I think no one likes waiting in line in a supermarket especially when it’s really busy, you get impatient and frustrated and sometimes you blame the innocent cashier for being so slow or the customer in front of you when he requires a price check.
and what gets you more irritated is when you actually have only a few items to buy or you’re in hurry. However, what if you are the person who makes other customers wait, you will feel uneasy about it.
One grocery store came up with brilliant solution for this kind of customers who need extra time when paying for their groceries. Its customers took notice to a particularly slow lane – there was a sign near the register that explained it all…
The supermarket located in Scotland made a special checkout line where these customers can take their time and won’t feel rushed especially those with Dementia. They understand that running errands for person with Dementia can become super-stressful and the person starts to feel like a little too much. So they decided to make things easier for them. What a thoughtful idea!
People who lose their memory get nervous when they can’t remember where they put their credit card or bills while customers in the back seem they can wait no longer anymore.
The line is dedicated too to those with autism, social anxiety, and even parents shopping with their little children.
The Tesco store in Forres is the supermarket who created the line and called it “relaxed checkout lane.” The customers can feel easy, have a chat with the cashier, ask for assistance if they need it, and take their plenty time when making their payment.
The idea first came when Wendy Menzies, a dementia advisor for Alzheimer Scotland, visited the store to deliver a dementia awareness seminar. The community is known to have many residents with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Sadly, about 25 percent live alone.
A Tesco Forres employee asked to make a more relaxed space for those in need of it.
Wendy told TODAY:
“It can help take some of the pressure off and hopefully then it will encourage people to still go out and about and participate in things that they’ve always done.”
The lane is open for some days of the week. Cashiers who work on that line are trained by Alzheimer Scotland so they can give their customers the best experience possible.
A sign is put on the line to inform shoppers they can take the time they need and reminds that there may be a wait. It reads:
“RELAXED CHECKOUT
Feel free to take as long as you need to go through this checkout today
Please be aware that you may experience a wait to complete your transaction
Thank you”
In U.S.A, the number of people with Alzheimer’s disease is increasing. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, currently more than 5 million Americans are coping with the disease. An idea like this would make it easier for the elderly to comfortably shop for themselves.
