One of Poland’s largest retail chains has become the latest to introduce special quiet hours – with muted music and announcements – to make shopping easier for people with autism.
Empik, Poland’s leading chain of multimedia stores, has teamed up with the JiM Foundation, an NGO that supports autistic people. They want the initiative to not only help shoppers who are on the autistic spectrum, but also to raise wider social awareness of the difficulties they face.
“Music or announcements in stores are things that most of us do not pay attention to,” says Monika Marianowicz of Empik. “However, for people on the autism spectrum, they can be barriers to everyday functioning and make shopping a huge challenge.”
Ej, @empik wprowadza Ciche Godziny dla osób w spektrum autyzmu. Jako osoba ze spektrum BARDZO dziękuję, to jest mega empatyczny ruch. Miłe zaskoczenie! 💙
— Patryk Chilewicz (@patrykchilewicz) September 22, 2021
Many people with autism find the sensory experience of shopping extremely uncomfortable, which leads some to forego it completely. In response, many stores around the world have introduced dedicated periods in which music and announcements are reduced or stopped completely and lights are dimmed.
In Empik’s almost 300 stores around Poland, such quiet hours will take place every Tuesday between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. and on Thursdays from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. They were held yesterday for the first time.
Autistic people will also be given priority service, and Empik has provided staff with educational materials about autism prepared by the JiM Foundation.
“This is good news for all people on the autism spectrum in Poland,” said Tomasz Michałowicz, the foundation’s president. “There are people for whom every additional sound, flash of light or smell can cause great discomfort and stress while shopping.”
According to the World Health Organisation, around 1 in 100 inhabitants of Poland (about 400,000 people) have an autism spectrum disorder. There are also others who experience sensory processing disorders that can make shopping a difficult experience.
A number of large supermarket chains in Poland – including Auchan, Carrefour, Lidl, Aldi and Stokrotka – have already introduced quiet hours to help such people.
Supermarkets in Poland want to be more friendly for people with autism. Auchan is introducing 'quiet hours', with lights dimmed, speakers off and a dedicated checkout, following the success of a grassroots initiative in one store. Others chains may follow https://t.co/Ars3xNw6Ll
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) August 19, 2019
Main image credit: Empik (press materials)
Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
