I wrote to Sainsbury’s four months ago, telling them that my son was harmed in their store and asking them to make a necessary change. I had expected them to respond appropriately.
But offering what can only be described as “free stuff” was not the response I wanted!
I recently sent them an e-mail informing them that, after four months without any action, they were not fulfilling their own vision statement, “Our vision is to be the most trusted retailer, where people love to work and shop. We’ll do this by putting our customers at the heart of everything we do and investing in our stores, our colleagues and our channels to offer the best possible shopping experience.”
I reminded them that the Equality Act is an anticipatory one and that they had a duty to be looking ahead and solving things before a disabled person is treated less favourably. A person who needs changing places toilets could not work in this store, so they could also be indirectly discriminating against people who might wish to apply for a job.
I also explained exactly why visiting this store matters so much to my son. I cannot share this part of the reason publicly as it would involve sharing personal health information about a loved one. But Adam does not have forever with someone important to him and shopping at the Penzance store is something that they used to love doing together. They want to be able to enjoy again.
I have copied and pasted their response below, but where Sainsbury’s identified this person, I have amended it to “loved one”.
Dear Mrs George
Thank you for your email of 21 March, and previous correspondence and dialogue with Mr Whittle, our Penzance Store Manager, asking us to install a Changing Places toilet in our store.
We want to be the most trusted retailer where people love to work and shop. We also recognise that a key aspect of enabling people to have an enjoyable shopping experience is by providing toilet facilities for all our customers. This is why we recently invested in making our toilets more accessible for customers with non-visible disabilities, such as those with dementia or who have stomas. As part of this process, we have also been reviewing the potential provision of Changing Places facilities.
As you know, last year we launched a pilot installation of a Changing Places facility in Redhill. As is often the case with pilots, we have learned a lot from the process, and are continuing to make adjustments to the original installation. Once we are confident this installation is supporting our customers in the best possible way we will be in a position to review the pilot as a whole, and explore how we might be able to learn from this project and the possibility of offering these facilities elsewhere.
We understand and share your passion for ensuring these types of facilities are available to more customers and we are sorry that we are not able to share more concrete plans for further stores at this stage. As I’m sure you can understand, our focus is on ensuring we get this installation right so we’re in a position to review how we could install Changing Place facilities in other stores in the future.
While we are going through the process of evaluating the pilot, and reviewing the possibility of investment, we understand that this is a difficult time for you, Adam and his “loved one”. We would love for Adam to come into store with his “loved one” and to choose some treats that they can enjoy together this Easter. Please just let me know when you are planning to visit the store and if you visit our customer service desk I’ll make sure that they are expecting you.
Thanks for taking the time to get in touch and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Kind regards
Executive Office
Sainsbury’s Supermarkets Ltd
Free Stuff!
Seriously Sainsbury’s???
Do you think that is in any way, shape or form an appropriate suggestion?
It is INSULTING!!!
These Changing Places toilets are not new. There is already a wealth of knowledge and experience around them.
At the end of the day, a Changing Places toilet is a toilet! Do we really need a “pilot” to check that they work and are needed?
There is a big difficulty that you need to “get right” right now Sainsbury’s. You didn’t wait to install regular toilets till after evaluating a pilot in just one store!
Why can you not understand that this is about real people who are being treated badly right now? The official campaign has run for over 11 years and the facilities have been known about a lot longer. Quite frankly, you have already failed this child and countless other disabled people. My son is not the only one to have had this experience in your store, but most people will not talk about because it is embarrassing and it hurts them to speak about it. This child is brave enough to allow his experience to be shared.
And what do you do?
Fob him off and insult him.
Free stuff!
You have just invited a child who had a bad experience four months ago to return to your store and face the same bad experience, yet you will give him free stuff!
Are the bosses capable of feeling shame?
Ordinary Hopes 
What an insult!!!!!!
So basically if you bring your family in to store again to undergo another potential bad traumatic experience they will ‘reward’ (bribe your silence) with some freebies?????
As I am guessing they are not providing temporary facilities for your visit, I wonder what they propose they/ you do if someone needs the toilet while picking up the ‘free stuff ‘
I have no understanding why they can’t simply ask the Changing Place Consortium for advice, then simoly get on woth installing them across the country, where else do you need to pilot a toilet??? Feel your anger and frustration.
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Exactly! The knowledge is already there, gained over more than a decade. This is a terrible response.
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Surely if they are making the facilities better for people with invisible disabilities/health issues, they would totally be able to use a changing places room to fulfil this!?!? Therefore people like your family could use it, people with hidden needs could use it too and anyone else who can use a disabling toilet already??? Bigs hugs to you both xxxx
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Absolutely! Those who need extra space, a clean shelf, a basin in the same room etc. can all use a more spacious toilet which also has a hoist and changing table. And those who cannot stand, walk or self transfer could also use it.
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Chocolate that will solve the problem after all it is a laxative..
Free chocolate will be even better…do they not realise that it is the inability to go places that is the problem not the inability to buy an Easter egg….I do not inderstand their reluctance to participate in the changes places….all the cost to them is tax deductable…how frustrating you must feel…😢
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It really is frustrating and hurtful. People who need Changing Places toilets are people too, and all they are asking for is to be able to go to places with the same ease and dignity that others expect.
With the right facilities, my son is just a boy who uses a wheelchair. Without usable toilets he is disabled by the environment.
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Their whole reply stinks of delaying tactics. Why dont they pop to Ikea or other establishments that are more inclusive and forward thinking. I will boycot their stords until such a time as they “cop on to themselves!!”
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It really does seem like a fob off reply. These facilities have been around for many years. The Changing Places Consortium has done a lot of work in finding the best solutions. They don’t need to be “trialled”.
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I think sadly people just don’t get it, they don’t understand. I hope so much in time that will change x
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These people clearly don’t. Although, in all honesty, I don’t think they want to.
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Oh heck, I do wish they would make this law. I hope you replied with the above? Get them to post the free stuff since he can’t risk going….What part do they not get!?? Grrr. I have an almost 5 year old, we wing it for now but it’s difficult. He is able bodied but incontinent and I dread him getting bigger and it getting more difficult.
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Life changes so quickly. Just a few years ago I could do everything for him. And now the world has shrunk.
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Pick free stuff in a store that isn’t suitable for him to visit. What a complete idiot. I have a suggestion, speak to Cornwall Seevices to find out how easy it is and how noble gth of review process is needed. Let’s steal their toilets at work an home and see how long they find not having those basic facilities suit them.
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Closing all the facilities in store would be treating people equally! And the Penzance store considers them so important that they have them upstairs and down. Just some disabled people who don’t matter to them, and they have no real wish to rectify it.
A local charity learned in February about the need for a permanent hoist assisted toilet at their venue. Their CEO asked to meet with me and we met in a March. A few days ago I had an email saying they have already secured a large chunk of funding are still waiting for a couple of quotes but, from the quotes so far, they are probably just one to two thousand short. That is how decent people deal with a request like this. When they knew better, they did something.
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Oh Sainsbury’s!
It is great that they at least have a trial installation… a start…. but …..
“Explore how we might learn” – What does that mean? Couldn’t they just jump straight to learning from the trial, what’s to explore?
And the “possibility of offering these facilities elsewhere” – No… no… they’ve written that wrong too. That should be: We will use what we have learned to create a plan for how we WILL be offer these facilities in our other stores!
I am very happy to help them with design advice but was told on twitter I should ring them on their general customer comments number! I’m sure that would get me to the right person and wouldn’t leave me pulling my hair out!!??
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It all sounds like a lot of waffle to me. #Shamesbury’s
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