Shopping by touch

A few weeks ago, as my mom and I wended our way through the busy supermarket, I realized that in order to help find items on the crowded shelves, I would need to deploy my touch technique to help mom locate what we were looking for. It was very difficult because of the crowded aisles, so many people seemingly looking for the same thing, and so many things to choose from. So, I decided to do things a bit differently. Besides, it was Christmas and we had to do our best to find what we were looking for.

Mom would tell me what she was seeking and because I knew the layout of the supermarket, I was able to tell her which aisle to look for. Then as we rolled our shopping basket down the aisle in question, I would run my fingers along the shelves searching for the item. If it was a box, then I would hunt for boxes and the specific size before calling to her so that she could check the label to see if I had located the right item. The same went for jars, bottles, and packages.

Believe it or not, it worked really well and both mom and I were quite surprised. I did my part and felt really good that I could help her. The strategy also worked in the produce and meat sections.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and inviting you to go out there and tell others about my touch technique for shopping.