I guess this is as good a subject as any for my first post to the list.
1. Pay toilets are practically the norm throughout Europe. In fact, a company, operating under the oh so clever name of "Mc Clean", operates restrooms in train stations across the continent. Train station restrooms that were formerly a haven for drug addicts and the homeless are now efficiently (and profitably?) managed and cleaned by an international firm. 2. Many fast food restaurants in Europe charge a small sum for the use of their bethrooms. 3. It makes sense for fast food giants to keep their bathrooms free even if they know that people will use them for free and not buy anything. It is a form of customer service, since chances are that at some point everyone will be a McDonalds customer. It keeps the public happy and perhaps improves their opinion of the fast food giants. MH >From: "Tim James" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: RE: In Praise of Pay Toilets >Date: Mon, 27 May 2002 09:46:10 +0100 > >The marginal cost of toilet use must (in most cases) be approximately zero. > >There is a (relatively) competitive market in toilet provision in most >commercial >environments. > >Suppose retailers introduced charging. In the absence of a cartel, a Dutch >auction >would probably occur and the price be driven to the marginal cost. Thus >pay >toilets >cannot pay. > >Retailers also have the opportunity of bundling the 'free' toilet good with >other sales. > >Tim James. > >-----Original Message----- >From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of >Alypius Skinneer >Sent: 26 May 2002 22:43 >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Subject: In Praise of Pay Toilets > > >It seems one can scarcely find a pay toilet any more, yet their >disappearance seems to fly in the face of economic rationality. Public >toilets have to be maintained, and, in fact, their maintenance in terms of >labor and cleaning supplies probably exceeds the cost of other >non-productive assets. Providing this free service for their customers >only >serves to reduce businesses' profits, or else the cost is passed on >indiscriminately to all their customers. It would be both more rational >and >more fair to re-institute a user-pays system. In fact, it might even be >possible to turn public toilets into a modest profit center. Yet not only >do I see no evidence of a revival of rationality in regard to public >toilets, but, as economically irrational as it is, pay toilets have been >disappearing for decades, and today are on the precipice of extinction. > >In fact, if the pay toilet were to be revived, travelers--which we have >more >of than ever before in history--might well find there would be more and >cleaner public toilets available for their use. > >Why are private businessmen operating in this economically irrational and >money-losing fashion? Can modern economic theory explain this behavior? > > And do free public toilets encourage an entitlement mentality that >expects >something-for-nothing as the norm, undergirds support for the welfare >state, >and threatens the high level of general prosperity that economic >rationalization has made possible? Is it just a coincidence that massive >expansion of the welfare state has coincided with the disappearance of the >pay toilet? > >(Of course it may work the other way around: perhaps the expansion and >legitimization of the welfare state has contributed to the disappearance of >the pay toilet, with all the adverse consequences that entails for >businesses and consumers.) > >Save the American way of life: bring back the pay toilet! > >~Alypius Skinner > > > > > _________________________________________________________________ MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos: http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx
