Walmart Canada to debut sensory-friendly store hours

The retailer is adding sensory-friendly hours at stores across Canada with the aim to make shopping more accessible to customers who may experience sensory overload by providing a less stimulating environment. (In November, Walmart added sensory-free shopping hours between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. local time every day at all of its stores in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.)

All 403 Walmart stores in Canada will now offer sensory-friendly hours from store opening until 10 a.m. local time every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, where possible. During the designated hours, Walmart Canada will aim to create a calmer experience by eliminating or reducing potential sensory stimuli. There will be minimal sounds, with no music or radio advertisements and announcements/paging paused except for emergencies.

In addition, only static, low-sensory images will be used on TV walls.

Approximately 33% of people experience sensory sensitivity or overload, with more than 25 diagnoses or differences contributing to it, according to Sensory Friendly Solutions. This means visual and auditory stimuli can be too intense to process, which can cause discomfort or frustration for customers as they shop.

Chain Store Age