AIBU to wish other stores would do this

[Dawndonnaagain]

Quiet hour

YANBU. There is a store I can't go in because the music is so offensively loud and coupled with the crowds it makes me anxious. It's a shame because I like the products.

Hopefully more will follow suit.

I hate shopping too. We are all (diagnosed) on the spectrum here and whilst online shopping helps sometimes we need to go to a supermarket. It stresses me beyond belief! The lights, noise, smells etc.

I'm not diagnosed but I am starting to wonder if I am (for various reasons).I was assessed as a teenager but came out "borderline".

Smells are the worst. Don't get me started on when people put food samples right under your nose.

Yanbu! I'm not autistic and I find it hard to shop in places with loud background music. Going in Toys R Us always leaves me with a migraine as not only is there irritating piped music, but lots of screens and toys all making noise and music as well! It really does not encourage me to browse and spend lots of money.
I can't go in Lush as the smell is like walking into a brick wall.

This has been all over FB and there is another thread about it.
I think it is a great idea and hopefully it will be rolled out to other stores.

It's a brilliant idea! I have fibromyalgia and I really struggle with the bright lights and noise!

This is such a great but simple idea that I'm surprised most supermarkets don't do something similar already.

The noises and lights are disorientating and when you're already anxious they can make things worse, I've had an anxiety attack in a supermarket before.

It's a fab idea. I went into a shop the other week, forget which one now - but the music was so unnecessarily loud that I had to shout over it for dp to hear what I was saying. It was a really stressful experience, I couldn't concentrate on what I was looking for and it resulted in me leaving empty handed. Even if there is music being played at a 'normal' level I can find it distracting and stressful.

This could really be helpful for a lot of people, I suspect I am on the spectrum but even some neurotypical people who find music distracting might take advantage of this.

It's a fab idea. I went into a shop the other week, forget which one now - but the music was so unnecessarily loud that I had to shout over it for dp to hear what I was saying. It was a really stressful experience, I couldn't concentrate on what I was looking for and it resulted in me leaving empty handed. Even if there is music being played at a 'normal' level I can find it distracting and stressful.

This could really be helpful for a lot of people, I suspect I am on the spectrum but even some neurotypical people who find music distracting might take advantage of this.

I'm NT but find background music overwhelmingly distracting, I think this is a brilliant idea. The story of the boy and the football is very touching, well done to that store manager.

I'm perfectly happy around very loud music when I go to a concert, but I don't want it while I shop. And, luckily, when I shop online, I don't have to put up it, so it's no skin off my nose to avoid shops that are noisym (see also "have TV screens every two meters flickering wildly", "stink of cheap fried food", etc).

One of the many reasons I couldn't care less about the "demise" of the high street ("justice being served" would be a better description) is that I have money to spend and shops, which then bleat about unfair competition, make actually spending it extremely unpleasant. Many of them are seemingly setting up their shops to appeal to teenagers with limited funds, rather than older prospective customers who can actually afford their merchandise. There was a time when I had to put up with it in order to buy stuff. Now I don't.

It isn't my circus so I don't particularly feel an obligation to advise on monkey-keeping practices. But clearly, to judge from the precarious financial position of high street retailers, I'm hardly the only person who doesn't like their current offering.

My kid who has sensory processing disorder would love this, but as she is quite loud herself, I don't think anyone else would love us! I think it is a great idea though.

(Also, as an ex Asda shelf stacker, I suspect this will be very popular with the staff!)

Sounds like a decent idea.

I never notice whether there's music playing in a shop or not, tbh (am slightly deaf in one ear though so background noise doesn't register as much with me) so I'm surprised so many people regularly experience music too loud to have a conversation over. But, if there's an identified problem and such a simple solution then yes, really positive move.

I wouldn't be particularly keen on pubs and restaurants etc doing the same though; I like the music in those places. In shops it's more ... gratuitous?

I wear headphones and listen to my own music, it gets rid of 90% of the anxiety.

Great idea, I think they should reverse the whole thing and only have one hour when they turn the music on!

Agree Bewitched. I changed my Bank because they said it wasn't possible to have music-free time.

This is a great idea, but if the store is only quiet for one hour a week then would just shopping online be better anyway?

Can't they turn down the music and the lights all the time apart from one hour a week which they could call Party Time instead?

I think it's great, however the lighting also plays a big role which isn't so easy to solve. But it's certainly a start. It's interesting how more inclusive the private sector is getting while the public section is getting more restrictive (education for example).

Fantastic idea! It benefits people but without detriment to everyone else. It's not taking anything away... If you did a survey I think most would prefer it to be quieter.

I think there is a shift in the right direction and hope this is the start of things to come.

I don't think it's their idea. Toys'r'us got a lot of publicity for doing it in the run up to Christmas.

Online shopping isn't always possible and still doesn't cover the whole of the UK. There are still people who have no choice but to go to a supermarket and often no choice but to take their children.
I can do online shopping, however, when slighty more skint than usual I need to go and look at the offers, bright lights, music, general noise and smells can make this very difficult for me and for others.

I'm not bothered by the noise or lights. It's the non-linear layout that freaks me out. And the choice. I don't do decisions. I want jam. 1001 varieties of jam sends me into meltdown. I like the corner shop which only has 5 varieties so I can buy one of each instead of standing like a rabbit in headlights for half an hour.

I hate the layouts of supermarkets. There's no logic to them. How am I supposed to find things?