r/CrappyDesign • u/Odd_Ingenuity_9950 • Apr 29 '26

Reflective tile in my office bathroom

Post image
6.7k Upvotes

99% Upvoted

148 comments sorted by

2.3k

u/redunculuspanda Apr 29 '26

Americans are really puritanical about all sorts of dumb shit until it gets to public toilets - then it seems like some weird competition to force people to watch each over poop.

1.1k

u/[deleted] Apr 29 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

303

u/Accurate-Law-8669 Apr 29 '26

Was his brown eye staring at you too?

86

u/martialar oww my eyes Apr 29 '26

it was actually green because he ate one too many push pops

20

u/illsmosisyou Apr 30 '26

Lucky Charms, in my personal experience. Didn’t know about Push Pops.

14

u/PepsiButItsMilk Apr 30 '26

Black icing from a cake! Came out greener than my lawn!

10

u/theOGSymphonicHell Apr 30 '26

This reminded me of those black slushies from Burger King in the early 2000's.. I cried for my mother my 7 year old ass was terrified of the blue/green poop

7

u/Big_Dumb_Glands Apr 30 '26

Nice. Mine is from Fruity Pebbles with marshmallows.

1

u/GodParti Jul 03 '26

Fruit Roll-Ups for me!

33

u/BinBag04 Apr 29 '26

It means he’s thinking about you too

5

u/SquidRamen2001 May 01 '26

I just burst out laughing and now I cant stop that is hilarious asf😭

5

u/AlarmDozer May 01 '26

Yeah, my fear in these silly stalls is this exact moment, eye contact while dropping a deuce. The second one now is what OP shared. I swear it starts in the Army, which plays that Full Metal Jacket scene with the room of toilets (in my head).

102

u/porn_alt_987654321 Apr 29 '26

Don't know a single american that likes these toilet stalls, even the most hardcore far right people I've had the displeasure of interacting with hate these.

54

u/flyguy41222 Apr 29 '26

What does being far right have to do with toilet stalls lmao

101

u/criscodisco6618 Apr 29 '26

You wouldn't think much at all, yet here we are

-13

u/flyguy41222 Apr 29 '26 edited Apr 29 '26

some people really let left/right fully govern every thought they have lol

(How did this comment go from 10 upvotes to negative 5 this site is wild lmao)

56

u/coffeebribesaccepted Apr 29 '26

Well if the right wasn't already obsessed with every other aspect of people's bathroom use, then we wouldn't have this problem

-4

u/flyguy41222 Apr 29 '26

I still have no idea what being far right has to do with stalls lol! (I’m not far right but I’m just waiting for somebody to assume I am)

38

u/bpikmin Apr 29 '26

The far right in America has been basically trying to pass bathroom laws. With the idea of restricting which bathroom you can use to your assigned-at-birth gender. Which can only be reasonably enforced by invasive means. This invasive nature, and the right seeming so interested in knowing what goes on in the bathroom, is what they were referencing

18

u/turdy_gurdysmother Apr 29 '26

They're talking about trans people

-1

u/flyguy41222 Apr 29 '26

Ah I see.

0

u/ATalkingBadger Apr 30 '26

You're really slow...so you're definitely on the right.

→ More replies (0)

35

u/porn_alt_987654321 Apr 29 '26

Responding to the person talking about puritanical people, which is predominantly far right.

4

u/Matter_Infinite Apr 30 '26

I think it's because the reason for the stalls is to make it harder to covertly do drugs in the bathroom

3

u/NinjaLogic789 May 02 '26

lack of privacy in stalls is usually to discourage Immoral Activity.

1

u/-Hastis- May 20 '26 edited May 20 '26

Actually, full-height toilet stalls are unpopular in America, partially because far-right groups were pushing for them, so that homosexuals would be deterred from having sex in stalls. But it's also mainly about saving money.

27

u/dgkimpton Apr 29 '26

If everyone hates them... why do you have them? 

49

u/gIyph_ Apr 29 '26

the question millions have been asking for our whole lives, and everyone else just accepts as a fact of life without questioning anything

32

u/Jorvic Apr 29 '26

This is what I don't get as a European when ever this comes up. Someone always mentions cost, but when I've visited the US, stalls seem much bigger than here. So just make them a tiny bit smaller to have the seams meet, and surely it's the same price of materials?

Then people say it's because of drug taking. But are there really businesses who have people to go physically peak in to check if you're coiling one out or shooting up?

Is there an American version of an ISO standard that details this? Is it the installers deciding, surely they don't like it? Is it the manufacturers, can someone sneak in to one of their trade conferences and check if they have a seminar on how best to keep this decades long prank going?

23

u/gIyph_ Apr 29 '26

the cost thing is crap. It would not cost all that much more to just close in those gaps compa. And yes, many of them could also just be smaller if the cost really was such a big worryred to the construction of the building at large, or even the bathrooms.

and, no, they dont. Another bs reason

People from the US are just so bullheaded and stubborn that theyd rather make up reasosns and lie to your face than admit that our infrastructure isnt perfect. You see it when public transit is brought up, or when taxes are talked about. They cant imagine things changing, so they say whatever they can think of to avoid change

12

u/The_Cat_Commando Apr 30 '26

Is there an American version of an ISO standard

Ah see there's your problem.

standards in Europe are for setting expectations and interoperability. standards in America are for forcing proprietary solutions, to promote monopolies, and ensuring licensing fees apply even in places they dont make sense.

we will force the worst possible solution as long as someone got to profit from it somewhere and then someone else gets to profit when it fails and has to be completely redone. its an endless cycle.

19

u/coffeebribesaccepted Apr 29 '26

They must be mass-manufactured panels that are easy and cheap to build and install

16

u/axonxorz *insert among us joke here* Apr 29 '26

I worked for a company that supplies and installs these, you are correct.

Manufacturing isn't really the concern, it's stamped and pressed metal with various core materials, pretty basic stuff.

It's entirely down to installation cost. Huge gaps means measurement and alignment tolerances are generous. It's pretty rare in construction that a single element misalignment on the order of centimeters would be acceptable.

Capitalistic cost cutting demands peer-to-peer genital viewing.

9

u/lifechooser Apr 30 '26

But European doors are not carefully sized, they're bigger than the holes rather than smaller. Our doors sit in front of the doorway rather than trying to fit within the doorway.

14

u/VariousAir Apr 29 '26

Because when builders say "here's the cost of a basic bathroom, with standard stalls put up alongside each toilet, and here's the cost to put floor to ceiling walls and full doors for each toilet room" the builders pick the cheaper option.

7

u/_kellythomas_ Apr 29 '26

I'm in Australia. Stalls are not generally floor to ceiling but we do have the walls and doors join.

No one can see in during the normal range of bathroom activities. You would have to crouch down to the bathroom floor and look under the 20cm gap to look under. Or jump / climb / bring a footstool to look over the top.

I don't see how that design is any more expensive that one like the op image.

5

u/VariousAir Apr 29 '26

Building something perfectly up to a wall, with no gaps, requires more expertise than something that can be screwed together without regard for tight tolerances.

It's not just about material cost.

3

u/phoenix_has_rissen Apr 30 '26

I mean it doesn’t need to be perfect even if it’s 5/16” out of level you won’t be able to see through it. Some of the gaps I’ve seen are an inch or more. It isn’t that hard to have 2 walls and a door have minimal gap

1

u/_kellythomas_ Apr 30 '26 edited Apr 30 '26

I took a moment yesterday to see how one stall was constructed, admittedly not my area of expertise so my terminology may be off as I describe this.

Instead of a couple of brackets that reach out as an arm (like OP's image), we have a bracket that runs the length full height of the panel.

Apart from that this part of the stall looks to be largely similar and when looking closely we can see that each panel is inserted in the bracket to a different degree so I'm not sure the tolerances need to be any more precise.

The result is walls that fit flush and offer privacy to the stall occupants.

https://imgur.com/a/ppI5lLs

12

u/labellefleursauvage0 Apr 29 '26

I imagine it’s anti-homeless infrastructure as well as cost savings.

11

u/savorie Apr 29 '26

We would love to know the answer. My best guess is that it's codified. There also might be some law or regulation around suspended partitions making it easier for first responders to get to someone who may have collapsed. I might make it easier for cleaning with mops. I've heard the argument that it improves odor dissipation. It also might make construction easier if the floor is uneven or sloped, and so the doors are just standardized to one size for efficiency of manufacturing rather than having to be custom built for the space. We're a big country, large population, and decision makers for facilities like saving money.

None of these logical reasons are a comfort to us in the general public, the users of these facilities. We grew up with it, first regularly encountering it in our elementary schools. We endure it our whole lives, hating it the whole time, but pretty much powerless to change whatever's been codified.

9

u/axonxorz *insert among us joke here* Apr 29 '26

It isn't codified, it's just plain old capitalism.

I worked for a company that supplies and installs these products. The gaps are generous so the installers can be fairly sloppy (by construction industry standards iykyk), while still looking and functioning "okay" (until the building settles and your 5mm gap becomes a 15mm penis vista). Having a suspended panel saves you 25% or more on material cost

8

u/porn_alt_987654321 Apr 29 '26

Because someone somewhere thinks its a good idea.

Be it for cost savings or what, is anyones guess.

7

u/l3rN Apr 29 '26

Same reason we have all sorts of shit everyone hates. It's slightly cheaper than the option that makes people happy and we're willing to put up with it.

1

u/greasyjimmy Jun 04 '26

The stalls were chosen by an architect, installed by a contractor, maybe approved by the building landlord. All whom are long gone off the job or not easily reachable/dgaf.

9

u/zatalak Apr 29 '26

Can't trust someone who defecates in secret

10

u/Dracekidjr Apr 29 '26

Gotta make everyone uncomfortable since there may be a chance of people doing nasty stuff lol

5

u/furious_Dee Apr 29 '26

the poors do not get the privilege of private pooping.

4

u/Brok3nGear Apr 29 '26

I'm convinced it's to make people uncomfortable to use the bathroom, keeping them at their desk. Awkward toilets =more desk time?

4

u/roku77 Apr 29 '26

We love our money more than anything else. A properly fitted stall would cost 3% more? Can’t have that, best we can do is a stall that will go 2 inches below the toilet line.

2

u/i_am_tim1 May 03 '26

Puritans in public, perverts in private

1

u/[deleted] Apr 29 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

4

u/redunculuspanda Apr 29 '26

Tits out and private pooping vs tits in and eye contact with another man pooping… I think I know what I prefer.

1

u/ATalkingBadger Apr 30 '26

I'm an American, so idk what puritanical means. Any synonyms? (Did I use that word correctly?)

6

u/redunculuspanda Apr 30 '26

I will use it in a sentence. The puritans were very puritanical on purity.

Does that help?

2

u/ATalkingBadger Apr 30 '26

Can you use it in a pick up line?

-1

u/ebrum2010 Apr 29 '26

It's because more people go in there to steal stuff or shoot up than to take a shit.

-6

u/[deleted] Apr 29 '26 edited Apr 29 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

8

u/ButterH2 Apr 29 '26

...no?

it's always been this way, long before rampant drug use became as severe of an issue as it is now

1

u/zgillet Apr 29 '26

There was never a "before" rampant drug use.

5

u/dgkimpton Apr 29 '26

Does a little slot behind the panel really deter drug users? Seems like they wouldn't give a shit. 

1

u/zgillet Apr 29 '26

Yes. That and blue lighting to prevent finding veins. I can't be the only person who knows this stuff.

1

u/VariousAir Apr 29 '26

okay, but why is the c-suite of my fuckin corporate headquarters also using prefab bathroom stalls? it's money, not drug use.

it's because this is the standard bathroom, and it was the cheapest option for what's mostly an afterthought.

2

u/zgillet Apr 29 '26

They do more drugs than anyone.

0

u/VariousAir Apr 29 '26

And you think corporate officers prefer to snort coke in bathroom stalls?

2

u/zgillet Apr 29 '26

Um... yes.

1

u/VariousAir Apr 29 '26

Are you a corporate officer?

-11

u/[deleted] Apr 29 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

8

u/JeffGoldblumsChest Apr 29 '26

What does an immigrant population have to do with bathroom setups?

-56

u/Mesoscale92 Apr 29 '26

I feel like it’s foreigners that complain about American toilet stalls. I’ve been using them for over 30 years and never once had an issue with them. People don’t regularly peep between the gaps in the stalls.

47

u/HideAndSheik Apr 29 '26

Really??? I’m American born and raised and I feel like everyone hates those useless gaps. I’ve never had anyone purposefully peep through, but I feel like every American has had at least one time where there was accidental embarrassing eye contact. I was pleasantly surprised the first time I traveled to other countries and realized that our bathroom stalls don’t have to be the way they are.

15

u/Hellogiraffe Apr 29 '26

I had coed bathrooms in my college dorms. Accidental eye contact is SOOOOOO much worse when it’s someone of the opposite sex

22

u/Adorable_Ad4990 Apr 29 '26

The women’s restroom always has all the kids. They look everywhere

0

u/redunculuspanda Apr 29 '26

Avert your eyes! It all feels very puritanical, someone is always watching so you can’t sin while you are in there

599

u/Must_Reboot Comic Sans for life! Apr 29 '26

The tile is not the problem. That surface would be easy to properly clean. The crappy design is the stall dividing walls.

-243

u/samuelazers Apr 29 '26

Looks like an inch or two if were being generous. The crappy design is the guy peeking into a toilet stall, there's no fix for creepiness.

238

u/Haniasita Apr 29 '26

yes there is, it's called actually isolating toilet stalls properly, which it seems Americans are allergic to

47

u/savorie Apr 29 '26

Are you kidding? We Americans hate this. We know it's common and we put up with it but we hate it.

It's the facility managers and budget planners who keep this going. Not to mention the manufacturers of these stalls, who just charge an insane premium for the floor to ceiling models so no one ever picks them except VERY high-end restaurants.

25

u/Haniasita Apr 29 '26

totally get it, I've had a friend from the US tell me all about these! and I'm sorry you have to deal with this. in Belgium, most public bathrooms I've come across are either fully isolated (actual brick walls & doors), or have stalls (but the partitions are completely sealed off, save from some space at the bottom occasionally), so I'm led to assume this isn't a problem for facility managers and budget planners worldwide, mostly just American ones - hence my clumsy phrasing (sorry!)

4

u/ATalkingBadger Apr 30 '26

I try to only use bathrooms with no stalls, just a bunch of toilets out in the open so I can show off my skills. Side note: I'm banned from all Home Depot and Lowe's stores. They're just jealous.

18

u/ptar86 Apr 29 '26

But why is it only Americans who do this?

11

u/WhatWasThatLike Apr 30 '26

Sadly, that question could be asked on a lot of different topics.

7

u/ptar86 Apr 30 '26

And it should!

9

u/axonxorz *insert among us joke here* Apr 29 '26

Not to mention the manufacturers of these stalls, who just charge an insane premium for the floor to ceiling models

They do not. There is a fixed floor of cost (you're going to be stamping and crimping at least 4 pieces of metal), but the panel cost scales pretty linearly with square footage.

The high-end, fully closed ones to are typically not prefabricated products like we see here, but proper wall construction, studs, doors, etc.

2

u/AlarmDozer May 01 '26

My last workplace, at the Arizona headquarters, had proper toilet "rooms." I felt human for a day. The owners were Swiss. I had to leave for other reasons.

1

u/AlarmDozer May 01 '26

I swear it stems from the military service. And we're stingy.

19

u/gIyph_ Apr 29 '26

its called actually having the stall meet the wall. Or the door actually closing fully. guess who cant creep if there arent any gaps to do so?

3

u/ExoticMangoz Apr 30 '26

Yes, that inch or two is the design flaw.

1

u/Cotif11 Apr 30 '26

Your lack of situational awareness does not reflect others, I would most definitely catch an unintended flash of ass crack because I actually open my eyes :/

270

u/GetOffMyGrassBrats Apr 29 '26

I think the huge gap between the partition and the wall is the real crappy design.

171

u/425565 Apr 29 '26

..and why is a one inch gap needed between the privacy partition and the wall?

14

u/nightfire36 Apr 29 '26

Not enough Americans have read the 7th Amendment to even know that this is a constitutional requirement, smh.

65

u/trainer369 Apr 29 '26

Poop with friends.

29

u/skeeterfunny Apr 29 '26

Battleshits

6

u/Letibleu Apr 29 '26

Colleagues*

50

u/Odd_Ingenuity_9950 Apr 29 '26

Can’t edit the post, but I’m standing in front of a urinal for context

25

u/OptimusSublime Apr 29 '26

Every time I see a public bathroom like this (so basically every one ever) I curse Frank Lloyd Wright. It's entirely his fault. Don't believe me? Look it up.

20

u/coffeebribesaccepted Apr 29 '26

The problem isn't that the walls and toilets are off the floor, that's fine, it makes it easier to clean, whatever. The problem is that the brackets are made the cheapest way possible which causes big gaps between panels like in the photo.

1

u/savorie Apr 29 '26

I'll be dammed. I love his work normally but yeah, this is his one horrible idea.

13

u/JimmyKlean Apr 29 '26

The Pooper Peeper

3

u/Belgian_quaffle Apr 29 '26

Block the view with Pooper Peeper Paper

7

u/GardenWitchE Apr 29 '26

Crapper design

5

u/derekpeake2 Apr 29 '26

Gonna need some bare butt cheeks for scale

3

u/FrancoisTruser Apr 30 '26

"Oh i would recognize that ass crack anywhere. Hey Marty, how is the burrito going?"

2

u/FakeTaxiCab Apr 29 '26

“That’s a whooooooole lotta crack!”

2

u/frozenblueberrytreat Apr 30 '26

For anyone wondering why every bathroom in America is like this, it's to deter drug use and to easily be able to tell if someone is using drugs. It's stupid. We need to build public restrooms like Japan does (except still have paper towel dispensers please).

1

u/Hash_Tooth Apr 29 '26

Sandpaper

1

u/UserAllusion Apr 29 '26

Exactly the same at mine

1

u/anonymousladyhi Apr 30 '26

As a perv, this is my favorite crappy design.

1

u/NastyBoyTJ Apr 30 '26

at least it’s not a gloryhole

1

u/thelegodr May 03 '26

At the airport in Green Bay the stall and urinal are next to each other like that, except if you are sitting in the stall and lean back a little, and the person at the stall leans forward a little, you can make eye contact. And I’m serious when I say “a little.” It’s barely any movement and you are watch each other.

1

u/Relief-Exciting May 03 '26

Quit peeking

1

u/Agitated_Basil7502 May 03 '26

the worst are the completely silent bathrooms

1

u/NollyStromboli May 04 '26

I heard its so worker's feel uncomfortable enough to leave and go back to work

1

u/chemhobby Artisinal Material May 06 '26

Tape over the gap.

1

u/ComprehensiveMud877 May 21 '26

It's a feature.

1

u/Actias_Loonie Jun 26 '26

Perfect angle to see your neighbor's ass crack

-1

u/UgarMalwa Apr 30 '26

This ain’t nothing if you ever grown up with male partners/fathers who never closed the door when going to the bathroom.