Quieter hour at town store

MORRISONS Hinckley is to introduce a quieter hour for customers who would benefit from a calmer shopping trip.

The initiative is designed to help customers who currently struggle with music and the noise associated with supermarket shopping.

It will take place every Saturday in the Hinckley Fields Ind. Est store from 9-10am.

The ‘Quieter Hour’ has been developed with the support of the National Autistic Society, as many people who are autistic or who have autistic children, can often find supermarket shopping to be an anxious experience.

During ‘Quieter Hours’ the store will dim the lights, turn the music and radio off, avoid making tannoy announcements, reduce the movement of trolleys and baskets, turn checkout beeps and electrical noises down and place a poster outside to tell customers that it is ‘Quieter Hour’.

Morrisons will also work to improve awareness amongst colleagues of the issues autistic customers face in store.

Daniel Cadey, from the National Autistic Society, said: “Around 700,000 people are on the autism spectrum in the UK.

“This means they see, hear and feel the world differently to other people, often in a more intense way.

“Morrisons ‘Quieter Hour’ is a step in the right direction for autistic people who find supermarket shopping a real struggle.”

Hannah Cleary, at Morrisons Hinckley, said: “Our initial trials showed there is a need for a quieter shopping experience. We hope that these changes make a real difference for some of our customers at our store.”