Taking a shit inside a shopping mall because you can't find / bother to ask for the toilet, that's "a dump too far".

Making your children poo in the middle of a shopping street, only 20 meters from a public toilet which is free: pure logic! because the public toilet is severely unhygienic and they want to protect their children (true).
If it's right, that's another question.

"A dump too far!" ....I love that one!

Thais can be rude and the Chinese tourists will still visit.

I was at McDonalds in the North one or two weeks ago and a woman came to sit at the opposite table with her walmart shopping items and baby, put a diaper on the floor and grabbed the baby into poop position to have him/her do the act, then nonchalantly slid the diaper under the table with her foot. She most likely didn't go in the toilets because of the shopping items, but the bin was right behind her.

I've seen a baby having a pee at Walmart right at the "fresh food" counter and another have a pee on the subway between stations.

2 parents had their children pee right in the middle of where people were walking last night at Nanya mall. clean restrooms were just around the corner.

In the cases of McDonald's and Nanja shopping mall, which among any Chinese of any level are known to have quality toilets, are pure laziness and being a douche. Nothing more.
I asked my spouse about it, if it's normal. It's not.

On the subway, yes it's a difficult situation. They give clothes with no bottom to the kids, so they can do it anywhere any time. The parents often are uneducated and mostly just too lazy to bring their kid to a restroom. Or don't want to spend money and time of buying and changing diapers. Plenty of exceptions exist too where the parent do being kids to a restroom.

You just don't expect the "fresh" counter to be watered in that way.
Advice: wear non-slip shoes and don't pick up any fallen produce off the floor.

unbelievable stories. Thank god not all people behave like that, or we'd be living in a giant cesspit

This is why most chinese do not allow shoes in their homes, but insist you take off your shoes in the hall. Many people including kids not realizing it was pee on the walkway stepped and tracked it with them.

Taking shoes off is a habit in many East and South-East Asian countries, but there are a lot more reasons to do it in China. I've become so paranoid that I now turn on the flash light on my phone whenever I have to walk in a dark road to try to avoid as many mystery puddles and spit as possible