where there were very many of those cubicles. If she wants to get in and out in a timely manner, she needs to get used to the lack of privacy in most locker rooms.