Walmart announced its decision to reinstate “sensory-friendly hours” at all retail stores in the U.S. and Puerto Rico in a blog post published Tuesday. The hours begin this Friday, Nov. 10, and will continue indefinitely, with Walmart saying there is “no scheduled end date.” According to the company, sensitive times are not limited to Saturdays, but every day from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. local time.
The post has a shared byline with three executives. They include Dennis Malloy Dedrick, senior vice president and chief affiliation officer, Cedric Clark, vice president of U.S. store operations, and Alvis Washington, vice president of retail brand experience.
“Earlier this year, we took a step toward making it possible for people with sensory disabilities to shop in our stores by taking steps to create a less-stimulating environment for a few hours every Saturday. Back-to-school season “During the pandemic, we replaced the TV wall with still images, turned off the radio, and dimmed the lights as much as possible,” executives said in a statement today. “Feedback from the pilot program was overwhelmingly positive. While these changes may have seemed small to some, they have transformed the shopping experience for others. ”
The post expressed gratitude for the return of sensory-friendly hours and said in part that “little things make a difference” in the experience of shopping at a store with a child with autism. includes a short blurb from a customer identified only as Andrea T. child.
If Dennis Malloy’s name sounds familiar, it probably is. At the end of July, I featured her blog post detailing how Walmart is “embracing a sense of belonging” with its Adaptive at Walmart initiative. The post coincided with the 33rd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act being officially signed into law by then-President George H.W. Bush in July 1990.
follow me twitter Or LinkedIn. check out my website.