Asda have removed their ‘disabled’ hour

[HeidiHoNeighbour]

I know this is the second thread I’ve had about Asda! But my carer came really early today so I thought I might actually get to go shopping.

Nope. They had mon, weds, fri 8-9 for disabled and vulnerable.

It’s no more.

After watching me get chair out of car and park in disabled bay, manager said end of queue.

I asked if I could wait by doors.
No, you’ll get in the way.

I’m not vulnerable by government standards just bog standard disabled, no breathing issues just mobility.

I can see why they've done this.

The special hour for elderly and vulnerable was put in place before the social distancing measures that most supermarkets are now implementing. I also think the shortages of certain items are gradually becoming less of an issue. The new measures are incredibly labour intensive for the staff and I think it's fair that they concentrate on safety for everyone, rather than trying to prioritise specific groups.

My husband is in the vulnerable group, but we will have to shop like everyone else. As long as people are considerate to each other and obey the rules, we will make the best of it.

Was the special hour not in place so that the venerable groups could shop away from others? So now everywhere is implementing social distancing within the stores themselves, the special hour becomes unnecessary. From what I've read the special hours were hugely busy in many stores so actually not that helpful.

Would it have made a big difference to you waiting by the door as opposed to in a queue? Would waiting in a queue have caused you issues? Not meant in a goady way, I just can't tell from your OP. Did you get your shopping in the end?

*vulnerable not venerable!

I'm not sure disabled hours are needed now stock levels are returning to normal, but I'd think a very reasonable adaption would be to let you in at the front of the queue. I hope you managed your shopping.

I can’t queue because they won’t allow you to stay in the road. The pavement is uneven and there are bike racks, electric charging points and smoking shelters blocking pavement.

No slopes so I can’t get up and down the pavement.

I don’t mind waiting just don’t understand why I can’t wait by the doors/disabled friendly area!
I don’t want to jump the queue, just to be safe whilst queuing.

@KittenVsBox

No, I didn’t.
Like I’ve said I don’t want to jump, I’ll happily wait.
Just want to wait safely and not be told I’m a obstacle.

Saying you'll get in the way was incredibly rude. However if they say people with certain conditions can go to the front they're opening themselves up to having to informally assess thousands of conditions. It could be they already had people with disabilities in the queue.

Sorry it's all a headache. No one really knows the best way to weigh up everyone's situations to make it "fair" so everyone's just going to have to stick to the basics of social distancing.

That makes perfect sense. It's not really the fact that they've taken away the vulnerable hour, it's that your store doesn't have a wheelchair friendly place to queue. And the person on the door was not helpful when this was pointed out to them.

I'm sorry that such a basic thing that we all normally take for granted has become so difficult for you.

@Quarantino
I don’t want to go to the front as such, I just want to wait in a friendly area!
How are they going to observe social distancing if I tip out of my chair due to uneven/no sloping pavement!

Any other shops you could use OP with a better geographical layout for your needs?
Any local volunteers you could contact to get your shopping for you ? - try Facebook.

I think it would have been reasonable to let you go to the front to be honest, as you say, it wasn't possible for you to safely join the queue. Did you manage to get any shopping?

Any other shops you could use OP with a better geographical layout for your needs?

That's not really the point, is it? Shes asking for a completely reasonable adjustment.

Did you explain about the pavement issue?

I’m surprised smoking shelters,charging points etc block the pavement to that extent though! Very odd they were built like that

There are other stores obviously but Asda has better accessibility (usually!), parking, wide aisles etc.
Don’t really want to have somebody else to do my shopping because I generally can and the wonderful volunteers should be shopping for those who can’t.

I’m fully prepared to wait with all the uprights (sorry, disabled joke) just want to wait safely.

I think this is the last thing supermarkets need to be worrying about tbh. If its impossible then you are going tp have to get a friend to shop for you.

It would have been a simple fix, I take it you have never struggled with accessibility issues tony?

@Tonyaster

You’re right.

I should stay out of the way.

Stop being a problem to others by trying to do the basics of living independently.

I’m very unreasonable and I apologise.

Yes we all are at the moment tbh. If you can't follow the rules then other people have to shop for you or you book online delivery if you are registered vulnerable. Or use a different supermarket.

Surely this is something that can be sorted relatively easily by emailing (or calling) the store manager, explaining the problem and asking if next time you can wait in a safe place?

Whoever you spoke to would simply have been following the rules and not had the power to change them for you. Ask the person who could!

I'd specifically mention the equalities act at them at the door.

The have to , by law, make reasonable adjustments so you aren't disadvantaged. So if you cannot queue because their queue place is inaccessible they have to make adaptions. Wait elsewhere or let you go straight in.

People often misinterpret this but I can see you aren't asking fir an advantage but rather just equal opportunities to shop.

Yes or email the manager.

The person on the door clearly had enough to be getting on with.

Oh sorry, you say it was the manager. You may have to consider shopping elsewhere.

You were not happy yesterday about the line up. Now you are not happy the have removed the 'disabled' hour. It was pointed out yesterday's hat was one of the busiest hours and later in the day is not so busy. Stock is nowhere near as bad as it was 7/10 days ago.

The issue of having to line up I would take up with ASDA actually. Did he actually say 'you will get in the way'? Or did he say that was an area which you are not allowed to wait in sure to social distancing, but in his own words? You knew this yesterday, did you go higher up the chain? There has to be somewhere safe? Actually if the path is so bad it will tip you out of your chair surely it's also unsafe for walkers too? Take that up with them. Why did you go to ASDA? After yesterday's thread I wouldn't have gone back.

@HeidiHoNeighbour

You most certainly should have been able to go to the front and I'm sorry you experienced this. The callousness of some people is just awful. Some common sense and decency if we could all just be a little more flexible and make allowances where needed.

Sorry OP I didn't read about the obstacles when I saw your thread yesterday, I maybe didn't see further updates, all I was remembering was the uneven path.