The silent supermarket

Society - The silent supermarket

Several announcements are made to prepare supermarket customers for what is to come: peace and quiet. Dimmed lights, quiet checkouts and a more peaceful atmosphere are intended to make shopping more relaxed for autistic and sensitive people - even during the busy Advent season. "Quiet hour" is the name of the concept, which originated in New Zealand and is being practiced in more and more supermarkets in Germany.

Of course, it's not really quiet on this December day at the Edeka-Center Baur in Constance. "Not everything can be turned off completely," says Sabine Seibl, Managing Director of Edeka Baur. A normal supermarket is not designed for something like this. But there is a noticeably quieter atmosphere in the store every Tuesday since March.

The suggestion for the "quiet hour" came from a customer with autistic children, says Seibl. "It was only through her that I became aware of the need and the need that is there." It was an insight into a whole new world. "It was inconceivable to me that someone would rather not eat than go through the stress of shopping," says the Managing Director. "Participation" was the magic word that Katrin Zorn used to convince her.

Painful light

Zorn herself is grateful and at the same time can't quite believe that she was able to win the market over to the idea. Her children are enthusiastic, says the mother. "We had years when our daughter only ate rice - morning, noon and night. It would have been helpful to take her to the supermarket to show her what's available." Due to the sensory overload, it was not possible to take her to a normal supermarket at the time.

"People on the autism spectrum often find the bright lights in supermarkets painful on the eyes," says Zorn, who is also the chairwoman of the autism network in the city on Lake Constance. "Sounds are sometimes perceived much more strongly." The reduced "quiet hour" makes many things easier. Shopping is an important everyday skill for autistic people because it means living independently.

Offer in more and more stores

More and more stores in Germany are catering to the needs of autistic and more sensitive customers with "quiet hours". The initiatives are scattered across the country and the offer is not yet comprehensive.

Rewe, for example, has said that it is very understanding of customers who want things to be a little quieter. "That's why the volume of the music can be adjusted individually in each store without being tied to specific shopping times," said a spokesperson. The checkout signal cannot be adjusted in volume. Other chains were also somewhat cautious.

"Demand and customer approval will decide whether such an offer will become established nationwide," explains Stefan Genth, Managing Director of the German Retail Association. The feedback so far has been good, which is why the offer has grown.

"Points in the karma account"

"It doesn't work through coercion," says Fabian Diekmann from the German Autism Association. The initiative has to come from the supermarkets themselves. "More and more stores are getting involved." The association does not know exactly how many there are nationwide.

Offers such as the "Quiet Hours" are sometimes regular, sometimes on special occasions. Shopping is particularly stressful in the run-up to Christmas. Everywhere is more crowded and louder than usual. Dimming the lights and turning off the music costs the supermarkets nothing. But it helps people. "You rarely get points on your karma account that easily."

Being able to go shopping without having to worry about sensory overload is particularly important for autistic people. "Otherwise they run the risk of drifting into isolation and loneliness."

Customers respond almost universally positively

According to the association, autism is a complex and multifaceted neurological developmental disorder. There are no statistics on its prevalence in Germany. However, it is assumed that between 600,000 and 800,000 people are affected, explains Diekmann. "Not all of them are diagnosed."

The response from customers at Lake Constance has been almost entirely positive, says Seibl, with only a small proportion complaining about the dimmed lighting. "That you can no longer see the price labels so clearly." However, the background music is not missed.

Bar atmosphere in the spirits aisle

The effort for the two "quiet hours" from 3 p.m. is limited, adds center manager Marko Peic. Because the store is so large, he says, they move from corner to corner to turn off the light switches. "It takes a good 20 minutes - if you're quick." The lighting is not centralized. "A total of 16 fuses have to be taken in and out."

Before the initiative was launched in Constance, there were a number of tests, says Seibl, which took place during ongoing operations. "Once a customer shouted "Help! Hold-up!" because it was getting dark," reports Seibl.

There is no dimmer. The effect works by switching off a few lights. "The wine and spirits department had almost taken on a bar atmosphere at the beginning, which encouraged some people to do something we didn't actually want." Poor lighting was an invitation to walk past the checkout. "Spotlights on the shelves and at the checkout helped."