Morrisons introduces 'quiet hour' for customers with autism

Morrisons supermarket will enforce a weekly “quiet hour” for autistic shoppers who are affected by loud music and noise.

During 9am and 10 am every Saturday, in-store music will be turned off, lights will be dimmed, and the tannoy will be switched off.

The "Quieter Hour" initiative will be rolled out across all of its 493 stores, the supermarket said.

Morrisons has introduced the new scheme with the National Autistic Society following a trial earlier in the year at three of its stores in Lincoln, Woking and Gainsborough.

What will Morrisons Quieter Hour involve?

During Quieter Hours stores will:

● Dim the lights

● 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.

After listening to customers, the supermarket discovered that one in five had a friend or a family member with autism many of which found it difficult to shop in busy supermarkets.

Angela Gray, Morrisons Community Champion at Woking said: “I was involved in the initial trial as my son is autistic and we found that these changes made a real difference. The trial showed there is a need for a quieter shopping experience for some customers.”

The store said it will also work to improve awareness amongst colleagues of the issues autistic customers face in store.

Daniel Cadey, from the National Autistic Society said: “Around 700,000 people are on the autism spectrum in the UK.

“This means they see, hear and feel the world differently to other people, often in a more intense way. Morrisons ‘Quieter Hour’ is a step in the right direction for autistic people who find supermarket shopping a real struggle.”