Feeling lonely? Then go shopping!
In all this holiday rush to fill gift lists and stock the pantry, it’s too easy to forget the point of shopping: people. Shopping is not merely a list of items to tick off the day’s agenda. For some, especially those elderly, retired, or living alone, it’s a social connection.
The rest of us might consider slowing down, saying hello. Maybe assist with a hard-to-reach item. Not everyone has a packed social calendar; small interactions and chatter with the cashier may be someone’s only human-to-human connection for the day, week, or longer.
New research from England’s University of Hertfordshire suggests supermarkets could create “slow lanes” for the elderly — including human staff — for whom shopping for food is part of a social experience that technologies increasingly erode. Automated checkouts, online ordering, and speed-focused service remove an opportunity to interact with fellow man, and take away a social connection that eases loneliness.
Even with staff (or friendly passers-by) on hand to help, some older and disabled people feel intimidated or hesitant to ask, because they know they’re slower and don’t wish to burden others. Stores can ameliorate that by training staff to show special interest in such shoppers.
As reported by digital news site Quartz, the research team studied 25 households with members aged 60 to 93. While that’s a relatively small sample, researchers spent hours with each participant, accompanying them on shopping trips and other activities.
None of the participants used automated check-outs, and none shopped for food online, though many of the households were proficient users of technology for other purposes. When possible, they chose human involvement over technological convenience.
Such results emphasize that supermarkets and stores have a role in the architecture of local communities reaching beyond sales figures. For the rest of us, taking a little extra time to connect while working on those to-do lists may offer more rewards than the little time it costs.
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Sholeh Patrick is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network. Contact her at Sholeh@cdapress.com.