Fresh Market Loves disabled people

[Sunshine]

Now, how to get word out to disabled community. If I was rich, fullpage ad would work...

[Virginia]

Great work BBS! You got it done.

[SalpalSally]

Yeaaaaaaa BBS!!!!

[funnylegs4]

All of the groceries stores where I live,including the Whole Foods, are fully accessible and have motorized scooters with shopping baskets attached. The stores here hire people with Down Syndrome,stroke and Cerebral Palsy(those are just the disabled ones I know of, there may be more) and I have talked to these employees and they say they feel it is accessible and generally like the job despite the usual issues with coworkers that a regular non disabled employee might have. I'm also welcome to bring my own scooter in.

In regards to the disabled people making money thing, I know 2 disabled PhDs so I can tell you disabled people do make money when accommodated and stores should realize that if they don't already!

Agate, wow, I have been to dentists and doctors offices with stairs but never anything that bad! That truly is deplorable. I have lived in pretty accessible environments my whole life so I forget the others are not so lucky. With my recent scooter use I'm starting to see more of the lacking in accessibility.

[Earth Mother 2 Angels]

((((((BBS1950)))))) ~

Congratulations! That's great! The squeaky wheel does get the grease!

Social media (eg. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) would be a good way to spread the word. Not many people read actual paper newspapers anymore.

Way to go! Proud of you!

Love & Light,

Rose

[Sunshine]

Stopped at FM with wobbly legs after surfing today. Saw a pathetic wheel chair hidden in the corridor, nothing motorized Yet.

At the checkout stand I noted there is no room for a chair to get through, it would have to put the stuff in the counter and then drive all the way around the whole bank of checkout stations, out of sight of the other customers it seemed.

So I asked the clerk how this would work. She pointed out a separate (separate but equal, where have we heard that before) station at the end for a wheelchair. So, I asked how many people do you see in wheelchairs. She replied, Not Many.
I said as soon as they have a motor cart, I will let people know they can shop here. I also pointed out people in wheelchairs also sometimes have very weak arms and can't do the manual chairs.

[Cat Dancer]

Usually there is just one aisle in grocery stores that is wide enough for wheelchair users. My store is pretty accommodating about opening it up for use should it not be staffed when I'm there.

[Sunshine]

Usually there is just one aisle in grocery stores that is wide enough for wheelchair users. My store is pretty accommodating about opening it up for use should it not be staffed when I'm there.

I guess I am spoiled at Publix where all the stations are wheelchair accommodating. Now I can doubly appreciate that.

[Virginia]

They should have a motorized one. If I had to have one there is no way I could push myself in a regular wheelchair.

[Sunshine]

Yep. Let's see how quickly corporate can get one down to the Florida store.

[Catdancer]

I use a manual chair all the time, and push myself. The power carts in stores are too slow and cumbersome. I do plot out my shoppon list to generally match the stores layout, so I don't have to reverse course too often to get something.

[Howie]

I love the power carts. It saves so much energy. Cat, I'll bet you could beat me arm wrestling.

[agate]

Cat, where do you put the groceries as you pick them out from the manual chair? I can hold only so much in my lap. I get one of those small baskets to put in my lap but it doesn't hold very much and tends to wobble.

Yes, those scooters that the stores have are cumbersome but their baskets are big enough to hold a lot.

[agate]

funnylegs, I'm wondering a little about what you say here:

In regards to the disabled people making money thing, I know 2 disabled PhDs so I can tell you disabled people do make money when accommodated and stores should realize that if they don't already!

It almost sounds as if you believe that anyone with a Ph.D. has money. I hope that's not what you're saying. There are some with Ph.D.s who are living at the very low income level.

[Cat Dancer]

I push the cart with my feet, in front of me. I give it a push, move up, push again. I also have a large canvas sack I hang over the back of my chair, if I'm only going for a few things. Otherwise, theres Tom Cat :) or as I mentioned earlier, I go when I can enlist one of the clerks to shop with me.

Howie, there was a time before I got so sick now 3 years ago that I'm sure I COULD probably have beaten you in arm wrestling! Now, though, I have to build up a lot more strength in my arms, and legs... So it's much more of a challenge to shop.