Yesterday I went to a new grocery store feeling a sense of ‘so there!’ to the place I’ve shopped since moving to Newmarket. My former store was one I liked, and is closer, but as much as I tried I couldn’t get them to take even the most minimal action to make the store accessible to me. Most of the requests were simple, so simple it was inexplicable to me that I had to even ask. All of the employees, from store clerks to managers said they ‘understood’ but understanding never translated to change.
Then.
One day.
I was done.
So I rolled into a different place prepared to give them a shot. Joe and I agreed that if there were issues with accessibility, we’d give them a chance to fix it and see how they did, we wouldn’t react at first shot. And, predictably, there were issues. Primarily the issue was the only lane that had an accessibility symbol was the one with limited items. No way Joe and I can eat for a week on 8 items or less.
I asked to speak to a manager and discussed my need to be able to shop and pay and be able to do so without impeding others or getting special dispensation to use the limited item aisle. He told me that there was another accessible aisle and pointed it out to me. I asked why there wasn’t a symbol there letting people know. I said that it was great that he told me but what about other disabled shoppers, should they have to ask?
He said that he understood and would do something.
It might have been rude but I told him that people always say they’ll do something and then don’t, was he one of those or could I could on change.
He said he’d do it.
Okay, then, I thought, we’ll see.
We got in the line up at the accessible till and waited. Just before we started unloading he was back, he’d discovered that they’d actually had an attachable symbol and in a couple of seconds and a couple of clicks, it was install.
Just.
Like.
That.
I am now a loyal customer.
