Manchester ASDA to launch quiet hour for autistic customers

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The manager of an ASDA store in Manchester has been inspired to set up a 'quiet hour' for autistic customers after speaking to a mum whose autistic son was having a meltdown in store. It seems like a good idea to me, although I'm probably not going to abandon online grocery shopping and go to ASDA at 8am as a result. What do you think?

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Why not just shop at Lidl instead? It's quiet in there all the time. No music or bells - just the till announcements, which I can live with. Plus, it's a lot smaller and you can be in and out in no time.

The quiet hour sounds like a great idea actually. I would appreciate things like that for bigger stores in this area as well. I love silence and it could make (necessary) shopping more relaxing.

At first I totally misunderstood this and interpreted quiet hour in a way like they do with a minute of silence for deceased people, but instead for a meltdown case and extended for an hour. That surely confused me! Silly me!

I don't shop in ASDA but if I did, you wouldn't get me wanting to be there unless they could justify turning off all those humming fridges.

Unfortunately I live in the US. I'd love a quiet shopping hour at WalMart. The more I read about the UK, the more appealing it sounds. Not to mention all the people with impeccable manners.

Its a very good idea. The only thing is 8-9am is quite inconvinient for quite a lot of people. Also they are turning the escalators off, escalators are awesome and that would really disappoint me and throw me off. My local super market does not have escalators but if it did and they turned them off that would be a massive change.

I generally only go to the supermarket after 8pm, I've done that all my life, obviously if I am out somewhere else and want to get something whilst I'm already near one I can go in them but it is a very draining experience and it varies as to how much I can cope with the atmosphere, everything is like it is behind a curtain when it is later, it is much easier to concentrate and take part in the process of shopping when you aren't surrounded by scuttling humans with some kinda antidote pumping through them that makes them feel secure and motivated in a heaving aisle factory with ten thousand things vying for your attention and focus lol.

Okay so now a bunch of people who want a quiet time shopping will all go there and it will still be loud because of all the shopping carts clanging and squeaking and people taking steps and people taking stuff off shelves and don't forget about the lights. I wonder if they will limit how many customers in the store at a time. I am imagining how many autistic people will be shopping there at that hour and people with sensory processing issues.

Well it dosn't bother me but it's not a bad idea doubt it will work though.

Not been in that asda it is just up the road from where I work but it's quicker to go tesco in town centre lol.

I say AWESOME!! ! I have been trying to get stores to do that here for ages and they just refuse. They won't even consider it. I think it's amazing to see a manager who cares enough to try. It's unfortunate about the fridge noise but you really can't turn off the refrigerators. But at least he is willing to do something. I have had so many store managers just tell me to bugger off when I ask them to turn off the music or even turn it down so that I can shop. You can't imagine how encouraged it makes me feel to read about this guy.

I read this the other day and I thought it was a fantastic idea. Hope it works out and it goes country wide.

Agreed. I was born and lived in the UK for five years, and have wanted to move back for a long time. I work at Walmart, and would love to have a quiet hour like this, heck, I don't see why it can't be permanent. I don't see why music while shopping is necessary, and Walmarts don't have escalators. They're a multi-billion dollar company, one of the richest in the world. It would be cool if they could do something like add softening filters to their fluorescent lights, and swap out their blinding white tile for something less bright and reflective, like a dark brown. Getting rid of all the overhead noise might actually allow the employees to hear announcements being made over the intercom as well, which is currently impossible. Making sure their carts are properly oiled so they don't squeak, and maybe adding foam or rubber bumpers to the corners so they don't crash so loudly would be really great too. *Sigh* an aspie can only dream.

I've actually been to a quiet supermarket in Australia, and it was absolutely fantastic.

I don't think they were doing it as an autism thing, but as a lazy negligent thing. There were a few rats about, so I got the impression that the people running the joint either didn't care or didn't have the resources to run a decent supermarket.

Still, a silent supermarket with self-checkout seems about as accessible as it gets.

I think it's a great idea that's definitely worth a try. People don't have to use it, but they have the option.

Personally I wouldn't want it to be a permanent thing. I'm the other way in that I actually need noise. I get very stressed in situations where there isn't a lot of noise - I need music, humming machinery, the murmur of people talking, to keep me calm. The more background noise the better, for me, as long as I can hear my family talking.

I like it We all don't have impeccable manners it depends on where, but I guess that's like all places.

Maybe you can request a transfer to Asda from Walmart and a relocation as Walmart own Asda

(I know it doesn't really work like that but be good if things like that did happen)



Well maybe they will listen to Asda feedback if it works doubt it but you never know.