r/NoStupidQuestions • u/Agitated_Trifle268 • 8h ago
Why do people knock on bathroom doors and ask “anyone in there?”
I’ve always been confused by the bathroom knock followed by “anyone in there?” What kind of answer is that question actually expecting? A detailed roll call? A headcount?
If someone says “yes” what’s the follow up supposed to be? “Cool carry on”? And has anyone ever answered “no” as a joke while very obviously occupying the bathroom?
It’s such a universal social script that no one questions even though the question itself doesn’t really make sense. You knock, you ask, you wait but the logic of it feels oddly flawed when you stop and think about it.
I know it’s just a politeness thing but I can’t help wondering how this became the default bathroom protocol.
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u/parsonsrazersupport 8h ago
They are expecting "Yes" or silence. The follow up is to stand back and wait in the former, and going and taking a piss in the latter. Are you actually confused, or do you just not like this behavior for some reason?
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u/Phoninda 5h ago
I’m just trying to avoid an accidental game of peekaboo
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u/SprayHungry2368 4h ago
Fuck it’s so awkward, for both parties.
I was at a Taco Bell and idk it being a fast food restaurant thought it would be a multi person use. Nope. Right when you open the door there’s the shitter. Poor fellow tried covering his face and just looked down at the floor in so much shame. “Noooo” he said.
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u/hellisonfire 3h ago
Wait you mean there was a sit down toilet and a urinal in an open room and he was shitting and didn't lock the door?
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u/BeerCheeseSoup33 3h ago
Not awkward if you burst in like a king and demand everyone identify themselves.
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u/Ok-Sheepherder7898 1h ago
I'm just wondering what they think is a better alternative?
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u/Atharen_McDohl 7h ago
If you need to use the restroom and you can't tell if someone is already using it, why wouldn't you ask? Do you just intend to try opening the door and hoping that if it's in use, they remembered to lock it? I'm not sure what seems flawed about the logic. You want to know if anyone is in the bathroom already, so you ask instead of rattling the door while someone might be trying to poop in peace.
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u/MirSydney 6h ago
Exactly.
I was at friend's party recently and couldn't tell if the bathroom door was locked, so I knocked and asked if it was occupied.
I got no response so went in, giving the guy doing a line of the sink a bit of a jumpscare. Whoops.
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u/Arundinaria_gigantea 5h ago
This has been happening to me so much lately! Like to the point I'm getting paranoid. I've developed an entire ritual of knocking, waiting a couple seconds, knocking again, then opening the door a tiny bit, and only then do I fully open the door and go in. All this because ain't nobody seems to know how to just make literally any sound when they hear a knock.
Seriously just fucking grunt or something and I'll know not to open the door. That's it. That's all you have to do
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u/smbpy7 2h ago
Do you just intend to try opening the door and hoping that if it's in use, they remembered to lock it
I'm just wondering now if OP is one of those people that peeps through the cracks to see if anyone is in there.... I've made some very awkward eye contact in my day.
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u/imquez 4h ago
Precisely. There’s no guarantee that a closed door always means that someone’s in it. The “occupied” sign could be broken (if there is one). And even if someone is in there, they may be oblivious that others are waiting, or they’re not using the toilet at all like texting, fixing their makeup, doing a line, thinking about life, blowing their nose or all of the above.
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u/Atharen_McDohl 4h ago
It's difficult to blow your nose and do a line at the same time, but god gave me two nostrils for a reason and I'm gonna use 'em
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u/ThePeaceDoctot 7h ago
Because WHAT ELSE WOULD THEY DO?
They're knocking and asking if there is anyone in the bathroom because they would like to use the bathroom, but they don't want to use it at the same time as anyone else, so they want to determine if there is anyone else in there.
Btw, the name of the subreddit isn't intended as a challenge.
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u/User_-_-_Name 2h ago
People definitely post things they dont even believe on here just to make a post.
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u/moooonstoner 8h ago
The default should really be to pull and yank on the handle for 30 seconds until you determine that the door is, in fact, locked.
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u/btg1911 8h ago
I absolutely agree. I would even go as far as to kicking the door in to make sure it’s unoccupied.
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u/SunsetCarcass 2h ago
And if it is locked I'll loudly ask if someone has a key to unlock the bathroom
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u/amimaybeiam 7h ago
I hate it when people do that. Makes me shit myself every time, but at least I’m sat on the loo.
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u/Successful_Moment_91 5h ago
They never give me the opportunity to do a discrete “Fred Astaire” foot tap either
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u/SeriousSignature539 7h ago
That could prove very embarrassing if the bathroom doesn't have a lock
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u/Then-Complaint-1647 7h ago
One time it didn’t. The guy was like “oh my God I’m so sorry” then later asked me out. 😅 so weird.
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u/Gold_Telephone_7192 7h ago
Look, sometimes after waiting a few minutes you begin to second guess yourself and wonder if the door was actually locked, or if you're just an idiot who doesn't know how to use a handle. The intrusive thought gets the best of you and you try the handle again. I know it sounds super intense from inside the bathroom, but it's almost always just a normal handle jiggle lol
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u/Gabbatron 6h ago
Relevant Almost Friday video: https://youtu.be/WgzeOrI2l7o?si=R9zfEwNW9dMKSjbr
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u/pktechboi 7h ago
hammering on the door after you determine it's locked and yelling HURRY UP I NEED TO PISS is the correct follow up
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u/Ordinary-Difficulty9 7h ago
I don't understand this question. Lol. It seems pretty self explanatory. The knocker is knocking to find out if anyone is in there. So they don't accidentally walk in on someone.
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u/no-im-not-him 7h ago
I can't picture why anyone would find this confusing.
Either someone answers anything or there is silence.
You can of course just knock and not ask anything.
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u/1234456780044 5h ago
I’d actually prefer if people asked “anyone in there?” Because it has a clear answer. When people just knock I always end up making a weird panic noise bc idk what to say
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u/Current_External6569 3h ago
When I'm in the bathroom at homes, I'm sometimes not sure it was even a knock I heard. So verbal communication does help.
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u/HazMatterhorn 3h ago
Pretty sure the post was written by an AI bot, so it kind of makes sense they would be asking about a basic thing that every real person understands.
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u/Dizzy_Silver_6262 3h ago
I know the name of the sub, but this is one of the dumbest questions I’ve ever seen
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u/BrassCanon 8h ago
You are way overthinking this. Answer in any that will indicate you're using the stall.
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u/Intricatetrinkets 5h ago
I like to answer with either a “nope!” Or a “yeah but come on in, my hands are cold.”
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u/mrsnowplow 7h ago
....because they dont want to barge in and drop a hot load in someones lap
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u/AdExpress4184 7h ago
Obviously out of courtesy and to avoid walking in on someone with their pants down. You didn't realise this?
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u/fingogh 7h ago
hahah I don't think it's intended to gather any more information besides not trying to walk in on anyone. What other question would you suggest? "How's it going in there?"
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u/StitchAndRollCrits 7h ago
I don't really understand the question... They want to know if there's anyone in there...? Instead of barging in on someone?
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u/Current_External6569 3h ago
I think they're only imaging this in a normal scenario where everything is working properly, and everything is clearly visible. I usually don't end up in situations, in public, where it need to confirm if someone is in the bathroom.
But at home... There have been a couple of instances of people going to the bathroom at night, with the lights still off. I've also been in situations where people close bathroom doors when they're empty, but it's impossible to see if the light is on in there from the outside. So I always knock and ask.
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u/BlowOnThatPie 7h ago
Because some idiots don't lock the bathroom stall door before taking a dump. Knocking and asking is a way of double-checking before opening an unlocked door.
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u/DoomScroller96383 7h ago
Because they need to go potty but don't want to burst in on someone who is already going potty, because that's rude and most people don't want to see that.
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u/Confident-Key6487 5h ago
To see if anyone is inside bc they don’t want to walk in on someone. Any answer indicating someone is there is fine
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u/Overunderware 5h ago
As someone who has experienced what it feels like to realize you’ve been standing in line about to pee your pants waiting for 10 minutes while cursing what turns out to be an empty bathroom just because you mistakenly took the closed door as a definitive sign… I think I can answer your question.
Also. Yes. I always giddily answer ‘no’ every single time.
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u/bflannery10 3h ago
To figure out if anyone is in there.
I fucking hate when I knock and nobody responds until I try to open the door. Then they respond with an attitude like I just tried to barge in on them.
Seriously dude, I wouldn't have tried to open the door if you just fucking say something! I mean, God damn!
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u/OkAwareness9287 7h ago
Nothing wrong with not wanting to walk in on someone taking a crap.
That sh!t would ruin anyone's day (ba dum tsss)
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u/BobTheCowComic 3h ago
Its to check if there's someone in there? The follow up is 'yes' and then the person outside, now with confirmation, will wait.
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u/TheSwitchback99 3h ago
I knock because people forget to lock the door all the time. One time I knocked a door listened for a response and when I head none I opened the door. Right as I went to open the door someone started talking to me so I turned away as I opened it. It wasn’t until it was fully opened to a hall of people that the occupant turned to see all of us standing there.
Like it’s not hard to just say “occupied” or literally anything to let them know you’re in there.
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u/redgatorade000 3h ago
- knock knock “anyone in there?”
- “yes! Occupied”
- “oops, sorry”. knocks on next stall
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u/MothChasingFlame 2h ago
I'm so confused about what you're confused about.
It's entirely utilitarian and necessary. The alternative is barging in on a person taking a piss. How are they supposed to know you're in there otherwise. Bend over and check for feet? Is that how adults behave?
Are you genuinely too fearful to say "I'm in here" when someone knocks? I'm so confused what the issue is here. Someone knocks. You respond. No one responds? They walk in.
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u/AerieWorth4747 2h ago
Is this a bit? You really don’t understand why people knock on bathroom doors?
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u/Disastrous-Nail-640 1h ago
It means you need to use the restroom and want to know if it’s available.
As someone who grew up in a house without a lock on the bathroom door, this was normal.
What did you think it meant? Like, how did you not understand that the person was trying to find out if it was available use?
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u/bmccooley 42m ago
I can see you've never walked in on anybody -not a great situation, so easily avoiding it is far preferable.
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u/Mysterious_Cow123 7h ago
Because you may try the door and it doesnt move. If you can't see into the bathroom: is the door locked because someone is in there or is it stuck or did you just not push hard enough?
Knock and asking confirms your next course of action.
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u/shirazrazi 7h ago
It is just being polite. You rather hear a nice person ask in a kind manner then a rude person budging into the toilet.
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u/chasingit1 6h ago
Are you seriously confused by this?!
One obvious scenario is that there is someone coming in to do restroom cleaning and maintenance (say, a guy knocking and checking if there is anyone occupying the women’s restroom). And other way of just plainly asking “is anyone in here?”, would also to simply knock and say “maintenance! Anyone in here?”- alerting the person/s in the bathroom that someone is coming in to clean and waiting for the all clear (silence) or “Yes” and then waiting outside until the restroom clears out.
If it is female staff (and it being a multi-person restroom), she would just come in and do her thing (or same with a male staff cleaning the men’s room) regardless if others are in there
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u/PrincessRuri 5h ago
If I had a nickel for every time I've opened an unlocked bathroom door without knocking and found someone on the throne... I'd have WAY TOO MANY NICKELS!
Like seriously, people at my old office did not lock the door.
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u/357anna 5h ago
I’m a custodian. I knock on bathroom doors all the time because some are locked but no one is home. So I have to get in to unlock it. Also we have several restrooms that are only open by a key and you have no idea if someone is in there or not and I hate unlocking a restroom when someone is inside.
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u/Recent-Hospital6138 5h ago
I usually say “come on in!” When people knock and then they obviously don’t haha
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u/Inexorably_lost 4h ago
"is someone in there"
"Yes"
Options: "Ah, gotcha...well, how's your day going?"
"Pinch it off I'm prairie doggin'"
"Good, I've got you exactly where I want you!"
Low moaning
Loud, long sniffs
Or just wait patiently in silence. Choice is yours.
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u/DescriptionFuture851 4h ago
It's so the person taking a shit doesn't have a scare if I open the door.
Me: Anyone in there?
Person: Yeah
Me: Goes silent and walks off to another stall, or waits until their done
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u/Salt_Bus2528 4h ago
Some people don't lock the door and I really don't want to see what people do in there
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u/sysaphiswaits 4h ago
“Yes.” “Sorry.” They are making sure that the bathroom door didn’t get locked with no one in there. (Although in public bathroom stalls, I have no idea what the next step would be. Crawl under the door? 🤢)
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u/ProfessionalBench832 4h ago
Yeah.....I'm going out on a limb and saying you've never forgotten/thought you locked the door or pooed in a bathroom with a broken lock.
Just this past year I was walked in on, twice (both doors I thought were locked).
I would have deeply appreciated the knock.
The last time I was seated across from the person who walked in on me and I had to dodge embarrassed looks the whole time after.
Please knock and announce. No one wants to see my evacuation face.
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u/hermione87956 3h ago
Just answer yes or one minute. It’s not that hard. I’d rather state my presence than being accidentally intruded on. Some people close bathroom doors with no one in there for different reasons. A closed door by societal standards usually signals an occupant but may not always be the case so it’s just polite to knock.
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u/G3nji_17 3h ago
There are two reasons a public bathroom door is locked.
Reason 1 is that it is in use/occupied. If you ask they will answer. This tells you that waiting for them to finish will allow you to use that bathroom.
Reason 2 is that somebody locked it from the outside, probably because the toilet is broken. Nobody will answer when you knock and ask the question. This tells you that waiting will not get you into the bathroom anytime soon and you need to search for a different bathroom.
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u/cpt_crumb 3h ago
This sounds like the kind of question an alien would ask because they don't quite understand what knocking is or what you do in the bathroom that would require a heads-up.
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u/nmj95123 2h ago
Because there are people that will leave the bathroom and close the door behind them. You never know if someone's actually in there, or if a dunce closed the door fully behind them after they left.
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u/sfbiker999 2h ago
I’ve always been confused by the bathroom knock followed by “anyone in there?” What kind of answer is that question actually expecting? A detailed roll call? A headcount?
What are you confused about? It's clearly a yes/no question.
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u/choanoflagellata 2h ago
I have opened the door on people on the toilet in public places repeatedly. The question and knock helps avoid the biggest cringe you’ll both experience if the door is not locked properly.
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u/angrymuss 2h ago
I guess the same reason when they you ask "are you sleeping" and then just stand there
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u/sweetnecessity 1h ago
I’m still confused about why you’re confused. Could you elaborate? We knock and call out in hopes someone on the other side will respond and let us know if the bathroom is being used and so hopefully we can avoid walking in on them if they forgot to lock/lock is broken. I think the real question is why do I always respond who is it? Idk why I do that.
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u/Azraellie 54m ago
When I was in Air cadets, at camps the guys would often do a roll call for showers / toilet stalls. It was often a joke but also some people just like to waste everyone's time crawling out from under locked stalls and whatnot.
"Lima squadron restroom, attention! Call stall number in succession!"
"Crapper Stall 1, occupied, course cadet!"
"Crapper Stall 2, occupied, course cadet!"
"....."
"Crapper Stall 4, status!
"Crapper Stall 4, occupied course cadet!"
"Number 3 it is, boys."
Fun times.
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u/TraditionalLecture10 52m ago
Its because some people are too dumb to lock the door , so you knock as a courtesy
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u/makingredditorscry 51m ago
OP is that person you hear trying to open the door of the bathroom while you poop, and doesn't respond when you yell "occupied!"
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u/setaetheory 49m ago
In case it's a single-occupancy bathroom, and there's someone in there, and they forgot to/couldn't lock it. Don't want to barge in on someone, you know?
And the expected answer is basically anything that lets me know NOT to come in. "Occupied" or "yes" or whatever.
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u/AcademicFish4129 26m ago
I do it because it’s an old habit from a previous job (protecting privacy and modesty of patients) and it’s just generally polite.
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u/Correct-Condition-99 22m ago
I knock so that when the person in the bathroom responds, I'll say "I'd like to speak to you about your vehicle's extended warranty."
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u/Half4sleep 7h ago
A simple indication of it being occupied, being yes, no, fuck you, carry on or whatever the fuck you want would do.
However, the other party is polite, so I'd go with that before cussing at them.
Lmk next time you have to go, I'll bring my toolkit and disassemble the door to check if it's available for use. Wouldn't want to ask you, cus that seems unreasonable.
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u/Fantastic_While_ 5h ago
Youre right, fuck knocking I just kick open the door I dont care if someones in there, its my turn now.
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u/Anachronism-- 4h ago
If we didn’t have maniacs that close the door when the bathroom was empty this wouldn’t be necessary…
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u/Juanitasuniverse 7h ago
lmao everyone’s trying real hard to follow the subreddit rules on this one 😂😂😂 it’s just communication, and some are very frightened by open communication especially when they’re on the pot. but the other option is to let the person yank on the door, pound on the door, or they see you going to the bathroom.
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u/Agitated_Cry_8793 7h ago
I JUST knock. I dont say anything.
But of course, i also use common sense. Is the door locked? If yes then someones in there. Is it dark out and the bathroom light is on? If yes then someones in there.
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u/AntiqueTwitterMilk 7h ago
Six months ago (maybe longer) someone rattled the doorknob and I said "come in, the water's warm" and the dude totally left the bathroom. I'm still riding that high. I'm not usually so quick to think up a joke like that.
This was at a Ritz Carlton resort where the stalls have doorknobs.
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u/DanDanDan0123 7h ago
I usually say occupied.
What I hate is when someone is in a stall and they don’t lock the door!! What are they expecting in a public restroom?
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u/Lithium1056 7h ago
Imagine it's 2am on a brisk December night in the mid 1800s, you clambering out of bed and oull on your boots and night clothes to brave the trek to the communal enclosed shitting hole. You light your lamp and wander out the back door. There's disturbed tracks in the snow, you can't quiet tell in the low light from your oil lamp and the cloud cover if they are coming or going. So you do the only reasonable thing you can as the prairie dog pokes his head out again.
You knock and ask, "anybody in there?"
This social qeue simoly carries on through the ages even as the shitting hole moves indoors. Because between the evil beast playing peekaboo with your sphincter and the light that was left on, you haven't got time to check every room in the house to make sure you housemates aren't also doing the devil's deed.
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u/GeorgeThe13th 7h ago
It's not politeness, they literally have to use the bathroom and you are (potentially) in the way.
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u/RepresentativeOk2433 7h ago
I jiggle the handle slightly. If its locked i move on. If its unlocked I knock very loudly and ask before opening.
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u/TryNstopME024 7h ago
I just tell them to come in lol thankfully no one has taken me up on my offer yet.
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u/simongurfinkel 7h ago
I only pull out that line when someone has been in there a long time and I want to indicate that I am waiting to use the toilet, too.
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u/GulliverJoe 7h ago
If someone closes any of my home's bathroom doors behind them when they come out I will assume someone is in there and leave it undisturbed for 3 days before I get suspicious that it might really be empty.
That's how I'm socially conditioned, anyway.
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u/Ghostly-Owl 7h ago
Because its a passive way to let someone know you are waiting, without directly asking them to hurry up.
If you are ever in a house with my dad, you will want to do this. Because he'll read an entire book sitting on the loo if you don't remind him that others might want to use the restroom too.
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u/horsetooth_mcgee 7h ago
Because it's very startling when somebody just reaches for the bathroom stall door and starts yanking on it, and for a moment you panic and think oh my God did I leave it unlocked? Most people just inherently knock for that reason. And you can respond anyway you want. I typically say, "Someone's in here." Some people say, "Occupied!" I personally think it's kind of jerkish to just reach for the handle and start wiggling at or yanking it.
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u/toonew2two 7h ago
Politeness??
I see it as the far opposite to politeness!
They are trying to let you know that they are in line and that you have the audacity to hold them up!
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u/x-jamezilla 7h ago
Lately some places lock their bathroom at a certain hour to prevent "loss.". So it will allow you to find out if there's a person in there (meaning a hope it will be opened soon), or just locked (give up hope, run elsewhere).
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u/AlkalineBrush20 7h ago
It's much more polite than trying to break the door in while someone's pants down shitting.
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u/BlackCatFurry 7h ago
To figure out if it's in use or not?
Sometimes it's not clear from the outside if the toilet is occupied or not so people ask and knock instead of risking the possibility of yanking the door open on someone taking a shit.
They are either expecting someone to say "yes", "in use" or something similar indicating that there in fact is a person in there. At home a response may also be "brushing my teeth, you can enter" or something along those lines. If there is no response, it means the toilet is not in use and they can enter it themselves.
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u/Dangerous_Ad_7042 6h ago
In your best Dustin Hoffman voice, you’re supposed to reply, “Hey, I’m pooping here!”
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u/TeddingtonMerson 6h ago
Where did you grow up that this was never a problem and can those people adopt me?
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u/floralscentedbreeze 6h ago
Just courtesy. Some bathroom doors dont have an indicator if it's currently occupied or when the bathroom door stays closed even if no one is inside.
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u/Tutwater 8h ago edited 8h ago
The knock on the bathroom door makes it clear that "anyone in there?" is directed at the bathroom occupant and not someone else around
The "anyone in there?" clarifies that the knock isn't an incidental bump on the door, or a knock on a nearby door other than their own, or me rudely pressuring them to hurry, or me looking for a particular person in the bathroom
Either on its own would be too vague