Serpentine Green Tesco now offering Sensory Bags to help keep bored kids entertained while shopping
New initiative aims to make shopping trips less stressful for parents accompanied by ‘children who don’t want to be there’
A new shopping initiative which aims to help take the stress out of shopping with kids is about to launch at one of Peterborough’s busiest supermarkets.
Tesco at Serpentine Green in Hampton is hoping its new Sensory Bags will prove to be a big hit with children who get bored easily or have sensory needs.
The store’s Community Champion, Sharron Toms, told the Peterborough Telegraph that the idea for Sensory Bags first came to her following some ernest observations from the superstore’s regular shoppers:
“There was feedback saying it would be helpful if the kids were entertained,” she noted.
“A lot of people were saying ‘there’s nothing out there for children with sensory disorders or autism’.
“So I looked at it and I thought ‘there’s got to be something we can do’.”
After speaking directly with parents and observing children’s in-store habits, Sharron came to a strikingly simple conclusion:
“Kids like to play,” she noted, matter-of-factly; “so I put these bags together.”
Each bag contains a fidget spinner, fidget popper and a pack of mood cards, as well as a pair of ear defenders.
Sharron hopes her new scheme will be well used by families who have no choice but to bring young children who don’t enjoy shopping into the store with them
“Those parents have a hard time going round [the store] because the children don’t want to be there basically.”
In order to take advantage of this initiative, shoppers simply need to leave a £5 deposit at the store’s customer services desk, which they will get back when the Sensory Bag is returned.
The dynamic customer liaison wanted to reassure people that the ear defenders included in each pack will always be hygienically clean:
“We’ll maintain the ear defenders and make sure they’re cleaned every time they’re used,” she said.
Clearly passionate about her job, Sharron is keen to do all she can to help ensure people enjoy their time shopping at ‘Serpy Green’.
“I want to make things more comfortable for anyone in the store,” she noted.
“If there’s something in the store that you’re not quite happy with and you see me walking around then grab me - I’m all ears.”