Rolling Back the Sensory Overload

Have you heard? Walmart rolled out sensory-friendly in-store shopping hours to accommodate shoppers with sensitives to light, sound, and mobile graphics and images. If you missed the announcement, so did we.

Every Saturday since July 8, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 10 a.m., Walmart in Garden City has substituted mobile graphics and images in favor of static ones. The neighborhood grocery store also dimmed overhead lights and muted the musical stylings of Walmart Radio.

Photo Credit: R. A. Valenzuela
Photo Credit: R. A. Valenzuela
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Accommodating All Shoppers

America's largest retailer added the special hours to accommodate those who have autism, other differently-abled people, and neuro-divergent customers. Julie Barber, Executive Vice President of General Merchandise, mentioned the initiative in a post outlining Walmart's annual back-to-school savings plan:

We are striving every day to create a culture where everyone feels they belong. This year, Walmart is taking steps toward creating a quieter shopping environment that’s more enjoyable for customers who live with sensory disabilities.

There are two Saturdays left before Garden City's Walmart does away with the sensory-friendly shopping hours. But why? Unless Walmart knows something we don't, we're pretty sure people with sensory sensitivities and the neuro-diverse will still need groceries after Aug. 26.

Can Garden City Be Convinced to Keep Sensory-Friendly Hours?

Tell us what you think! How have Walmart's sensory-friendly hours been helpful to you and yours? If enough of us chime in, maybe we'll convince the Garden City store to continue the weekly initiative. Email ryan.valenzuela@townsquaremedia.com.


Two Idaho Women Face Off in a Grocery Store Checkout Line

Idaho Karen had had enough. Somewhere between the bread and the pound cake, she blurted out,

Oh, my God! Could you move any slower! I’ve gotta get my son in Eagle in 20 minutes!

Tap here to see what happens next!

Photo by Franki Chamaki on Unsplash // Canva
Photo by Franki Chamaki on Unsplash // Canva
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Albertsons and Fred Meyer are Boise's biggest grocery stores! See how they stack up to America's most popular grocery stores in the gallery below!

Most popular grocery stores in America

The most popular grocery stores in America, from corporate chains to family-owned enterprises. Stacker ranked them using consumer ratings sourced from YouGov polls.

Gallery Credit: Stacker

10 Montana Grocery Items That Could Be In Short Supply In 2023.

The last couple of years has been rough for a lot of Montanans as the supply chain was disrupted over the whole pandemic. Of course, we're now a few years removed, and yet certain items are still hard to come by.

Although we've "officially" moved on, there are now other factors that are being blamed for higher prices and lower supply. The war in Ukraine, high fuel costs, lack of manpower, etc. It seems there are several reasons behind it, and none of them look like they're in our favor as consumers.

So what does this all mean?  It means that we're looking at a possible shortage when it comes to groceries. Sadly, most of the items on the list are staples that we tend to use on a regular basis.

Gallery Credit: Derek Wolf

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