Asda in Manchester to introduce ‘quiet hour’ for autistic and disabled shoppers

A Manchester Asda store is to introduce a 'quiet hour' for disabled and autistic customers.

In a lovely move towards greater inclusivity, the Asda Living store in Cheetham Hill will be opening an hour early to allow those who feel intimidated or stressed by noise and disturbance to shop more comfortably. Manager Simon Lea says "you’ll be able to hear a pin drop" when he starts his first quiet hour at 8am on Saturday, May 7. The quiet hour will see escalators, music, and display televisions turned off for an hour, and staff will refrain from making announcements on the public address system. Simon said the idea for the hour came to him after seeing a boy with autism struggling to cope in the shop.  

(Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

“This boy was playing absolute blue murder, kicking and screaming. His mum just looked drained," told the Manchester Evening News. She told me he suffers from autism. He was having a meltdown." Simon was moved by the situation and gave the boy a 50p voucher and a £1 football to calm him down. He said:

"I’ve been speaking with colleagues and customers about how we can help shoppers with autism or disabilities. I suffered for many years with anxiety and I used to absolutely hate going into busy stores. If we can make a few small changes to give these customers a better shopping experience and make them comfortable then I know the store will be a better place to shop for everyone."

The quiet hour plan has been widely praised:   https://twitter.com/MENnewsdesk/status/724184028807618560 https://twitter.com/richardmills18/status/723977829487128576 https://twitter.com/articulatum/status/724824905993338881 To get a sense of what it's like for people with autism to experience places like big shopping centres, the National Autistic Society released these videos capturing the sensory overload from an autistic boy's perspective: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=55&v=Lr4_dOorquQ The move follows a number of outlets offering more inclusive experiences for autistic and disabled customers.  Recently a number of cinema chains also have looked to have "autism friendly screenings", where lights are left on low, outside food is allowed, and a chill-out zone is offered as people are allowed to move about. What do you think of the ‘quiet hour’ idea? Send in your thoughts to hello@JOE.co.uk, or drop us a message on Facebook.