It seemed really surreal to me so I asked about it, apparently they have hours for people on the spectrum to make it more comfortable for them. As far as I know, I’m not on the spectrum but this environment was soooooo calming. It was like being at a spa. Is this not something everyone enjoys or should I consider getting checked out for autism??
I really wish this was the norm. I never understood why the lights have to be so damn bright, why the music has to be loud and repetitive and just general noise. I remember having gone to Wal-Mart when they once were 24/7 and going in at 2 in the morning to shop was pure damn bliss. Much better than the times I’ve gone in and people are stupid, noisy and in your way all of the time.
There’s a store in the next town, which has only organic foods. Rather expensive to shop there, but I still go there more often than I need to, just because everyone’s friendly and relaxed.
It’s not autistic to enjoy or prefer peace and quiet. It’s autistic to be unable to function without it. If you were capable of grocery shopping before, I wouldn’t worry too much.
Sadly, I shop with my minor children in tow so no shopping environment will ever be calm or quiet for me.
Be patient, this too will pass. Those hours last aeons but the years fly by.
Know that for every person sniffing with disapproval at your kids’ worst behavior there’s three thinking, “Oh yeah, I remember how hard that is” or “I’m so glad that’s not me today!”
Oh, my kids are generally well-behaved. But that doesn’t mean I can relax.
Nothing weird about enjoying that. I enjoy it too.
Although I am Autistic so my opinion means nothing here.
Maybe if I suggest it to the local grocery store, they’ll do the same…hm.
Its always better if possible for you to go shopping as far from “peak hours” as possible.
If I can’t get to the store by no later than 11am on a weekday, I don’t go.
Love the quiet hours. Peak hours are brutal and no one looks happy to be there either
It’s so weird that these days you have to almost bring a note from your doctor if you don’t want a constant barrage of sensory overload
The gas pumps that blast ads at you are driving me insane. All of the places in between my house and my work have them now.
I bust those speakers with a knife or nail every time and it brings me such immense satisfaction to do so
There are cameras everywhere, and they literally have your license plate number. Seems kind of stupid.
In my area if you press the second button from the top on the left it mutes these!
Mute them by pressing the buttons beside the screen one by one top to bottom, one of them will work if not the top one on the right I think.
This used to work for me but unfortunately at least two places I haven’t been able to figure out any button combination that mutes them which has been infuriating.
It seems kinda counterintuitive to me from a business standpoint too. I feel like if people are in a better mood and relaxed, they would be more willing to buy more stuff? Or does the constant anxiety pressure people into buying more? I unno?
Yeah, if I ever catch a calm hour in the store, I’ll actually look through the aisles and check out products I wouldn’t normally buy. If the store is busy, I grab the usual and flee as quickly as possible.
The logic I’ve heard is that people think less logically and are more impulsive when disoriented.
Some of the best paid jobs for psychologists are working for companies to devise surreptitious ways to make people buy more.
In advertising as well. I noticed quite an uptick in the ‘annoyance’ factor of tv and radio ads somewhere between 2005 and 2010. People were more likely to discuss bad ads, or ads with a quirk of some kind. Hate is an easier strong emotion to coerce with an ad so they fully went with it and somehow the negative attention equalled more sales.
It’s hard to imagine some business exec coming up with this research, it’s more likely a team of psychology majors who would rather earn more money than actually help people.
This is more or less the case. Advertising psychology is a wildly lucrative field, if you’re good at it. Turns out “I know how ppl think, I will unveil the mystique” and “you can make more money” is right at the intersection of $$$
HEAD ON APPLY DIRECTLY TO THE FOREHEAD. HEAD ON APPLY DIRECTLY TO THE FOREHEAD.
I’m no psychologist but I’ve certainly avoided stores that made me uncomfortable because, well they made me uncomfortable
Same here. Or if I have no choice, I’ll have several instances of overwhelm where I freeze and process just enough to continue, get flustered, and just skip looking at anything at all I don’t need. Tunnel vision is a major cope. And even stuff I do need, and specifically came for, often gets left behind because I just can’t.
I wish I could get groceries delivered, but there aren’t any services in my area (close by, but I’d have to get them delivered to a delivery locker site for a huge fee, and at that point I may as well just do the shopping myself). That’s the biggest instance of this for me. I genuinely hate grocery shopping.
Hello, I work in retail in Australia. The shopping malls I’m at all have “quiet time” for “people with sensory issues” every Tuesday morning from 9 to 11:30 am. It is as you described, and I agree with you.
Now I’m not sure where I stand on the spectrum but I’ve heard colleagues say they also prefer the quiet time, so, there you go. I just don’t understand the point of bombarding people with music all the time especially for Christmas.
To your last comment: overstimulating environments both heighten awareness and reduce critical thinking capacity. I’m not sure how that translates in groceries, but I would guess something to the effect of a fight or flight “secure more food” and not worry as much about prices
FWIW I wear active noise canceling headphones when shopping and it also helps improve the experience.
Same! Mine have a passthrough mode that pumps through what the microphone picks up but lets you select how much. I leave a little on because I feel weird if I can’t hear what’s happening in my surroundings.
I too enjoy some goddamn peace and quiet.
I can’t answer about whether you should get checked out.
However, I’ve always found shops to be a fairly hostile environment.
They’re crammed with products, and every single one is trying to convince you to buy it.
The very lay out of the store is not designed with your interests in mind, but rather to extract money from you.
Wish we had this where I live 😭
Guess many people “not on the spectrum” but with afflictions like unspecified neurodiversity, being old, depression, anxiety, ADHD, … can benefit from those calm environments.
I feel like nobody I know really likes grocery shopping, at most they tolerate it. I don’t get why the store managers don’t make it an enjoyable experience for everyone.
I’m tempted to start a grocery chain that mandates dimmed lights, soft music, employees that talk to you like a loving parent with some training in therapy, as well as mild hints of lavender, chamomile, frankinscence, and vanilla being diffused.
It’s a grocery store, I’d rather be able to smell tomatoes and strawberries and rotisserie chicken and bread
You had me until the fragrences. Please miss me with those.
Unfortunately, chemical imitation is horribly bad for us and people do have allergies to natural fragrance. A quick search suggests roses are “virtually allergen free.”
To OP’s question in general: being always assaulted by artificial stimuli isn’t healthy for anyone, but schismed, fragmented, jumpy, tired people are compliant employees and impulsivity buyers, from changing hairstyles and color dramatically to the tabloids, king-sized candy bars and tobacco products at checkout.
Only a little though, like you’re approximately 52 meters away from a bath and body works. Downwind.
should I consider getting checked out for autism??
do it because it’s much more common than people realize.
also, it’s called a spectrum for a reason; there are varying degrees of “strengths” and “types” of neurodivergence. (there’s actual words for them but my memory is useless before coffee).
There’s also over diagnosis where people want a reason for their personality traits and doctor shop. Sometimes people are just quirky as part of life experience, and not everything is a disorder.
You’re on the money with this one.
ADHD, Depression and Anxiety is stupid common for this very reason. People self-diagnose themselves all of the time, too afraid to go to therapists because maybe there’s a good chance that the therapist might tell them that they’re wrong and over-blowing themselves about what they think they have.
I sympathize with actual mental health sufferers, who have had their care stalled and stagnated, because a lot of these self-diagnosing types are blurring the lines.
Then when you try educating the fakers, out come the accusations that you “hate people who suffer mentally” and that “you don’t understand.”
Oh we do, we’re waiting for you to finally come around!
The store I go doesn’t have the dimmed lights nor is it spa level , but it sure isnt the barrage of lights and sounds you are suggesting.
What are the barrage of lights and sounds I’m suggesting?
