Asda's 'quiet hour' to beat shop stress: Supermarket to switch off TVs, music and even escalators to encourage people who struggle with loud noises to shop there
- Escalators stopped, display TVs and music turned off for 60 minutes
- Hour silence is aimed at autistic shoppers who struggle with loud noises
- Customers to be given a map of the store with pictures instead of words
- Staff will come in an hour early at 6am to prepare the shop for May event
ASDA is introducing a ‘quiet hour’ in one of its stores to encourage shoppers who hate noisy supermarkets.
The supermarket chain said customers would be ‘able to hear a pin drop’ when the escalators are stopped and display TVs and in-store music turned off for 60 minutes every Saturday morning at a store in Manchester.
It is unclear of the scheme will be rolled out to other stores across the UK.
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The sixty minutes of silence was aimed at autistic shoppers who struggle with loud noises (file photo)
Manager Simon Lea, 39, said the sixty minutes of silence was aimed at autistic shoppers who struggle with loud noises - but the idea has also been welcomed by thousands of locals fed up with the constant racket in supermarkets.
Garry Wakefield wrote on Facebook: ‘I wish every hour was a quiet hour. Supermarkets are far too noisy. They drive me mad. I can’t imagine what it must be like for anyone with sensitivities.’
Mr Lea said: ‘When we open the doors you will be able to hear a pin drop. That’s the plan.
‘It’s all about helping people really. Six months ago I would have said ‘control your child’ even though I’ve got children.
‘But speaking to people with autism and disabled people has helped me think about how I can make it a better place to shop.
‘I suffered for many years with anxiety. I used to absolutely hate going into busy stores. There are a lot of people out there who have mental health issues. There are many people who don’t talk about it.’
Autistic and other disabled customers will also be given a map of the store featuring pictures instead of words.
Staff will come in an hour early at 6am to prepare the Manchester shop for the May 7 event (file photo)
Mr Lea added: ‘We have a lot of disabled customers and we want to make the shop better for them.’
Staff will come in an hour early at 6am to prepare the shop for the May 7 event.
Local Val Lee wrote on Facebook: ‘Brilliant. Well done to everyone involved. I hope more shops follow this idea and eventually all supermarkets will be accessible at all times for people with hidden disabilities. This is definitely a step in the right direction.’
Mr Lea was prompted to help autistic and disabled customers after an incident in-store. He said: ‘This boy was playing absolute blue murder, kicking and screaming. His mum just looked drained. She told me he suffers from autism. He was having a meltdown.’
After giving the boy a 50p voucher and a £1 football to calm him down, he said: ‘This lad looked at me and he started playing with the football. His mum was the happiest I have ever seen anyone and just for giving him a football.’
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