Dirty restrooms equated with subpar business standards

What can cause 50 percent or more of people to flee a place of business without making a purchase? Time and again, surveys reveal it’s lack of facility cleanliness.

Take, for example, a group of consumers who were questioned not long ago by Opinion Research Corporation, a national market research firm. When asked how they would feel about entering a business with soiled floors, walls, or fixtures, 52 percent said they would leave immediately without making a purchase; another 26 percent said they would make a purchase—but only one, never to return again.

As it turns out, odors, dirt and grime act as tangible “cues” to people that a facility is poorly managed and has a sloppy staff. Or, perhaps more precisely, the surrounding environment is viewed as a threat to their health and well being.

Unclean restrooms provide an even a stronger incentive to send visitors scurrying for the nearest exit. A Harris Interactive survey, conducted for a national tissue manufacturer, discovered that nearly nine out of 10 people (88 percent) said they equated dirty restrooms with subpar business standards. And, as if that weren’t damning enough, half those polled, said they would spread the word to their family and friends about their unnerving restroom experiences.

Mankind’s reactions to threatening surroundings have long been documented. Consider, for example, those instances when primitive man encountered threats from wandering, large-toothed, prehistoric creatures. Every fiber in their body told them to run away as quickly as possible. Although now microbial in nature, today’s threats are equally scary …telling one and all to immediately sprint to safety.