Why?
Supermarkets are normally noisy, busy places with bright lights, computers, in-store music and escalators. They can be full of customers rushing around with trolleys and staff bringing stock around on big pallets. Shopping can be stressful and tiring for most of us but for some it can be almost unbearable.
Many people suffer from sensory overload, particularly, but not exclusively some people on the autism spectrum. For these people, a normal everyday part of life most of us take for granted can become a nightmare, an overwhelming mix of noise, light, signage, shelves of similar looking products and bustling people.
Children with autism or other conditions where sensory overload is a problem can find it hard to cope in supermarkets and can shut or melt down causing further distress to their already busy parents.
What can be done?
Anything that can make for a calmer environment and reduce the sensory stimuli that we are usually bombarded with in supermarkets can help make shopping tolerable for sufferers.
For a specific time each week the idea is to make the store a quieter, more comfortable place to shop by doing things like:
- Turning off in-store music
- Turning off TV displays and public address systems
- Stopping escalators (though this might not always be feasible from an access point of view)
- Toning down harsh lighting
- Providing maps of the store using images instead of words, for simpler navigation where appropriate
Benefits
- Customers can shop in relative ease and focus better on the task in hand without all the extra stimuli confusing and overwhelming them.
- Parents can bring their children with autism etc. shopping, knowing that there is less chance of them becoming distressed and less chance of being judged by others if they do.
- Highlighting the quiet time not only makes it easier for affected people to shop a little more comfortably, but raises awareness of the difficulties some people face, and may make people more patient or tolerant if they see someone experiencing difficulties in other situations. – For instance, that bold child having a tantrum may simply be a child overwhelmed by an environment full of stimuli they can’t process.
- Autism alone affects around a quarter of a million people in Ireland between those living with the condition and their extended families.
- But a ‘quiet hour’ could benefit lots of people who may not have a specific condition but who may simply prefer a quieter shopping environment.
- It may also benefit those suffering from early onset dementia to have less to process, making shopping easier to concentrate on and carry out in a quieter environment. With our aging population and a huge rise in the numbers of people living with dementia and Alzheimer’s expected in the next few decades there is a growing need to make supermarkets more Alzheimer friendly as well.
- Other people with various disabilities, some children affected by ADHD, some people living with epilepsy, those with hearing aids, those who suffer from headaches or simply those how have had a hard day at work and would just like some peace and quiet could all benefit from a quiet time in the supermarket and the supermarket could benefit from their custom.
- It does the supermarkets reputation no harm to be seen to put the customer first.
- Not only that but it would have practical benefits for the store as well. Given that ‘quiet hour’ would of necessity have to be held at a quiet time in the store it would help bring in customers during that time, although the idea could become a victim of its own success if too many people turned up!
- Also, according to Adam Harris, head of the autism action group AsIAm, says that people with autism, are known for their loyalty so facilitating them is a win-win for retailers.
What is happening in stores?
British supermarket ASDA made headlines recently when it introduced a weekly ‘quiet hour ‘ recently but the concept is not that new here in Ireland.
Last year Supervalu in Clonakilty, Cork, introduced a 2-hour period of total quietness in its store on Tuesday nights and it has proved very popular with people coming from all over the county to shop in the silence. Other Supervalu’s are planning to follow suit.
Tesco in Ballincollig, Cork is looking into the possibility of a ‘quiet hour’. They already, along with Tesco in Douglas facilitate the training of assistance dogs in the store.
Aldi and Lidl both claim to already be autism friendly, saying they provide a quiet calm shopping environment for all customers. They don’t use a public address system or play music. Lidl plans to phase out its till bells and Aldi plans to eventually have all staff interaction done via radio. Their stores are usually smaller and have a simple layout so that things are easy to find.
Dunnes when asked about the possibility of a ‘quiet hour’ by ‘thejournal.ie’ recently, declined to comment.
So the concept is being developed, albeit only in a few stores so far, but at least it is being discussed and considered, and should easily become common place as more and more stores see that it works and that it is a relatively inexpensive way to make such a difference to so many.
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