Quiet Hour has been designed to reduce sensory stress and anxiety for customers with specific needs.
During the designated Quiet Hour, Woolworths stores will lower lights, turn off beeps at the register and turn off oven buzzers for an hour.
Previously occurring on one day a week, Quiet Hour will now be available every weekday, from Monday to Friday, significantly increasing the ease of shopping, which can be an overwhelming experience for many.
Quiet Hour launched in 2019 after being developed in consultation with disability service provider Life Without Barriers.
Originally introduced to meet community needs for low-sensory shopping, Quiet Hour now operates in over 900 stores nationwide, offering a calmer experience and promoting shopper independence.
Woolworths director of stores Jeanette Fenske said the positive community response had led to the expansion of Quiet Hour across stores.
“We continue to receive positive feedback from customers on the initiative, and our teams take great pride in ensuring the stores are quieter and less stressful for customers during this time,” Ms Fenske said.
“Quiet Hour is now an integral part of how we aim to assist independence in our stores, in addition to the opportunity provided by Direct to Boot and delivery options for many customers.
“The expansion of Quiet Hour to five days a week has been trialled over busy shopping periods such as Christmas, and we are proud now to be able to meet customer needs with this five days a week.”
Life Without Barriers chief executive Claire Robbs said the expansion of Quiet Hour displayed Woolworths’ recognition of customer needs.
“Life Without Barriers has been delighted with Woolworths’ leadership to give people more options to do their shopping in store and increase their independence in an environment that is not stressful and overwhelming to them,” Ms Robbs said.
Quiet Hour will be occurring in Woolworths stores across the country from 10:30am to 11:30am every Monday to Friday.
During this hour, temporary changes include lowering volume on store phones and registers, clearing entryways, dimming lights, reducing in-store music, removing roll cages from the shop floor and pausing PA announcements (excluding in cases of emergencies).
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