The supermarket introducing something great for its senior customers

It can be incredibly frustrating and just a little bit daunting to do the grocery shop when aisles are crowded and items are often hard to reach. However, to put the joy back into your shopping experience, a major supermarket chain in the United Kingdom is implementing special hours so that it can give a hand to those who need it.

It’s especially important for older customers and those who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease or dementia to feel comfortable with everything going on around them in supermarkets or shopping centres.

Sainsbury’s in the UK has brought in a new initiative to let you maintain your independence and continue to do your shopping.

The supermarket is trialling sessions called ‘slow shopping’, where you get priority when you shop.

You’ll be greeted by a Sainsbury’s representative and will be accompanied by them during your shopping experience to ensure that any of those hard-to-reach items can be retrieved and if the grocery shop takes it out of you (and let’s be honest, it can) you can park your butt on a chair at the end of each aisle and recharge.

There will be a variety of free samples for you to enjoy too.

“When my father developed cancer, I saw how hard he found shopping yet he still wanted to go to maintain his independence,” Scott McMahon, deputy manager of Sainsbury’s Gosforth says.

He was approached by a local customer who suggested the idea saying, “When Katherine [Vero] approached me about Slow Shopping I was keen to help. I knew Sainsbury’s would want to support it too.”

The supermarket already invests time into training its staff to help customers with disabilities, so going the extra step for those over-60s is an extension of that according to McMahon.

Trials started on August 30 and the company hopes the idea will spread to other stores..

What do you think about this idea? Would you like to see more assistance when you do your grocery shopping? What other measures are you aware of that help over-60s?