Posted 13 hours ago
Sun 15 Jun, 2025 05:06 PM
Have you ever entered a shop and:
- been dazzled by the aggressively bright lighting,
- immediately forgot why you entered and what food you like,
- desperately wandered round the shop because the spices have been moved and no one told you and they've always been with the condiments (what will they move next - nothing is safe!!!) ahhhh,
- needed to leave immediately but queues are confusing and couldn't find the exits?
These are obviously things everyone experiences and aren't specific to me at all - after all, everyone has meltdowns at some point when doing a routine shopping trip, right?!
For lots of neurodivergent people, and those with sensory differences, supermarkets are fraught with difficulty - location of items can change, navigation is not always intuitive, they tend to be very bright, noisy, and crowded. Having things like quiet and low-sensory hours are amazing, but sometimes entering a shop at its busiest is unavoidable. This is why I am so excited about our new sensory map for Fresh on campus.
Most commonly found in museums, sensory maps show the layout of a place, and map out different sensory features, including things like smells, noise, and temperature.
This map provides advanced information about the shop, which you can check online before visiting, or have a look at the displayed map on the shop windows. Here are some examples of why this is helpful:
- Areas that tend to get crowded at peak times - this can help you plan a route in shop that avoids getting stuck between people.
- Aisle locations - no more wandering around lost until you're so overstimulated you have to leave!
- Rotating stock - yes the milk is usually here and I haven't completely lost the plot! This can help you know where to check when things aren't in their usual places.
- Sensory features - if, for example, you want to peruse the freezer area, you can see that this is a noise area of the shop (near speakers and also the freezer itself is a bit loud!) so you can plan accordingly.
If you use the map and have any feedback, notice any missing information, or any mistakes, please fill out our feedback form. We would love to know how this helps (or could help with changes) you access Fresh.
