Autism Friendly Shopping Experience

Every Sunday, for the first hour after we open, we offer customers sensory friendly shopping across our stores.

We invite customers to join a more inclusive shopping experience, with the security of knowing that additional assistance is available if needed.

In early 2021, we teamed up with AsIAm, Ireland’s National Autism Charity, to learn how to make our stores a more welcoming place to shop. As a result, during the sensory friendly shopping hour there will be:

• Reduced noise

• Reduced till sounds

• No in-store announcement

• Additional assistance available

• As always, assistance dogs welcome

As well as training our teams to become more autism aware, we have some great tools to help customers better prepare for their trip to our store. You can navigate a typical Penneys store using our Sensory Map – that highlights areas of high sensory input, and explore a step-by-step guide of the store experience using a visual guide.

Additional Help

You may find this list helpful to show to a member of the Penneys team to ask for help:

I am Autistic and I need assistance. I may be experiencing sensory overload or feeling overwhelmed. Please be patient and understanding in assisting me with the help that I need.

• I need help at the till with purchasing my items.

• I need help with exiting the store.

• I have been separated from a carer or companion.

• I need to go to a quieter area.

Please note this can vary from store to store so be sure to check out your local store page before visiting.