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Today (21 August), Channel Islands Coop (CI Coop) has re-launched its Quiet Hour as Quiet Time, the traditional hour will be extended across stores to benefit neurodiverse customers and colleagues for longer and will be available on a Saturday for the first time too. The aim of Quiet Time is to help reduce stress of the weekly shop for members of the community.
Quiet Time will take place on Mondays from 3pm until 5pm and on Saturdays between 5pm and 7pm at Mill Park, St Peters Village, St Martin and St Sampson Food.
Joaquim Santos, Store Manager Grand Marché St Helier, shares what will happen in stores during this time: “We dim the lights, turn off the music, reduce the bleeps of tills, ban roller cages from the shopfloor and just make it a quieter space. If you consider the hustle and bustle of a busy retail store, you can appreciate how this could potentially be overwhelming to some people, so it's great to be able to offer this quiet time at Grand Marché. The whole store is generally a lot calmer and quieter."
Carl Winn, Head of Community and Sustainability at CI Coop said: “The Coop is at the heart of our community, and we recognise what an important role we play in island life, so we wanted to be more aware and mindful of our customers’ diverse needs.
“Since we launched our quiet hour in 2017, we’ve had so much positive feedback and wanted to extend it to members of the community who can’t shop with us on a Monday between 3-4pm. I’m so excited to be able to widen our reach and continue our journey as an inclusive retailer.”
Lesley Harrison: Head of Charitable Services at Autism Jersey said:
“An awareness and understanding of autism go a long way to helping those we support, on a daily basis. This is just one example of how some small adjustments and considerations, can make a huge difference to those with autism.
“By a small community working together, with collaborative approaches such as this, we all can genuinely make a difference and build a diverse and inclusive society as we move towards acceptance.”
Autism Guernsey said: "It is amazing to see the Coop has been able to extend its quiet hour to quiet times in both the Grande Marché stores.
“Many people can feel, see and experience the world differently. For customers with Autism (and other neurodiversity) in particular, the shopping experience can often be overwhelming. A calmer environment with the extended hours is a huge step forward to making an inclusive more relaxing experience for customers."
