Kroger -- 4404 Brambleton Ave

Kroger supermarkets are ubiquitous in the Roanoke area. Not all stores are the same, and it stands to reason that their rest rooms are not the same, either. I will get around to all the different Kroger locations, but I'll start with the one at 4404 Brambleton Ave, near where it intersects with Colonial.

This is not my regular Kroger, but we stopped in to check out their excellent beer selection. My daughter had to use the rest room, so I combined our pit stop with some recon. 

First off, it's not easy finding the rest room right away. Oh, there is a sign, but the store is so big, it's hard to see at first. If it had been a peemergency, I would have asked just to save time. When you go inside, go to the left and look for the big sign that says "Fine Wine". Go to the far wall by the beer, then go to the left, down to what looks like the storage area. Pass the elevator and the rest rooms are on the right. Like I said, if it's urgent, you better ask if you aren't familiar with this store.

The women's room was clean, well-lit, and didn't stink. They provide seat covers, extra TP, a changing station and a personal product vending machine. There are speakers in the rest room, so my daughter got to tinkle to Christina Aguilera and a Kroger commercial. Other than that, there was no "ambiance" to speak of, but that is not a priority. 

Problems: 

• I counted 3 Renuzits in there. Granted, it didn't stink, but the chemically enhanced air was a little overpowering. I don't have asthma, but someone who does might be concerned. But again, no stink.  
• There are absolutely zero paper towels. Instead, there is a futuristic Dyson Airblade hand dryer, like this:

Cool, right? Yeah, kinda. It does dry your hands in 12 seconds, but there is nothing to use to open the door. During cold and flu season, you might want a squirt of hand sanitizer after you exit.

• Safety. There were no problems when we were there, but I would have been concerned if it had been later at night or if there hadn't been as many customers in the beer/wine area. Those rest rooms are pretty isolated from the rest of the store.

Sorry, Kroger. I appreciate that you have a rest room for your customers, but you could do better.

First review coming soon!

Don't Forget to Wash Your Hands!

You do know that there are people who do not wash their hands after they use the rest room, right? So, they touch, you know, stuff that isn't particularly sanitary, then they touch the rest room doors. Eww! Many people are grossed out by that and use a paper towel to open the rest room door, then toss the paper towel into the trash. I'm one of those people, which is why I'm annoyed when the trash can is placed far away from the door. What do you do in that situation? I have to confess: I use the towel, then toss it onto the floor. Hey, in the battle for my health, I am determined to prevail. Apparently, a lot of people feel the same way, based on the pile of paper towels next to the door in some rest rooms.

Rating a Rest Room

Public restrooms--they have us at their mercy. We find ourselves desperately seeking them out, when we really wish we could be anywhere else. I think it's safe to say that, given the choice, we would all prefer to have our private moments in our own bathrooms at home. When we are out in public, we have to settle for what we can get...unless it's so disgusting we decide to hold it until we find something that meets our basic requirements.

What are your basic restroom requirements? Here are mine:

• Clean
• Secure (the door to the stall must close and latch; the restroom must be in a safe location)

However, the following are good to have:

• Soap or hand sanitizer (I usually have sanitizer and/or wipes, so I can get by without this one)
• Paper towels or a hand dryer
•  Hooks for a purse and/or coat on the stall doors
• A regular cleaning schedule (don't just assume that the patrons will be neat and clean)

Bonus points for these:

• Automatic anything (toilet flush, water, soap dispenser, hand dryer, paper towel dispenser...)
• Toilet seat covers

Common sense ideas:

• Baby changing station
• Trash can near the door (so you can use a paper towel to open the door, then throw it into the trash) 
• Extra rolls of toilet paper

Nice touches:

• Decor 
• Mirror
• Air freshener (I know that chemical-based air fresheners are bad, but sometimes they are the lesser of two evils.)
• Tissues
• Personal hygiene products and, um intimacy products available

Did I forget anything? What are your ideas?

Because it Matters Where You Put Your Tushie

When you gotta go, you gotta go. Sometimes it happens when you are out and about, so it's good to know which restrooms are clean, which ones need work, and which ones should be avoided at all costs.

I will post my findings, but I need your help! If you make a pit stop and decide that the restroom deserves a shout-out--or worse, needs to be condemned, let me know!