Discount retailer Home Bargains in Halifax, has introduced a weekly “quiet hour” to create a calmer environment for shoppers with autism. The quiet shopping hour takes place every Saturday, between 9:00am to 10:00am across all of its stores and sees the stores’ music turned off and its tannoy set aside, used for urgent announcements only.
The initiative was created in conjunction with The National Autistic Society, the UK’s leading charity for autistic people, which has advised on creating the ideal environment for shoppers with autism. Those who suffer from autism can find loud noises and sudden movements distressing.
Joe Morris, operations director at Home Bargains, said: “We have introduced the Quiet Hour to add a peaceful element to retail therapy. Home Bargains stores can be busy places, which can be potentially overwhelming for people with autism, especially at this time of year. We have created the quieter and calmer environment to enable all of our customers to have an enjoyable and relaxing shopping experience. We will continually assess where we can support each and every one of our 5 million weekly shoppers, whatever their situation.”
