An Asda store plans to introduce a “quiet hour” to make shopping easier for customers living with autism. The Asda Living store in Cheetham Hill, Manchester, will be completely silent for an hour every Saturday morning from 8am to 9am. Escalators will be stopped and in-store music turned down in order to make it more suitable for shoppers with autism who find loud noises difficult to deal with. Simon Lea, the store manager, said it will be so quiet customers will be “able to hear a pin drop”. He decided to launch quiet hour, which starts on 7 May, after seeing a boy with autism struggling to cope on the shop floor. “Following the incident, I’ve been speaking with colleagues and customers about how we can help shoppers with autism or disabilities. If we can make a few small changes to give these customers a better shopping experience and make them comfortable, then I know the store will be a better place to shop for everyone,” he said.
