Introducing a new afternoon quieter hour to help shoppers
Morrisons are extending their popular shopping Quieter Hour, to help turn what can be a daunting task for many people, into a calmer and more enjoyable experience.
Morrisons first introduced its Quieter Hour in July 2018, welcoming people through its doors who may struggle with music and other noise associated with supermarket shopping. Extended Quieter Hours will now also run between 2pm – 3pm every week from Monday to Thursday, with the aim of helping even more customers.
During Quieter Hours the majority of Morrisons stores:
Operate lower levels of lighting
Turn music and radio off
Avoid making tannoy announcements
Reduce movement of trolleys and baskets
Turn checkout beeps and other electrical noises down
Place a poster outside to tell customers it’s Quieter Hour
The initiative, which initially took place between 9am and 10am on a Saturday and for the first hour of trade on a Sunday began as part of the National Autistic Society’s Autism Hour campaign. Some neurodiverse people, including autistic people, can find shopping in a supermarket overwhelming, with many people experiencing sensitivity to light and sound, such as loud music, bright lights and busy environments. This can cause anxiety or in the worst cases, physical pain.