MetaChat - Minor moral dilemma

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03 September 2010

Minor moral dilemma →[More:]
I go to a small, neighborhood gym. There is one shower in the womens locker room. In that shower, there is some shampoo and conditioner that has been sitting there for the whole three months I've been going to the gym. Is that shampoo and conditioner a) Abandoned by someone and therefor up for grabs, b) Abandoned by someone but not up for grabs, or c) Some regular user's shampoo and conditioner and I should stay away from it?

post by: serazin at: 10:57 | 17 comments

I'd say a).

posted by Stewriffic 03 September | 11:00

I think this is something you need to ask a gym employee.

posted by amro 03 September | 11:12

But then I'd be admitting that I want to use the free shampoo sitting in the shower, instead of simply bringing my own!

posted by serazin 03 September | 11:19

d) some regular user's shampoo and conditioner who doesn't care who uses it?

Of course if there is more than one shower, she'd have to wait for the one with the bottles to be available, which depending on when she attends might be more of an inconvenience that lugging shampoo around.

I'd use it if I needed it but not remove it.

posted by rainbaby 03 September | 11:20

I'd choose a) plus notify a gym employee. Hey, wouldn't you rather use your own anyway?

posted by bearwife 03 September | 11:25

Time for facepalm. Excuse me, I meant I'd choose c) and notify a gym employee.

posted by bearwife 03 September | 11:25

Maybe the gym put it there for its members.

posted by brujita 03 September | 11:26

Use it!

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 03 September | 11:29

I would assume the gym put it there for its members. Indeed, I did assume that. Until now that you've suggested these other possibilities.

posted by Obscure Reference 03 September | 11:30

Surely they clean the showers constantly. Those gym employees know it's there. They would have tossed it by now unless someone left it on purpose, or the gym put it there. If I left my shower stuff in a public shower for months, I wouldn't expect it to be there/not be used.

posted by rainbaby 03 September | 11:30

Yeah, on second thought, I would just use it.

posted by amro 03 September | 12:28

Unless. . .

Someone doesn't like that the bottles are there for some reason and has spit in them, or pissed in them, or put nair in them. . .

posted by rainbaby 03 September | 12:32

Hmm.. thanks for the advice bunnies.

posted by serazin 03 September | 12:57

I would bet anything it belongs to a lifeguard or swim instructor or someone else who has to be there most days. Even so, I don't think it's cool to leave your personal stuff in a public shower, so I'd probably mention it anyway, just sidle up to the desk and say "I don't know if anyone's noticed but there have been some products in the shower for a few months, and no one wants to throw them away because we don't know whose they are...do they belong to someone who works here, maybe?"

posted by Miko 03 September | 13:33

I think it's rainbaby's d). it's probably someone's who leaves it there & doesn't care if others use it.

posted by chewatadistance 03 September | 15:27

Huh, I would just have used it and not really thought twice about it. But I am basically immoral anyway.

posted by mygothlaundry 03 September | 15:55

I would assume they're there to use in case you forgot your own, yeah. Not to take home, but okay to use, for sure.

posted by flex 03 September | 23:31

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