Holiday shopping survival tips for wheelchair users
Every year, one of the most dreadful times to be at a shopping mall is the weeks leading up to Christmas, and it is obvious why.
People fighting for parking spots; crowds everywhere; general chaos. The list goes on.
For anyone who uses a wheelchair or similar mobility device, this could be daunting and sometimes downright scary. At large shopping malls, there is suddenly a battle for space on elevators, for bathroom stalls, and for corridor space – the very same things that are of high value to wheelchair users.
At the same time, wheelchair users are like everyone else, with their own holiday shopping needs – which means that joining the shopping mall chaos may be unavoidable and necessary.
How can wheelchair users survive such anarchy?
There are a few tricks to combat these problems, thanks to a little creativity. For our purposes, I will propose a scenario that will put those ideas to good use.
For this article, I will introduce a shopping mall that could very possibly resemble one near you.
Our hypothetical shopping mall is one of the largest in the country, with around three to four floors. It contains hundreds of stores, ranging from independent retailers to major chain brands.
However, there are huge shortcomings to our mall.
Firstly, the mall is sprawling and covers a large area. While the flooring is tiled and smooth for most wheelchairs and mobility devices, it is also necessary for many parents to put their children in strollers simply due to the building's massive footprint.
Because of this, it impacts the second large problem with this mall – an inadequate number of escalators and elevators. Each elevator has a long line of waiting parents with strollers, wanting to go up or down. While most able-bodied people use the escalators, many of them also choose to use the elevators simply because the escalators are hard to find.
The last major issue is the lack of bathrooms. Despite being a major shopping mall, it only has about five of them, resulting in long waits – and a constantly occupied accessible bathroom stall.
With the added crowds during the holiday season, how can wheelchair users combat these issues?
This requires a bit of research. At even the busiest shopping malls, there are often some elevators that are overlooked. This could be because they are not near major retailers, or they are located away from major traffic areas.
A detour to such an elevator could save a lot of frustration on a particularly busy day; it might just be worth the extra distance.
In our hypothetical mall, our underused elevator could be located near the corner or fringes of the mall, rather than the middle. Those who do not need elevators could feel more inclined to use an escalator instead, leaving some elevators relatively quiet.
If there is no underused elevator near you, another trick is to find a "big box" store (also known as "anchor store") that spans more than one floor. Examples could be Target, Sears, or Walmart.
These stores tend to be large and often have elevators inside them if they have more than one floor. Obviously, with less foot traffic inside the store than the mall, the elevators are often less busy.
Also, if you happen to need something from inside that store, that is an added bonus!
Even if your "big box" store has no elevator, it may contain a bathroom.
In our hypothetical mall, the bathrooms are often crowded and the accessible stall is constantly occupied. For people with physical disabilities, that could be a bit risky!
Taking the extra time to go to the "big box" store may be a better alternative, since the accessible stall often has a lower chance of being occupied.
Even if the accessible bathroom stall is occupied, there may be an alternative "family room" that has accessibility features built in, as well as any staff bathrooms that they may allow you to use.
Chances of finding alternative solutions like those are higher in "big box" stores because they often have higher standards for accessibility than other stores, which can help immensely.
Of course, don't forget to buy something from those stores if you can, as a token of appreciation!
If you have any tricks that you would like to share with the community, send them via email. If we can get enough for a follow-up blog post, we can spread the knowledge and make everyone's shopping experiences better!
People fighting for parking spots; crowds everywhere; general chaos. The list goes on.
For anyone who uses a wheelchair or similar mobility device, this could be daunting and sometimes downright scary. At large shopping malls, there is suddenly a battle for space on elevators, for bathroom stalls, and for corridor space – the very same things that are of high value to wheelchair users.
At the same time, wheelchair users are like everyone else, with their own holiday shopping needs – which means that joining the shopping mall chaos may be unavoidable and necessary.
How can wheelchair users survive such anarchy?
There are a few tricks to combat these problems, thanks to a little creativity. For our purposes, I will propose a scenario that will put those ideas to good use.
The scenario – Our hypothetical shopping mall and its problems
For this article, I will introduce a shopping mall that could very possibly resemble one near you.
Our hypothetical shopping mall is one of the largest in the country, with around three to four floors. It contains hundreds of stores, ranging from independent retailers to major chain brands.
However, there are huge shortcomings to our mall.
Firstly, the mall is sprawling and covers a large area. While the flooring is tiled and smooth for most wheelchairs and mobility devices, it is also necessary for many parents to put their children in strollers simply due to the building's massive footprint.
Because of this, it impacts the second large problem with this mall – an inadequate number of escalators and elevators. Each elevator has a long line of waiting parents with strollers, wanting to go up or down. While most able-bodied people use the escalators, many of them also choose to use the elevators simply because the escalators are hard to find.
The last major issue is the lack of bathrooms. Despite being a major shopping mall, it only has about five of them, resulting in long waits – and a constantly occupied accessible bathroom stall.
With the added crowds during the holiday season, how can wheelchair users combat these issues?
Tip 1 – Know your underused elevators
This requires a bit of research. At even the busiest shopping malls, there are often some elevators that are overlooked. This could be because they are not near major retailers, or they are located away from major traffic areas.
A detour to such an elevator could save a lot of frustration on a particularly busy day; it might just be worth the extra distance.
In our hypothetical mall, our underused elevator could be located near the corner or fringes of the mall, rather than the middle. Those who do not need elevators could feel more inclined to use an escalator instead, leaving some elevators relatively quiet.
Tip 2 – Know your "big box" stores
If there is no underused elevator near you, another trick is to find a "big box" store (also known as "anchor store") that spans more than one floor. Examples could be Target, Sears, or Walmart.
These stores tend to be large and often have elevators inside them if they have more than one floor. Obviously, with less foot traffic inside the store than the mall, the elevators are often less busy.
Also, if you happen to need something from inside that store, that is an added bonus!
Tip 3 – Know your "big box" stores' bathrooms
Even if your "big box" store has no elevator, it may contain a bathroom.
In our hypothetical mall, the bathrooms are often crowded and the accessible stall is constantly occupied. For people with physical disabilities, that could be a bit risky!
Taking the extra time to go to the "big box" store may be a better alternative, since the accessible stall often has a lower chance of being occupied.
Even if the accessible bathroom stall is occupied, there may be an alternative "family room" that has accessibility features built in, as well as any staff bathrooms that they may allow you to use.
Chances of finding alternative solutions like those are higher in "big box" stores because they often have higher standards for accessibility than other stores, which can help immensely.
Of course, don't forget to buy something from those stores if you can, as a token of appreciation!
Do you have your own tricks?
If you have any tricks that you would like to share with the community, send them via email. If we can get enough for a follow-up blog post, we can spread the knowledge and make everyone's shopping experiences better!
