UK retailer Sainsbury's has announced that three of its Liverpool stores will trial an 'autism-friendly' initiative.
The stores participating in the pilot (Sainsbury's Rice Lane, Woolton, and East Prescot Road) will offer activity bags on request, which have been designed with a local autism charity.
Parents will also be able to request store 'modifications' when they arrive at the store, such as turning off the loudspeaker or having 'priority' checkouts available if waiting in line is difficult for their child.
Café music can be turned off on request, and there is an Assisted Shopping service that is offered to parents, which includes such services as pushing a shopper's trolley or packing their bags.
Employees have received training about the symptoms of autism, the stressful effect supermarkets can have on children with autism, and practical aid tips from Liverpool community group, Autism Adventures.
They have also spent some time with children with autism, in order to learn from the children themselves.
Making Lives Easier
Sainsbury’s head of customer experience, Natalie Dunn, commented on the pilot, "We want all of our customers to have a great shopping experience in our stores. There are many aspects of a visit to the supermarket which can be stressful for parents of children with autism, so we are trialling ways in which we can make their lives easier".
"We are excited to hear feedback from parents of children with autism and hope that the learnings from this trial will enable us to make a difference to customers across the UK."
This isn't the first initiative that the retailer has created to help those with special needs. In 2014, Sainsbury's presented trolleys adapted for older children with disabilities, which parents also find helpful for children with autism.
It is currently also making the switch from fluorescent to LED lighting in its stores, which will help children affected by such light.
Sainsbury's will review the results of the trial at the end of April.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Karen Henderson. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
