[access-uk] Shopping of the future

  • From: "Ken Reid" <ken.reid@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: "Access List" <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Thu, 5 May 2011 10:25:56 +0100

Hi Hazel and all,

BBC Scotland ran a brief item on self scanning tills last year, and I was asked 
to provide input on behalf of blind and partially sighted people.  I didn't get 
long, but suggested there were two issues.

For those of us with little or no sight, we will need assistance collecting our 
shopping before getting to the tills.  If self service tills means there are 
fewer staff members in the store, which must be the retailer's objective, then 
it will be harder to find someone to help us do our shopping.  Are we going to 
be required to take a friend, or book an assistance slot?  Whatever it has the 
potential to be a retrograde step.

For people with sufficient residual sight to select their own shopping, they 
will be faced with the challenge of finding the bar code on the packaging, 
locating that on the scanner, following the instructions on the till, which may 
or may not be spoken, but might be hard to hear in a noisy retail environment 
etc.

All in all, I suggested that all blind and partially sighted people will face 
challenges with this development.  Of course, challenges are there to be 
overcome.  So, it is good to have the debate, and start looking for solutions.  
It will also be important to engage with retailers.  As ever, adaptations are 
going to be retro fitted to the technology, but we'll get there.

Ken

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