Purple Tuesday - accessible shopping shouldn't just be one day a year but every day....

Today is 'Purple Tuesday', an awareness day when retailers in the UK are being encouraged to think about how to make shopping more accessible for people with disabilities. In total, people with disabilities make up 15% of the world's population which is more than 1 billion people. Whilst being in the largest growing minority group, life costs £550 more per month if you have a disability. However, people with disabilities also have spending power worth £249 billion per year to the British economy. This spending power is known as the 'purple pound' and highlights one of the reasons why it is so important to retailers that they work on making sure they provide an accessible service and meet all consumers' needs. 

Shopping is a challenging experience for me, as a wheelchair user, having severe sight loss and, to a lesser extent, wear hearing aids. All these impairments means there are different obstacles that make shopping less enjoyable and harder to carry out.

Firstly I need to be able to get into the shop itself and in rural Wiltshire, a lot have steps leading up to them and no ramp. I need enough space to move my electric wheelchair around and larger shops such as Boots, M&S, Waitrose are usually good. It is incredibly difficult when there are displays of items in the way or too narrow aisles and that is when I become anxious about knocking things over and causing damage. This is especially problematic at Christmas and I dread shopping then. As well as needing to navigate around the store freely, reaching items can be a challenge, although I’m lucky to have a wheelchair that rises up. The hardest task is usually when I pay because the card payment machine is often situated in an awkward position and isn’t always removable from its stand. I can’t usually see the number pad and hope for the best that I’ve pressed the correct buttons. I remember being in The Entertainer, paying for a toy for my children, when I couldn’t access the machine because they had cable tied it to the stand! I had to tell my young son my pin number and ask him to enter it. It was a poor experience, what would have happened if I was on my own?!

I use a long cane when I’m in my electric wheelchair because I have very narrow vision. When shops change their layout or have more stock at festive times, it is really disorientating and confusing. I can get claustrophobic and overwhelmed trying to find what I’m looking for and when comparing prices. If the layout is logical, and clearly displayed, then it is easier but it still takes me a long time, and combined with my mobility challenges, shopping is hard work and rather tiring. My hearing doesn’t affect my experience that much, but if it’s too noisy when I need to talk to someone, it can be hard to understand what they are saying. Also, although my hearing aids are brilliant at making it easier to hear what people are saying, it amplifies all sound so in a busy, noisy environment, it can be overwhelming, especially when combined with the disorientation of my sight impairment and the difficulties I have maneuvering around.

Despite the challenges, most staff in the shops are very helpful. I do think this helps overcome the obstacles if someone is there to offer support. I’m also confident to ask other shoppers too, and so far most people have been happy to help. This may depend on your location, I usually shop in my local small town where most people know me and it has a good community feel. Experiences may be different in larger cities where it is busier.

It takes a long time though for changes to take place, even when they are pointed out. I carried out an accessibility assessment for Waitrose three years ago (I’m a disability consultant). Mostly the store is accessible but there are some issues that needed addressing that I highlighted. One was that the cutlery area is completely inaccessible to someone in a wheelchair because they can’t reach them. Even when I detailed this in my report, nothing has ever been done about it which is really frustrating. They did make some changes to other areas but there are a few issues that still haven’t been addressed.

I do most of my shopping online because it is so much easier and more accessible. Unfortunately this doesn’t help our declining high street. I think initiatives like Purple Tuesday can help to raise awareness of the challenges faced by people with a disability but I wouldn’t want it to become a special day that is more accessible than any other. Shops should be as accessible as possible every day. I think what is really needed is awareness training (which I offer) about the impact that disability has on people’s lives and how the shops and their staff can support them in the best way. Often changes are simple and not expensive but can make all the difference to someone’s shopping experience.

Do comment and let me know what your experiences are when shopping with a disability and also what your thoughts are about Purple Tuesday. I'm genuinely interested to hear them.

~ Best wishes, Melissa ~