Maine Walmart Stores Bring Back Sensory-Friendly Hours Permanently

Despite being a drummer who talks for a living, I like my quiet.

There's a reason I live as far out of the city as I can, without being ridiculously far away. I do like the convenience of being able to get to town for things I need day to day, but I also want to live where I can't hear a constant stream of traffic. At home, I tend to have either quiet music on in the background, or the TV on really low. Or nothing at all.

I also often try to stay on back roads, and off the major ones. I guess I like my privacy, for lack of a better term. For that matter, my wife is the one who usually goes out to the stores for things. I definitely don't have what would clinically be called "sensory issues", but I can see how hard it would be for people who do.

Walmart shoppers with these kinds of challenges are getting some great news.

As of Friday, November 10th, all Walmart stores will be offering special shopping hours for those with sensory sensitive challenges. And not just in Maine, but all over the country. It's an experiment that was so successful, they decided to make it a full time option nationwide.

From 8:00am - 10:00am, Walmart stores will turn off the walls of TV's, turn off radios, and lower lighting wherever possible around their stores. That way folks who choose to come in during those times will have far fewer distractions while they shop. Parents of children with sensory sensitivity will probably be especially relieved.

Walmart has no plans to end the program, according to WGME. Now, when Black Friday comes, this may take a back seat for the day, as so many stores in Maine will be opening at midnight. Or who knows, maybe the hub-bub will settle down by then. Either way, long term, this is good news for all sorts of people.

I wonder how many of these foods you could find at your local Walmart...