Quiet in Aisle 7.
To assist their autistic customers, a popular Australian supermarket chain Coles has launched an initiative that is sensory-friendly.
Called “Quiet Hour,” the store dims the lights and sounds of the supermarket so adults and children on the autism spectrum can shop in peace for an hour a week.
Two Coles stores in Melbourne, Australia are working with Autism Spectrum Australia to begin a trial run of the Quiet Hour pilot programs every Tuesday morning from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. from Aug. 15 until the end of October.
“Through Quiet Hour, we hope to make a difference to our customers who find it challenging to shop in a heightened sensory environment,” said Peter Sheean, Coles Accessibility Sponsor said in a statement.
In addition to the dimming of the overhead lights and music, the PA system will be reserved for emergency announcements only, and even register sounds will be muted. Despite the adjusted atmosphere, all guests are still welcome to shop.
People with Autism Spectrum Disorder are highly sensitive to the lights, sounds, and general busyness that accompanies a trip to the grocery store. The time and date were chosen based on a study Autism Australia conducted earlier in the year which revealed Tuesday morning as the most common time autistic individuals and families did their grocery shopping.
Coles isn’t the only franchise across the globe to have special hours to accommodate those with autism. Some Toys “R” Us chains in the U.S. and the U.K. have held special quiet hours ahead of the Christmas rush in recent years. AMC Theatres has “sensory friendly” screenings of recent movies, where the lights remain slightly raised, the sound is turned down and patrons can move around and talk more freely than a typical screening.
On Broadway, the Theater Development Fund‘s Autism Theater Initiative works with shows to provide autism friendly performances of shows like “The Lion King,” “Aladdin” and “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” a story that features an autistic character.
