Steps….

So everyone is talking bout the death of the high street and as much as I try to shop in my local stores I am a big user of Amazon for several reasons.

Yes it’s quick and easy and with Amazon Prime I can get most items delivered the next day, however the main reason I use it is the inaccessibility of so many shops. Steps everywhere is the first and biggest prevention and is a prohibitor not just for those using a wheelchair or mobility scooter but those who still walk with sticks and crutches but find steps a big problem.

So many high street shops (mainly independants) have at least one step at the entrance which immediately means I can’t even consider going in to them. This inaccesibility leads to me ordering online instead or going to a shop which I can get into.

At least these shops identify to me quickly they are not suitable for me to go into even if they are missing out on my business.

Worse than this though is the shops that make you think they are accessible but once you enter then you realise they aren’t and even trying to get out you know it’s going to be difficult often resulting in knocking into items etc.

For me the worst experience of this was in an H&M where there was so little gap between the rails that I couldn’t look at any of the clothes and on trying to leave, my wheelchair sent many items of clothing to the floor.

Shops nowadays also try and fill every bit of floor space with stock so it may look accessible until you are in there and the end of a shelf which you’ve identified as a perfect turning spot has a load of extra stock making it completely impossible to get out.

Payment tills are also a problem as this is when shops try to upsell things you don’t really need. This is fine but means there is limited room for wheelchairs and scooters to get past and if there is a customer between the til I need to get to and me then all hope is lost as there is rarely enough room.

This post if by no means meant to be a moan but an explanation as to why so many of us with mobility issues do so much of our shopping online, it stops immense worry and inability to access shops.