Chocolate store employees refuse to let a 5 yr. old child use the restroom, Hershey’s squirts ensue. As someone that has Crohn’s disease, I feel for this little kid. How about a little compassion? Read more about this story and an investigation by The Consumerist.
A reader writes: “Last night we were out with friends and went to the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory at Bella Terra/Huntington Beach. We were eating outside as my 5 year old daughter got an uncontrollable urge to use the bathroom and began crying and screaming ‘diarrhea, diarrhea.’ I ran into the store with her in my arms, begging to use the bathroom and they refused multiple times.”
I explained she had diarrhea and couldn’t hold it and told them she was about to go on the floor. They refused again and never offered me any alternatives. I begged them to have a heart and that she was 5 but by that time she had lost it all over herself and me. I ran with her in my arms to the movie theater that let me use their bathroom. I cleaned her up, threw out some of her clothes and went back to the Chocolate Factory – asking for names and number of management. I again pleaded with them to use their heart in situations like this.
I called the manager today and she finally called me back. She supports the employees and tells me that it is an insurance decision. She told me to sue if it makes me feel happy. She laughed at me when I told her I would be using my extensive contacts to begin a viral campaign to boycott her store and the entire chain and told me that she was “sure that would make my daughter very proud.” My daughter was humiliated, forced to defecate on herself due to the lack of compassion exhibited by the store – which the owner continued to support on the phone with me. I don’t want anything, I just want them to have a bit of compassion in the future.
Store contact info.
Store email
Tags: 5 yr. old, bad service, California, ccfa, Child, colitis, consumer activism, consumerist, Crohn's Disease, diarrhea, huntington beach, ibd, refuses bathroom access, rocky mountain chocolate factory, year
Your Daily Chum 
June 25, 2008 at 6:40 pm |
I am sorry that such a situation has happened to you but as a mother and a woman that works in that type of store I have to say that I would probably refuse you access as well. but I would have told you were their is public restrooms. you have to understand that as we see in the news many times people use children to gain access to all kids of places they couldn’t normal get on there own. women steal and sick it in their child’s stroller all the time. one more directed her child to search employee purses behind counters.we recently seen 5 generations of one family going on a shop lifting spree. how was that employee to know if you wouldn’t get into the backroom and then reveal a weapon. its a shame that we have to think of these things and be so cautious but that is the way of the world. My safety is more important than a child needing to use the restroom. besides do you know what kind of dangers hide behind the counter of candy stores, hot stoves, popping caramel, knives sitting out. what if heading into the restroom you slipped and fell on a wet floor?then you would be suing for injuries.
it is sad that your daughter had an accident but honestly, kids have accidents all the time and she isn’t going to grow up and be messed up because of this situation. if anything it will be because her mother is going around making it so public. kids are cruel and one day in high school this may come out. who will be to blame then?? not rocky Mt. chocolate factory or the employee’s she will be angry with her mother. its unfortunate that it was all over you and I think that maybe the reason for such a fuss, but seriously let it go and move on. of course the movies allowed you to use their restroom, they are public. but,by requesting people to boycott this store all over the place, what are you trying to accomplish? the closure of this store or all of the franchises. that’s a little far fetched. boycott that location if you want but don’t judge the other locations because of 1. I think that the majority of these stores employees would have shown you to a public bathroom. again I’m sorry such a thing happened, but as a mother I know that situation’s like this are a possibility.
June 26, 2008 at 4:16 pm |
Responding to “mother of a 2 year old”. I do not live in CA, but in VA. I also have kids and have worked in the retail setting. Clearly, retail representatives today are callous, inflexible, and lack compassion. I DO believe that children the age of 5 can be scarred because of this type of occurrence. Granted, parents can minimize with appropriate counsel, however the scar will be there. So, the staff would have to do a little extra sanitizing in their daily routine. You mention you have kids and I’m sure you’ve had to do it yourself. It doesn’t take much. As far as your mention of theft – unfortunately, you (like many in our society today) punish the innocents because of the criminal-minded. Have a backbone and have compassion, but do it smartly. There are ways to practice proper loss prevention without dehumanizing customers! I do agree with you that all of the stores should not be closed because of this one instance. However, I also feel the franchise headquarters should be doing more to publicly rectify this situation than simply making a public statment that they’re “sorry and don’t condone the decisions that were made”. It would be completely acceptable for the franchise owner to have their franchise rights stripped if they do not rectify this appropriately. I for one will not shop at this chocolate chain unless I see otherwise.
May 24, 2009 at 11:17 am |
OMG! The franchise should be closed??? GET OVER YOURSELF what do you know how businesses are run and how the situation should be rectified! Are you telling HQ to ALLOW people to use thei restrooms or STRIP the franchisee of its rights?WOW..THANK GOD YOU dont offer any franchises!
June 26, 2008 at 6:50 pm |
To the person above I have to say THANKS for demonstrating what a self centered person much like the mother who started this mess thinks. Someone feels that anyone she happens upon owes her ANYTHING including access to their staff bathroom. I’ve seen the store and the fact that she would have had to go around and behind the counter to access the bathroom. For people like you who have nothing to risk other than the embarrassment of a child messing up some clothes and a parent dealing with it could care less about the financial liabilities the store risks as well as the health risks involved in a retail store that serves food. The child was sick enough for her diarrhea to get both the child and the mother contaminated with feces. As a parent I can tell you when MY child is feeling under the weather and would not make the poor decision to venture to the mall. And if by some mistake I was so self centered and ignored my child’s signs and symptoms of an on coming illness and went to the mall I am aware that there are MANY public facilities in malls, especially IN THE FOOD COURT where this took place. But hey I understand the priority that shopping is for too many.
July 1, 2008 at 10:38 am |
wow. u shoulda just gone around the corner to the theater in the 1st place (not that far) after they refused the restroom to u. u wasted your time arguing with the staff while your daughter has diarrhea problems?!!! . sheesh lady. i’ve been in that store b4 and it doesn’t look like the type of store that would or even should have an effin public restroom. i woulda refused u too. if that little girl was to have her accident on the way to the restroom at that RMCF, they would probably have to close the store for a while to clean up and if any customers was to see that, they are gonna lose a lot of business so YOU should be sued for making a big deal out of this and for making your daughter wait even longer under her condition with u going at it back n forth with those kids that work there!!! (who are probably just following their rules lady)
July 8, 2008 at 1:05 pm |
hi there i just wanted to tell you that i was in the store when this thing happen i wanted to tell you what a BIG LIAR you are because you where not polite to the employees and you wheres just screaming to the girl helping you beside when you whent to the movie theater to use the restroom youwere only there for less than 2 minutes i can not believe that a mother whith a sick child will clean herself and the kid that fast beside there are many places you can use the restroom like kabuki which is beside the store. I THINK YOU ARE JUST A LADY THAT WANTS SOME ATTENTION. I THOUGHT YOU SAID WHEN I WAS IN THE STORE THAT YOUR CHILD WAS 3 YEARS OLD.
July 8, 2008 at 6:15 pm |
Yeah, Clara, dear, a bit of a clarification. I’m not the mother featured in the story…I just posted the story.
July 17, 2008 at 10:25 am |
i think what pisses me off the most about this whole thing is that the health department isnt stepping up to defend the store. if they were standing there and they had let the child in to use the restroom, they would have been written up and recieve bad marks for it. that type of store is not allowed to let anyone behind the counter due to food saftey. the employees did the right thing and followed the rules but are being punished and no one is stepping up to defend thier actions. thier is no apoligy needed to give, the corporate shouldnt have even apoligized but did so out of fear of losing customers all over the country. Where is the health department on this issue?? they need to come forward and defend the actions that were taken!
such bullcrap!!
May 24, 2009 at 11:13 am |
Obviously this so called MOTHER was being so neglectful and selfish shopping around until it was TOO LATE for her child to get to a bathroom!!! I really dont see how the health sensitive area of a chocolate shop is to blame for an ignorant mother! In many, many small food stores (and some non-food) you are refused to use a restroom! Get over yourself …on top of it all YOU JUST STAND THERE AND ARGUE until your poor, traumatized child goes all over! WOW, WHAT CLASS you have!
May 24, 2009 at 11:20 am |
To the so called mother who posted this….WOW, is ee you have done SO MUCH DAMAGE with ‘all your extensive contacts”!!!WHO are you, the president of douchbags??? Get OVER yourself and bring your child to therapy..and not bec. of this incident!