It's reassuring to be aware of stores that really try and prioritize the shopper's experience. Whether it's the store's esthetic, customer service, or overall atmosphere, they recognize and value the diversity of shoppers and help to ensure that everyone feels comfortable.

Walmart is no exception, because it's obvious that they want to help enhance your experience in their many stores.

Here in Maine, Walmart is a staple in our community, providing literally anything you need at any time with pretty affordable pricing.

So when I online shopping this weekend, I was deep into the Walmart app and noticed something I had never seen before. I saw a captioned box on the app that says,

"Sensory-Friendly Hours* In Store, 8-10am Daily"

What are sensory-friendly hours at Walmart?

According to WPFO, Walmart has welcomed back sensory-friendly hours. So apparently they have had them before! They held a trial this past summer to see if it would help shoppers.

What does this consist of? They want to create a less overwhelming environment for a couple hours each Saturday. So, they adjust the lighting so it's not too bright, turn off the radios, and change the huge TVs on the walls to only showing static images.

These may be small changes, but as someone who has suffered from a bit of social anxiety, going into a bright, loud, crowded store can be very overwhelming. These small changes have helped shoppers to walk through the store with ease, as the article states. 

The sensory-friendly hours officially started on Friday, November 10, for all Walmart stores in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

It looks like the sensory-friendly hours will be an ongoing thing, and the driving force behind it? Feedback from us, the shoppers!

This proves that Walmart is attentive to what shoppers have to say, showing us that their stores want to aim to enhance the shopping experience by catering to our needs!

Bravo, Walmart.