LIDL Autism Aware Quiet Evenings

Andy From Sligo · 22-03-2018 2:42pm #1

LIDL are implementing Autism Aware Quiet Evenings across all 194 Lidl stores in Ireland and Northern Ireland

- Reduced lighting
- No in-store announcements
- No music
- Priority queueing for customers dealing with autism as well as - extra assistance upon request
- Till scan sounds lowered
- Autism assistance dogs always welcome

Good idea? - any ideas on it?

I dont know why , but my skepticism always kicks in rather than thinking they are doing this for the benefit of the customer that I always think these businesses are doing new things for their own gain in the name of commercialism

Autism Aware Quiet Evenings

El Weirdo · 22-03-2018 2:47pm

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

I dont know why , but my skepticism always kicks in rather than thinking they are doing this for the benefit of the customer that I always think these businesses are doing new things for their own gain in the name of commercialism

Even if so, where's the problem?

Mint Sauce · 22-03-2018 2:48pm

Whilst they maybe aware parents of Autistic kids need to shop too, they are also VERY aware that it shows them in a good light. Everything is commerical gain, no matter what they do, or how good they do it.

Mrs OBumble · 22-03-2018 2:49pm

If I knew what evening they weren't doing those annoying "Till 4 is now closing. We are happy to serve you at another checkout" announcements, I'd shop then too.

Silly things play whenever a till is re-booted for any reason. Very annoying.

Yer Da sells Avon · 22-03-2018 2:50pm

It doesn't really matter why they're doing it. It sounds like a good idea.

chrissb8 · 22-03-2018 2:52pm

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

I dont know why , but my skepticism always kicks in rather than thinking they are doing this for the benefit of the customer that I always think these businesses are doing new things for their own gain in the name of commercialism

Autism Aware Quiet Evenings

Of course they are. It's called corporate social responsibility. By being more conscious of societies issues and problems a company can bring added value by being seen as being proactive in tackling these issues or problems. Gaining a better reputation among customers and therefore more people will shop there.

Every company does it to some extent, I think this is pretty good by Lidl actually. Unique idea and well thought out.

WHIP IT! · 22-03-2018 2:53pm

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

LIDL are implementing Autism Aware Quiet Evenings across all 194 Lidl stores in Ireland and Northern Ireland

- Reduced lighting
- No in-store announcements
- No music
- Priority queueing for customers dealing with autism as well as - extra assistance upon request
- Till scan sounds lowered
- Autism assistance dogs always welcome

Good idea? - any ideas on it?

I dont know why , but my skepticism always kicks in rather than thinking they are doing this for the benefit of the customer that I always think these businesses are doing new things for their own gain in the name of commercialism

Autism Aware Quiet Evenings

Without a shadow of a doubt, you're right... but I always try and think of the "net effect". If this proves a really welcome and useful initiative for parents with autistic children, then it will be worth the 'free plug'.

J. Marston · 22-03-2018 2:54pm

- Reduced lighting
- No in-store announcements
- No music
- Priority queueing for customers dealing with autism as well as - extra assistance upon request
- Till scan sounds lowered
- Autism assistance dogs always welcome

Sounds nice.

Wait...

22-03-2018 2:58pm

Great initiative. Anything that makes life easier for people who have it tougher is fine by me. I don't care if it's a commercial decision, if it's just PR, or even if Lidl are cuck libtard virtue signallers. Hopefully it'll be the start of a trend.

biko · 22-03-2018 2:58pm

Can I bring my emotional support hamster?

Ciaran_B · 22-03-2018 2:59pm

SuperValu have been doing this for a while now. Fair play, it's a good idea.

topper75 · 22-03-2018 3:00pm

My 'autism assistance' hound is a bit of a savage. He'd gobble everything on the shelves so I think he is best left in the car.

Andy From Sligo · 22-03-2018 3:02pm

Nobody thinking it's just a little pointing out / singling out people with autism/disability? Having it done for certain hours/days?

Andy From Sligo · 22-03-2018 3:03pm

No music???? I have never ever heard piped background music in a Lidl store ever, personally meself

El Weirdo · 22-03-2018 3:06pm

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

Nobody thinking it's just a little pointing out / singling out people with autism/disability? Having it done for certain hours/days?

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

No music???? I have never ever heard piped background music in a Lidl store ever, personally meself

You appear to want to find fault with this. What exactly is the problem with this initiative as you see it?

DEFTLEFTHAND · 22-03-2018 3:08pm

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

No music???? I have never ever heard piped background music in a Lidl store ever, personally meself

Same here. They don't play music.

My local is a large dimly lit barn staffed by 3 people

Andy From Sligo · 22-03-2018 3:09pm

El Weirdo wrote: »

You appear to want to find fault with this. What exactly is the problem with this initiative as you see it?

No, please don't assume. I am just dissecting it to understand how it will work. Part of me thinks it's a good idea.. in certain areas of the idea. I certainly don't want it to fail

Wesser · 22-03-2018 3:10pm

But sure isn't everything done in the name if commercial gain.
You may as well question their reason for even existing. Ah sure they only exist to make money. Not going to buy my bread from them!

somefeen · 22-03-2018 3:14pm

This is a bit strange because I shop in lidl and aldi mostly because they're quieter already.

Tesco is a nightmare with the music, bright lights, crowds and those ****ing self service checkouts blaring away constantly.
I dont know how anyone can work there

DEFTLEFTHAND · 22-03-2018 3:31pm

Depends on what end of the spectrum they're on.

A person with mild autism would be mortified to be singled out and embarrassed in public by being asked to come to the front of the line or whatever.

Graces7 · 22-03-2018 3:50pm

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

Nobody thinking it's just a little pointing out / singling out people with autism/disability? Having it done for certain hours/days?

I for one could not cope with eg reduced lighting and if it lessens the crowds in store so much the better...

Grayson · 22-03-2018 3:53pm

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

Nobody thinking it's just a little pointing out / singling out people with autism/disability? Having it done for certain hours/days?

not really. Other people will be there too.

Andy From Sligo · 22-03-2018 3:55pm

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

Depends on what end of the spectrum they're on.

A person with mild autism would be mortified to be singled out and embarrassed in public by being asked to come to the front of the line or whatever.

precisely , my 24year old lad has autism/aspergers and even sometimes he feels sometimes people go over the top and people look around to see whats going on - its ok when its done naturally but sometimes (not by the fault of the person helping them) attention can be drawn to them/him even if its not intentional.

From his mouth: "If people are that anxious when going out shopping then they should order online and not put themselves in that situation in the first place" - thats from him, not from me.

Bob Harris · 22-03-2018 3:56pm

People with autism in Tallaght must be kicking themselves.

dee_mc · 22-03-2018 3:58pm

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

Depends on what end of the spectrum they're on.

A person with mild autism would be mortified to be singled out and embarrassed in public by being asked to come to the front of the line or whatever.

But they're not being asked to the front of the line - they're just being informed that if they want to shop in a designated lower stimulus environment, the option is there.

Petyr Baelish · 22-03-2018 4:01pm

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

No music???? I have never ever heard piped background music in a Lidl store ever, personally meself

They do in their snazzy flagship store in Tallaght village but that's the only place I've heard it myself.

Regarding the concept as a whole, it's well and good for Lidl to reduce the noise they make but most of it comes from the customers themselves. Between the screaming kids and people shouting down their phones (even on Facetime weirdly) combined with the general hustle and bustle in the stores, I can't see this creating a revolutionary experience for Autistic people.

Petyr Baelish · 22-03-2018 4:03pm

Bob Harris wrote: »

People with autism in Tallaght must be kicking themselves.

I think you mean Citywest.

Andy From Sligo · 22-03-2018 4:04pm

OSI wrote: »

Are disabled parking spots singling people out?

only when non-disabled people park in them

suicide_circus · 22-03-2018 4:08pm

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

Same here. They don't play music.

My local is a large dimly lit barn staffed by 3 people

Yep bit of a scam

Andy From Sligo · 22-03-2018 4:11pm

Grayson wrote: »

not really. Other people will be there too.

on those particular nights I think you can safely say the majority of people shopping there will be on the autism spectrum or carers caring for people

The reduced lighting, and priority tills and everything suited to the enviroment on those particular nights might not sit well with other shoppers and may go somewhere else - you cannot please everyone all the time.

Even when I have gone out with my son in the past I have heard other people 'tut' or give stabbing glancing looks if they have had to wait or put themselves out at all

Mr. CooL ICE · 22-03-2018 4:11pm

I heard they're doing free coffee topups for people with autism.

Harry Palmr · 22-03-2018 4:12pm

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

Depends on what end of the spectrum they're on.

A person with mild autism would be mortified to be singled out and embarrassed in public by being asked to come to the front of the line or whatever.

If they are at the least effected end then they probably won't see the need for or advantage in using the Autistic-friendly features. Other than to skip the queues!

As pointed out Lild and Aldi do not play ear wom as it's cheaper not to bother with installing and buying the rights to play MUZAK versions of Burt Bacharach tunes

Malayalam · 22-03-2018 4:15pm

Can all the places do all these things all the time please. As far as I know I am not autistic but all those things bug me.

wakka12 · 22-03-2018 4:18pm

El Weirdo wrote: »

Even if so, where's the problem?

Well personally it would make me uncomfortable that they're using a sensitive issue like this for commercial endorsement but each to their own..thats a big if of course but its definitely suspicious

Andy From Sligo · 22-03-2018 4:18pm

Petyr Baelish wrote: »

They do in their snazzy flagship store in Tallaght village but that's the only place I've heard it myself.

Regarding the concept as a whole, it's well and good for Lidl to reduce the noise they make but most of it comes from the customers themselves. Between the screaming kids and people shouting down their phones (even on Facetime weirdly) combined with the general hustle and bustle in the stores, I can't see this creating a revolutionary experience for Autistic people.

whenever I have shopped in the local Sligo one I have always found it so quite, the silence is almost deafening and i thought how nice it would be with some pleasant background music just to take the monotony of the quietness, and thought how boring it mustr be for the workers there .. but I guess that out of the window now them getting any background music in now

yes, i bet other Lidls around the country can be noisier than others I guess

Andy From Sligo · 22-03-2018 4:19pm

Nicolas Cage wrote: »

I heard they're doing free coffee topups for people with autism.

good - so they should

i'm in

Grayson · 22-03-2018 4:24pm

somefeen wrote: »

This is a bit strange because I shop in lidl and aldi mostly because they're quieter already.

Tesco is a nightmare with the music, bright lights, crowds and those ****ing self service checkouts blaring away constantly.
I dont know how anyone can work there

I prefer tesco's but i don't go there on the very busy times and the Tesco's near me is one of the biggest in the country so there's loads of space.

Supervalu where I live is narrow, crowded and loud. I can't stand it.

Andy From Sligo · 22-03-2018 4:27pm

Malayalam wrote: »

Can all the places do all these things all the time please. As far as I know I am not autistic but all those things bug me.

you should get tested - I read once this bloke in his 50's got diagnosed with aspergers - doctors said turns out could have had it for years and at a very early age but just un-diagnosed.

I am getting worse with age with certain noises, and smells (getting very sickly to some womens perfumes, some flowers, scented candles and some cooking smells!)

- lights dont seem to affect me , in fact I like bright lights, the brighter the better, makes me feel happier than being in a dark room that makes me feel more depressed

now, talking about the shopping experience I get very jittery when the till person is rushing you (or appears to be) as you are packing and asking you for the money , your mind is "do I pack, do I pay... ooh look at that queue building up because of me!!" - thats what freaks me out lately when i dom go shopping!!

Irish Guitarist · 22-03-2018 4:29pm

Obviously it's to make themselves look good. It's not like they're a charitable organisation. It doesn't mean customers can't benefit from it though.

Reduced lighting could save them a fortune and they can say it's for the benefit of autistic children. It's a stroke of genius.

dubstarr · 22-03-2018 4:29pm

wakka12 wrote: »

Well personally it would make me uncomfortable that they're using a sensitive issue like this for commercial endorsement but each to their own..thats a big if of course but its definitely suspicious

Well they have to endorse it,how else would anyone know.I think its a great idea.Whats the harm in helping people.

Grayson · 22-03-2018 4:34pm

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

you should get tested - I read once this bloke in his 50's got diagnosed with aspergers - doctors said turns out could have had it for years and at a very early age but just un-diagnosed.

I am getting worse with age with certain noises, and smells (getting very sickly to some womens perfumes, some flowers, scented candles and some cooking smells!)

- lights dont seem to affect me , in fact I like bright lights, the brighter the better, makes me feel happier than being in a dark room that makes me feel more depressed

now, talking about the shopping experience I get very jittery when the till person is rushing you (or appears to be) as you are packing and asking you for the money , your mind is "do I pack, do I pay... ooh look at that queue building up because of me!!" - thats what freaks me out lately when i dom go shopping!!

Here's the AS Quotient btest that was developed by Simon Baron-Cohen who's a Professor at Cambridge. If that names familiar it's because his cousin is Borat.
https://psychology-tools.com/autism-spectrum-quotient/

Andy From Sligo · 22-03-2018 4:38pm

Irish Guitarist wrote: »

Obviously it's to make themselves look good. It's not like they're a charitable organisation. It doesn't mean customers can't benefit from it though.

Reduced lighting could save them a fortune and they can say it's for the benefit of autistic children. It's a stroke of genius.

cor I didnt account for that one - but I can see how that be an absolute plus!

LIDL Marketing department:

"I think we should make the shopping experience a nice experience for autistic people - it would just seperate us from the rest"

Corporate man with cigar: "Its a stupid Idea , sack that man!"

another marketing 'expert': "I think we should have these nights we can reduce the lights and it will save a fortune in bills , plus we can target these shoppers, we are missing out on their business we will be quids in!"

Corporate man with cigar: "I like this man - give him a pay rise immediately! "

endacl · 22-03-2018 4:39pm

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

I dont know why , but my skepticism always kicks in ... [/URL]

Funny that. I've a similar Pavlovian reaction every time I see a new thread popping up from your good self.

Graces7 · 22-03-2018 4:53pm

wakka12 wrote: »

Well personally it would make me uncomfortable that they're using a sensitive issue like this for commercial endorsement but each to their own..thats a big if of course but its definitely suspicious

That is unfair. It is good to see a big firm responding to any needs. tesco give spare food to eg V de Paul..and they have a big sign up in the Ballina shop to that effect.

The more socially aware companies are, the better . They all provide eg trollies for the disabled too..

Andy From Sligo · 22-03-2018 4:55pm

dubstarr wrote: »

Well they have to endorse it,how else would anyone know.I think its a great idea.Whats the harm in helping people.

... only at special days/hours , at other times your on your own ... so yes if your going to have autism please make sure you have it between 6pm-8pm tuesdays please ...

Graces7 · 22-03-2018 4:55pm

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

cor I didnt account for that one - but I can see how that be an absolute plus!

LIDL Marketing department:

"I think we should make the shopping experience a nice experience for autistic people - it would just seperate us from the rest"

Corporate man with cigar: "Its a stupid Idea , sack that man!"

another marketing 'expert': "I think we should have these nights we can reduce the lights and it will save a fortune in bills , plus we can target these shoppers, we are missing out on their business we will be quids in!"

Corporate man with cigar: "I like this man - give him a pay rise immediately! "

OH GEE! this is too too much

Andy From Sligo · 22-03-2018 4:58pm

Grayson wrote: »

Here's the AS Quotient btest that was developed by Simon Baron-Cohen who's a Professor at Cambridge. If that names familiar it's because his cousin is Borat.
https://psychology-tools.com/autism-spectrum-quotient/

thanks - i'm gonna give it a lash one day.

My wife is absolutely convinced I am on the autism scale somewhere but I will prove her wrong ... (or maybe right depending how the test goes)

The Black Oil · 22-03-2018 4:58pm

It's to reduce sensory overload and the distress from that. Dublin Airport have had autism info/assistance details on their website for years and some cinemas also make accommodations re the sensory environment.

dubstarr · 22-03-2018 5:01pm

Grayson wrote: »

Here's the AS Quotient btest that was developed by Simon Baron-Cohen who's a Professor at Cambridge. If that names familiar it's because his cousin is Borat.
https://psychology-tools.com/autism-spectrum-quotient/

I got 36 out of 50 on that test.It says i have some autism traits.I think its true to an extent

Andy From Sligo · 22-03-2018 5:01pm

endacl wrote: »

Funny that. I've a similar Pavlovian reaction every time I see a new thread popping up from your good self.

isnt that a dessert ? ... - you have a dessert every time one of my threads pop up?

ah well it takes all sorts I suppose ....

Andy From Sligo · 22-03-2018 5:05pm

dubstarr wrote: »

I got 36 out of 50 on that test.It says i have some autism traits.I think its true to an extent

I read somewhere that all domestic cats have autism ... I dunno what that has to do with the price of fish , but I just thought I would mention it ... I havent figured out yet how on earth cats manage to fill out that test! :eek:

LIDL Autism Aware Quiet Evenings

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