# Would you pick up a penny off the dirty floor of a public restroom? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 13, 2007, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-pick-up-a-penny-off-the-dirty-floor-of-a-public-restroom/399986 "2007-04-13T17:26:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2007, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-pick-up-a-penny-off-the-dirty-floor-of-a-public-restroom/399986/1 "2007-04-13T17:26:44Z")
Though I don’t walk around staring at the ground, I often catch glimpses of change lying on the sidewalk in my peripheral vision. Even though god know what was on that asphalt/pavement, I always pick the coin up (usually a penny) and keep it. But I was in a public restroom last Easter and saw a penny on the floor, and I just couldn’t find it in me to pick it up. This wasn’t a thoroughly-disgusting cesspool-like restroom, but it also wasn’t a closely monitored, well-manicured restroom you’d find in a hotel or nice restaurant. (If it helps, it was the restroom on the premises of an urban high school). So, would you have picked up the coin? ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2007, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-pick-up-a-penny-off-the-dirty-floor-of-a-public-restroom/399986/2 "2007-04-13T17:29:33Z")
No. I don’t pick up pennies. I figure there are only so many bendovers in this well-used back of mine, and it’s not worth a penny to use one up. I’ll bend over for a nickel or more, though. It would have to be at least quarter for me to pick it up off a **bathroom** floor, though. ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2007, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-pick-up-a-penny-off-the-dirty-floor-of-a-public-restroom/399986/3 "2007-04-13T17:29:38Z")
No, probably not. Which is funny, if you think about it, since it’s the only place where you could pick up lost change and actually wash it and your hands. ---
**Author:** ![Caridwen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c89c15/32.png) [@Caridwen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caridwen)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2007, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-pick-up-a-penny-off-the-dirty-floor-of-a-public-restroom/399986/4 "2007-04-13T17:33:20Z")
No. I’m a germaphobe and I have flashbacks of watching people spit. I don’t even like to touch the bottom of my shoes. I knew this man that used to wait in the car while his wife shopped. He said he used to throw pennies on the ground and watch people pick them up. I thought that was the most bizarre thing that I’ve ever heard anyone do. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2007, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-pick-up-a-penny-off-the-dirty-floor-of-a-public-restroom/399986/5 "2007-04-13T17:39:36Z")
Not only would I pick it up, but I’d stick it in my mouth to clean the dirt off! ---
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2007, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-pick-up-a-penny-off-the-dirty-floor-of-a-public-restroom/399986/6 "2007-04-13T17:41:36Z")
Picking up pennies at the rate of three seconds per penny is a $12.00 an hour job. Not counting the handling expenses after you get your pennies. No thanks, I’m too old to do that kind of work. The bathroom thing is of no consequence. Tris ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2007, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-pick-up-a-penny-off-the-dirty-floor-of-a-public-restroom/399986/7 "2007-04-13T17:47:32Z")
Yes. I’m very compulsive about picking up coins. ---
**Author:** ![Autumn\_Almanac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d26b3c/32.png) [@Autumn\_Almanac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autumn_Almanac)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2007, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-pick-up-a-penny-off-the-dirty-floor-of-a-public-restroom/399986/8 "2007-04-13T17:51:13Z")
I’m also pretty compulsive about picking up coins on the ground. Free money, come on! A coin would have to be pretty gross for me to pass it up. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2007, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-pick-up-a-penny-off-the-dirty-floor-of-a-public-restroom/399986/9 "2007-04-13T17:59:50Z")
No way. I can’t remember ever picking up a penny regardless of where it was. If I drop a coin after paying for something I’ll grab it, but only if I can spot it immediately. If it goes rolling down the aisle, eh, someone gets a free nickel. I figure, am I going to miss it more than someone else who needs it will feel enriched by it? That answer is usually no. If it’s a bill, then sure, but I’ll make sure that it’s the first one I spend. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2007, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-pick-up-a-penny-off-the-dirty-floor-of-a-public-restroom/399986/10 "2007-04-13T18:20:15Z")
I wouldn’t pick up a penny but I once fished a £10 note out of a urinal in a pub. Washed it and my hands and then spent it on more falling down water 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2007, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-pick-up-a-penny-off-the-dirty-floor-of-a-public-restroom/399986/11 "2007-04-13T18:22:34Z")
[QUOTE=Kalhoun] Not only would I pick it up, but I’d stick it in my mouth to clean the dirt off! [/QUOTE] Me too! And then I’d spit it into my pants for safekeeping. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2007, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-pick-up-a-penny-off-the-dirty-floor-of-a-public-restroom/399986/12 "2007-04-13T18:26:34Z")
A friggin’ penny? I wouldn’t bend over to pick a penny up if it was lying on one of Sheryl Crow’s tits. I throw pennies in the trash. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2007, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-pick-up-a-penny-off-the-dirty-floor-of-a-public-restroom/399986/13 "2007-04-13T18:29:34Z")
[QUOTE=Trunk] A friggin’ penny? I wouldn’t bend over to pick a penny up if it was lying on one of Sheryl Crow’s tits. I throw pennies in the trash. [/QUOTE] In this case I’d make an exception and pick it up…with my mouth ---
**Author:** ![Waverly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/57b2e6/32.png) [@Waverly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waverly)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2007, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-pick-up-a-penny-off-the-dirty-floor-of-a-public-restroom/399986/14 "2007-04-13T18:30:59Z")
Uh, no. Not for nickel, dime, or quarter either. At around $5 I might consider it if it was in a dry area. Would you put a piece of refuse from the floor in your pocket if I paid you a penny? I didn’t think so. ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2007, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-pick-up-a-penny-off-the-dirty-floor-of-a-public-restroom/399986/15 "2007-04-13T18:54:36Z")
A very bad joke: [spoiler]Two friends, a Scotsman and a Jew, are out drinking one night. Eventually Nature calls, and so they head for the head. The Scotsman takes the lone urinal, and the Jew says that he has to take a dump anyway so he enters the stall. The usual noises are heard for a minute, and then the Jew says “Damn!” “What’s the matter?” inquires the Scotsman. “Well, when I was pulling my pants up, I dropped a dime into the toilet.” The Scotsman joins the Jew in the stall to look at the sad sight. They both shake their heads in despair. Then the Scotsman reaches into his pocket and drops a quarter into the toilet. “What did you do that for?!?” cries the Jew. And the Scotsman sez, “Och, I’m not gonna stick my hand in there for a dime!” [/spoiler] ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2007, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-pick-up-a-penny-off-the-dirty-floor-of-a-public-restroom/399986/16 "2007-04-13T19:01:13Z")
I wouldn’t pick up a penny, no matter where I found it. I usually have too many of them around already. Nor a nickel. Maybe a dime, definitely a quarter, because I always need quarters for laundry, vending machines, and parking meters. I figure most of the money I handle has probably been somewhere I don’t want to think about at some point, so why not? ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2007, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-pick-up-a-penny-off-the-dirty-floor-of-a-public-restroom/399986/17 "2007-04-13T19:15:19Z")
[QUOTE=Kalhoun] Not only would I pick it up, but I’d stick it in my mouth to clean the dirt off! [/QUOTE] [QUOTE=Trunk] A friggin’ penny? I wouldn’t bend over to pick a penny up if it was lying on one of Sheryl Crow’s tits. I throw pennies in the trash. [/QUOTE] Now we finally know how **Brewha** _really_ [got urine on his pants](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=413370) and where the object in question came from! ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2007, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-pick-up-a-penny-off-the-dirty-floor-of-a-public-restroom/399986/18 "2007-04-13T19:23:14Z")
oooh fuck no. I do sometimes eat things that have dropped on the ground, but public restrooms are completely off-limits to any ground-touching of coinage. Besides, a fucking penny? A 5 dollar coin, if one existed, would tempt me but I’d still say no if it was a ‘cesspool’ like in the OP. ---
**Author:** ![rucciface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ba9def/32.png) [@rucciface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rucciface)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2007, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-pick-up-a-penny-off-the-dirty-floor-of-a-public-restroom/399986/19 "2007-04-13T19:56:57Z")
[QUOTE=Waverly] Uh, no. Not for nickel, dime, or quarter either. At around $5 I might consider it if it was in a dry area. Would you put a piece of refuse from the floor in your pocket if I paid you a penny? I didn’t think so. [/QUOTE] Interesting way to look at it! I never thought of it that way before. No, I wouldn’t pick up any coin from the floor of a public restroom. I only pick up after other people if it’s part of my job description. ---
**Author:** ![toadbriar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bb73d2/32.png) [@toadbriar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadbriar)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2007, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-pick-up-a-penny-off-the-dirty-floor-of-a-public-restroom/399986/20 "2007-04-13T20:30:50Z")
No. Although, I have dropped a coin down a friend’s asscrack and asked him for a gumball. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-pick-up-a-penny-off-the-dirty-floor-of-a-public-restroom/399986.md?page=2)