Morrisons has decided to extend its popular ‘Quieter Hour’ across the UK to help make its stores less “overwhelming” for shoppers.
Introduced earlier this month to mark World Autism Acceptance Week, and in a bid to turn what can be a daunting task for many people into “a calmer and more enjoyable experience”, the supermarket chain has announced an extension to its already popular initiative by adding new ‘Quieter Hours’ during weekday afternoons.
In case you weren’t aware, Morrisons first introduced its Quieter Hour all the way back in July 2018, and has been welcoming people who may struggle supermarket shopping environments through its doors ever since.
The initiative – which initially took place between 9am and 10am on a Saturday, and for the first hour of trade on a Sunday – originally began as part of the National Autistic Society’s ‘Autism Hour campaign’, after it was found that some neurodiverse people, including those with autism, can find shopping in a supermarket “overwhelming”.
Morrisons has introduced new quiet hours to make stores less ‘overwhelming’ for shoppers / Credit: Morrisons
Supermarkets can lead many people to experience increased sensitivity to light and sound, such as loud music, bright lights, and busy environments, and in turn, this can cause anxiety or, in some of the worst cases, even physical pain.
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But now, after the trial has proved to be so successful and well-received, Morrisons has made the decision to extended the initiative to weekdays too, as well as weekends – with ‘Quieter Hours’ now also running every week from Monday to Thursday between 2-3pm.
The company says the extension is all with the aim of “helping even more customers”.
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During ‘Quieter Hours’, Morrisons stores operate lower levels of lighting, turn music and radios off, avoid making tannoy announcements, reduce movement of trolleys and baskets, and turn checkout beeps and other electrical noises down.
“The weekly shop can be a daunting task for those who may struggle with noises associated with it,” commented Charlotte Exell, who is the Business Sponsor of Ability at Morrisons.
“At Morrisons, we are always looking for more ways to support customers, and as the Quieter Hour is incredibly popular in our stores across the nation, we have listened to customers and will now help more shoppers in our extended times.”
Featured Image – Morrisons
Shopping
The UK’s cheapest supermarket of 2024 has been revealed
Emily Sergeant
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Aldi has been named as the cheapest supermarket of the year in 2024, according to Which? research.
You may remember that at the start of each year, Which? usually releases a list of which UK supermarkets our money went the furthest in over the previous year, and 2024 is absolutely no different, as the consumer choice company has revealed that Aldi shoppers saved the most money overall.
Each month during 2024, Which? tracked thousands of grocery prices across eight of the UK’s biggest supermarkets to find out how much each shop was charging for everyday items.
The analysis was based off a basket of 56 basic items, with both branded and own-brand items such as Birds Eye Peas, Hovis bread, milk, and butter being used, and included special offer prices and loyalty prices where applicable, but not multi-buys.
Aldi has been named as the cheapest supermarket of the year in 2024 / Credit: Simon Hadley (via Aldi UK)
Aldi took the top spot over rivals Asda, Lidl, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, and Waitrose.
The budget retailer was found to be the cheapest supermarket for all 12 months of the year, with the research finding that shoppers who stocked up there would have saved £393 on average, compared to the most expensive alternative, over the course of the year.
The results for the final month of the year in December showed that a shopping list of 56 groceries would’ve set shoppers back £100.29, on average, at Aldi.
Unsurprisingly, on the other end of the spectrum, Waitrose came out as the most expensive, as it was £29.54 pricier than Aldi in December.
It was therefore found to be the most expensive supermarket every month throughout 2024 for the smaller shop.
Each month, Which? also compares the cost of a larger trolley of more than 150 items, and does not include discounter supermarkets Aldi and Lidl in this, as they do not always stock some of these products.
Asda was the cheapest supermarket for a larger trolley for nine months of the year, but it has been faced strong challenge from Tesco Clubcard prices.
Featured Image – Aldi
Shopping
Tesco reveals what the UK’s most popular meal deal was in 2024
Emily Sergeant
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Tesco has officially revealed what the UK’s most popular meal deal combination was in 2024, and some newbies have taken the top spots.
We all know meal deals are a classic lunch option for hungry office workers and for those looking for something quick to grab on the go, and it’s fair to say Tesco’s is one of the most popular on the market – but which combination was the most popular over the past 12 months? Which meal deal was the most commonly-picked from supermarket shelves in 2024?
Well, after two years of the same three options claiming the top spots on each of the main, snack, and drinks list, we have some new picks topping the charts.
Tesco has revealed what the UK’s most popular meal deal was in 2024 / Credit: The Manc Group
For the past two years, the Tesco Sausage Bacon & Egg Triple, and the McCoy’s Flame Grilled Steak ‘Grab Bag’ Crisps have come out on top as the most popular main and snack, but for 2024, the supermarket retailer has revealed that the nation’s favourite meal deal combination was the Tesco Chicken Club Sandwich for main, and the Tesco Egg Protein Pot as the snack.
Once again, Coca-Cola (500ml) took the title as the nation’s favourite meal deal drink, just as it has done in both 2022 and 2023.
The meal deal statistics for 2024 were revealed as part of Tesco’s annual ‘Clubcard Unpacked’ series, which is basically like ‘Spotify Wrapped’, but for Clubcard customers.
It gives the supermarket’s loyalty card members a unique insight into what they shopped for and how much they saved over the last year.
The meal deal statistics for 2024 were revealed as part of Tesco’s annual ‘Clubcard Unpacked’ series / Credit: Tesco
The series also gives Clubcard holders the chance to find out what their personal favourite meal deal combination was in 2024, and see how that compares to the rest of the nation.
You’ll just need to open your Tesco Clubcard app on your mobile to find out, or you can head to the Tesco website here and login to your account.
Results are available from today (6 January) for a limited time only.
As well as getting to find out their own most-bought meal deal items, this year’s video also shows Clubcard members further insights into how they shopped at Tesco last year – from their most frequently-purchased products, to how many points they saved and spent.
Emily Sergeant -
18th April 2024 
