27 April 2026

Legal, but Absurd: No Toilets in Supermarkets

Supermarkets may legally lack customer toilets, but this creates real problems for visitors.

“Hello, why don’t you install toilets in supermarket parking lots? Is it normal for our children to have to pee outside, next to cars or behind a tree?”

This isn’t just an emotional reaction. It’s a real question sent to us by a woman on social media.

We often receive calls on our national phone line from people who are angry, worried, and sometimes even embarrassed by situations they’ve found themselves in. And behind this question lies more than inconvenience — it reveals something far more fundamental: the lack of basic conditions for normal human behavior.

“Why are there no toilets?”

When “just for a moment” turns into a problem

The situation is familiar to almost everyone. You walk into a supermarket — just for a quick stop, something small, planning to be out in five minutes. Often, you’re with a child. Everything is fine… until that moment that simply cannot wait.

“Mom, I need the toilet.”

You look around, pick up your pace, go to a staff member. You ask, hoping the solution is just behind a door.

The answer is short:

“We don’t have one.”

And that’s when the tension starts.

Your mind begins racing — where, how, how much time do we have, can they hold it, is there an alternative? What about the shopping cart? Where do you leave it? You have to go outside. You look for an exit, for anything nearby, for any option at all. But there isn’t one.

A few minutes later, you find yourself in the parking lot — between cars, in the noise, in the heat or the cold — trying to find a “hidden spot” that doesn’t really exist. The child doesn’t understand why. You understand all too well.

This is not just inconvenience. This is a situation where a person feels pressured, embarrassed, and frustrated at the same time.

And the worst part is — it’s not an exception. It happens again and again, in different places, to different people, in exactly the same way.

What does the law say?

This is where the key question comes in: are stores required to provide toilets? In Bulgaria, there is no single rule that clearly states:

“Every supermarket must provide a toilet for customers.”

However, several regulatory frameworks touch on the issue:

occupational health and safety requirements - mandatory sanitary facilities for staff
hygiene regulations for food retail establishments
construction and architectural standards for public buildings
accessibility requirements

What does this mean in practice?

Toilets for staff — mandatory
Toilets for customers — depends on the facility

And it is exactly this “grey area” that creates the real problem.

Is it legal? Yes. Is it acceptable? Not always.

Many supermarkets operate fully within the law without offering toilets for customers. But real human needs often fall outside what the law requires. These stores are visited by all kinds of people:

parents with young children, where the need comes suddenly and cannot be delayed
elderly people, for whom control and reaction time are often limited
pregnant women, for whom frequent restroom use is part of everyday life
people with medical conditions — such as diabetes or gastrointestinal issues — where access to a toilet is critical

For all of them, access to a toilet is not a convenience. It is a necessity that cannot be “scheduled for later.” When such access is missing, the consequences go beyond discomfort. They lead to:

stress and tension in real situations
rushed exits from the store
humiliating and improvised solutions outside
potential health risks from holding it in

But there is something even deeper — the feeling that no one has thought about the most basic human need.

It is in moments like these that the difference becomes clear between a space that simply operates… and one that actually considers people.

And while the absence of a toilet may be completely legal, it is often hard to justify from the perspective of human comfort and dignity.

“Why don’t you install toilets yourselves?”

This is the question that naturally comes to us.

The truth is simple and honest:

We can provide the solution.
But we cannot make the decision.

OoYes provides mobile toilet facilities, transport, and maintenance. This means we can deliver clean, fully serviced, and functional toilets almost anywhere — including supermarket parking areas. But whether they will be installed depends on:

site managers
property owners
investors

A small investment. A big impact.

In many cases, the solution is not complicated. A well-maintained toilet:

improves the customer experience
keeps people in the store longer
shows care and consideration
solves a real, everyday problem

And most importantly — it creates a sense of normalcy.

What can people do?

Change does not always come from the top. Often, it starts with the customers themselves. People have the right to:

ask
demand
give feedback

Next time you find yourself in this situation:

speak to the store manager
leave feedback
share your experience

The more this issue is talked about, the harder it becomes to ignore.

In the end

No parent should have to wonder what to do when their child needs the toilet. No person should be put in a situation where they have to look for a solution behind a building or between parked cars. This is not about luxury. This is about basic human conditions. And sometimes, the solution starts with something very simple — a door marked “WC.”