A British supermarket is doing something great for their elderly and disabled customers

It's being trialled in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne.

For many elderly people, shopping can be a very distressing experience. Many individuals report feelings of stress or pressure and become overwhelmed at all of the noises and sounds that are present in supermarkets and shopping centres. These feelings can be present especially in the case of people who suffer from Alzheimers or dementia. As people become older, they sometimes fear their loss of independence when it comes to going shopping or making food, but Sainsbury's in the UK have brought in a new initiative to still let older people do their shopping. According to Metro, the supermarket chain are trialling sessions dubbed "slow shopping" where the elderly are prioritised as they shop. A member of Sainsbury's greets customers and goes on hand with each person, helping them reach products on high shelves and chairs are placed at the end of aisles so people can sit down if they get tired quickly. Local customer Katherine Vero originally thought of the concept. The store also has two desks where they have samples of fruit, cake and biscuits for the men and women during their shop. Scott McMahon, deputy manager of the Sainsbury’s store said:

"When my father developed cancer, I saw how hard he found shopping yet he still wanted to go to maintain his independence, so when Katherine approached me about Slow Shopping I  was keen to help. "I knew Sainsbury’s would want to support it too. We invest a lot of time in training colleagues in how to help customers with disabilities; so we were well placed to go the extra step of  putting out chairs and manning help points, but it’s our colleagues who really make the difference."

The shopping sessions will start trials on August 30 and what a great idea it is.