In 6 years of working at a membership-only pool, I’ve come to notice many things that bother me about how the members treat the club and our staff. So in order to help you potential pool and beach-goers avoid pissing off people like me, I’ve compiled a short list of things that bother me and how they can be remedied! Read more and pay attention!
Annoyance #1: People who don’t clean up after themselves
I have picked up so much of other people’s garbage. It’s disgusting. People leave wrappers, napkins, half-eaten sandwiches, popsicle sticks with melted ice cream on tables all over the place. It’s not just the kids, either. The tough thing about this is that you really have to see the people in the act of leaving their garbage behind. Most of the time I just find the remnants of their meals, leaving me angrily picking up after them and glaring at people still occupying tables.
We also appear to have an incredibly large amount of people who leave all sorts of clothing, towels, and shoes at the club. How do you go home without your underwear? Or shoes?
How to avoid annoying me: Pick up your damn trash! And perhaps have a thorough inventory of all clothing items you brought with you, so you can make sure they also leave with you.
Annoyance #2: People who don’t watch after their children
Our staff is not here to babysit your children. Yes, we have lifeguards in case anything happens, but it’s partly your job to make sure we don’t get to that point. The other day a lifeguard noticed a small boy laying on the sand in almost the same position she had seen him in an hour before. Moms nearby had placed a towel on him because he was roasting. The lifeguard got a manager, who woke up the sleeping child and brought him inside to cool down in some air conditioning. His mother arrived a couple minutes later, not really worried at all. I hope she was at least embarrassed.
How to avoid annoying me: Check in with your children regularly. If they’re coming out of the water and heading to the snack bar, make them tell you. This is mostly important for younger children, I would say under the age of 12. Above that, well, they’ve had a good long life anyway.
Annoyance #3: Not following the rules
We have a lot of rules at my place of employment, but they’re there for a reason (most of them). One of the main ones is that all members must wear badges that we give them that have their member number on it. The boy I mentioned above was not wearing his badge, so we had no idea who he was until a nearby member recognized him. They’re small, fairly unintrusive badges that help us to know if you’re supposed to be here or not, and more than once they’ve helped us identify a child who’s lost his or her parents. We don’t have just a single point of entry to our facility so they’re especially helpful in catching trespassers or unregistered guests.
It’s also just really awkward for me when I have to ask adults if they have their badges on. It seems they think that somehow I’m supposed to recognize all 1000 or so adults. I do recognize most of you, but seriously, it’s a freaking 1”x1” badge. It costs a dollar at the office. Just wear it.
The other big rule we have is no glass. It’s pretty obvious why we don’t allow glass, but members forget all the time. If something happens to come in only glass, say a bottle of wine or jar of pickles, we ask that the member take what they need, then return the item to the ground and/or in a cooler. Every night I have to walk around asking people to take their glass things off the table. And we have signs all over the place saying this. I think we are somewhat optimistic however in our hope that these people can/would choose to read.
How to avoid annoying me: We have a membership booklet that lists all the rules- read it. I’m sure most places have something similar, even if it’s just one sheet of paper or a flyer or something. Pay attention to the signs around the pool/beach. If you’re not sure if you’re allowed to do something, ask a staff member.
