Rest Stop - Sharon, VT

Rest Stop in Sharon, VT - 7.2

So you live in or around Boston and the weather is getting nice. Sounds like a perfect time for a road trip up north. Perhaps Montreal? Maybe a little Vermont in your future? Perhaps a visit to the fine folks of Maine? New England is quite nice in the summer and there are quite a few options. With that in mind, the Shit Critic decided to do some advanced scouting and see what the route up towards Burlington, VT has to offer. This is the first post of two on where you might or might not want to stop off to release the hounds. This rest stop actually has a website and has a bit more to offer in general than your average rest stop. Check it out here. The rest stop in Sharon is located on I-89 North, just past the New Hampshire border and I-91 interchange. The stop is a bit over two hours out of Boston and approximately and about 75 Miles after the start of I-89.


Location: After walking through the main entrance, turn to your left. The rest stop is equipped with a family restroom as well as the traditional men's and women's. The men's room is the third of these three.
Grade: 9 out of 10

Accessibility: The beauty of the rest stop is that it's a place your supposed to stop and use the rest room. BRILLIANT!
Grade: 10 out of 10

Number of Stalls: There are three stalls here, one handicapped and two normal sized. There were also three urinals. Should be in good shape.
Grade: 8 out of 10

Stall Quality: The stalls here seemed like they were reasonably new and in good condition. I wouldn't have hesitations on this front. The stalls also feature simple locks and coat hangers.
Grade: 7 out of 10





Toiler Paper: I feel like the rest stop could have done better on the toilet paper front. They had pretty bland 2-ply. I figured the hippies up yonder would be into something a bit softer. The TP was well cased in a metal dispenser.
Grade: 5 out of 10

Cleanliness: The rest room was pretty clean for one that might have schmucks from all over the area visiting it. Some normal wear and tear, but all in all pretty decent.
Grade: 7 out of 10

Scent: While not overwhelming, this bathroom did have a bit of a piss smell at the time of inspection. I'm sure there is a simple fix for that...
Grade: 4 out of 10

Flush: Overall this is a decent flush, certainly not going to get embarrassed. It also has a pretty effective no touch flush system. These systems are great if they work well, but otherwise annoying. Also of note is that this restroom uses reclaimed waste water, which is pretty damn cool.
Grade: 8 out of 10



Aesthetics: Over all this restroom has a pretty new vibe. It can't be more than 10 years old. I also think that the metallic looking doors and dispenser play well here. Also, if you're looking for a perk, try to bring the lap top in and enjoy the Wifi set up this rest stop offers.
Grade: 7 out of 10


The Bottom Line: As far as places to poop go, this is a pretty good one. As soon as you park your car in the parking lot, you'll sense immediately that this is not some seedy rest stop. Aside from having a staff of friendly old ladies, there's a lot to look at.

A Counter!

Hooray for a counter!

PS Be on the lookout for a Poopin' Around Town Roadtrip!

THX,
The Shit Critic

Stop & Shop - Brighton, MA

Stop & Shop - 3.2

Growing up in the northeast, Stop & Shop is almost a way of life. Ok, perhaps that's overstating it, but Stop & Shop has been around for over 90 years now and has over 360 stores in the northeast. It was started in 1914 in Somerville under the name Economy Grocery Stores Company and took it's current moniker in 1946.


Location: By now i figure that most serious bathroom users know that supermarket restrooms are almost always located in a rear corner of the store. Most of the Stop & Shop stores in can think of have the bathrooms near the deli/seafood area and this one is no exception. There weren't a lot of signs, but if you know a grocery store layout, they're not really necessary.
Grade: 8 out of 10

Accessibility: Park the car, walk through the door and head to the back corner. Couldn't be easier. Nothing or no one will stop you and you can head in almost any time of the day.
Grade: 10 out of 10

Number of Stalls: They had two stalls and two urinals, so there was ample room to get down to business. Typical set up with one handicapped and one regular stall.
Grade: 7 out of 10

Stall Quality: The stall itself was pretty standard. The seat in the handicapped stall is a bit wobbly and is probably in need of replacement. The non handicapped stall was a typical smaller stall. There also was a coat hanger on the door as well.
Grade: 5 out of 10



Toiler Paper: Stop & Shop provides boring one-ply industrial rolls. It was well covered at least.
Grade: 4 out of 10

Cleanliness: The picture below says it all. It was worse than that looks.
Grade: 0 out of 10




Scent: You ever smell dry piss? You know, when someone pisses on the floor and it does not get cleaned? It smelled like that. Not cool.
Grade: 0 out of 10

Flush: The Shit Critic expects more from industrial toilets. This one was a bit weak, though they do provide you with a plunger.
Grade: 3 out of 10

Aesthetics: I don't expect much from the Stop & Shop bathroom. but in one of this millennium's great surprises, they've attempted to spruce things up by putting some 6 foot tall plant in the restroom. You can kind of see it in the picture above, behind the garbage.
Grade: 1 out of 10

Extra Credit:
Plunger: +1

The Bottom Line: If you're driving around and absolutely need to pop in somewhere, this should be on your back burner. Know that there is a big chance that the bathroom will:

A: Be a total mess.
B: Smell pretty damn bad.
C: Be generally disgusting.

I mean, really, how many employees does Stop & Shop have working in one store at any given time? Can't they have one guy check the bathroom once an hour?

Ikea - Stoughton, MA

Ikea - 7.2



When Ikea opened up a store south of Boston in Stoughton, MA, a lot of lives around town changed. Now the store that provides well designed furtiture at low prices that everyone will be able to afford them has almost become as much of a destination as a trip to Fenway or perhaps an evening at the movies. Ikea was founded in 1943 by 17 year old Ingvar Kamprad (who depending on the moment is anywhere between the richest and 4th richest person in the world!!) and has since expanded to over 230 stores in Europe, North America, Asia, Australia and the Middle East. This Ikea is located at 1 Ikea Way in Stoughton, MA.


Location: If you've been to Ikea, you already know that it can be as confusing to navigate as a casino. If you take their store map, you should be able to navigate your way around though. This restroom is located at the entrance to Ikea. After walking through the doors, walk to the left of the escalator and the restroom will be straight ahead.
Grade: 8 out of 10

Accessibility: Only potential issue here is if you're in an area that is not particularly close to the restrooms. Make sure you take a map which will tell you where the shortcuts are which will help you make your way to the nearest bathroom. If you know what you're doing and where you are, you should be ok.
Grade: 7 out of 10

Number of Stalls: There are 4 stalls in this restroom, 2 small, 1 large and one handicapped. On top of this there are 3 urinals (which are water free!). You should have no problem on this front.
Grade: 10 out of 10

Stall Quality: The stalls were pretty run of the mill. The small ones were small, but not to the point where your knee runs into the toilet paper dispenser. You'd figure that a place into nicely designed furniture would have bathrooms with some nifty gadget (aside from the water/flush free urinal). It was also a bit dark.
Grade: 6 out of 10




Toiler Paper: This toilet paper was a bit unusual. As far as The Shit Critic could deduce, this was one ply paper. Despite the paper being 1 ply, it was quite soft and effective.
Grade: 8 out of 10

Cleanliness: Everything checked out here though for some reason I was expecting a shiny, spotless restroom. While it certainly not messy, I still was hoping for a bit more.
Grade: 7 out of 10

Scent: It smelled like someone had just gotten down to business in the 10 minutes or for before The Shit Critic showed up on the scene. There was a scent machine, but it hadn't watered down the air enough yet.
Grade: 5 out of 10

Flush: The flush here was just fine. Nothing out of the ordinary, but enough to get the job done.
Grade: 7 out of 10

Aesthetics: I feel like Ikea falls a bit short here. If this were a bathroom at Wendy's or something it'd be pretty great, but for Ikea I'd expect them to add some frills instead of just having a plain bathroom.
Grade: 5 out of 10

Extra Credit:
Toilet Seat Covers: +2

The Bottom Line: The bathroom at Ikea has a lot going for it. The four stalls are a big plus, as was the nice toilet paper. As long as you can find your way there using the map (or walk straight into the one I did after entering, you should be all set.