Countdown stores have turned their lights down, shut off music and announcements and even sent some staff off its floors to make it easier for people with autism to brave the supermarket.
It's a new policy across the country after several stores successfully trialled the one-hour low-sensory initiative.
"You've got the smells, you've got the lights, you've got the music, you've got the rustling of the plastic, you've got the trolleys. For a parent of a child with autism myself thinking back ten years ago, it was a very stressful situation and sometimes it was even difficult to get out the door, let alone get them into the supermarket," Austism NZ national educator Tanya Blakey says.
Her 17-year-old daughter has autism and Tanya says shopping can be a nightmare.
"The withering looks from the general public was often the hardest thing for me, I couldn't explain to everyone that my child isn't naughty she's just having a moment, this is really overwhelming for her, please have some understanding."
But Tanya says the impact on her child has been worse. All the noises of a shopping centre that someone without autism can easily filter out builds to a stressful cacophony.
"So all these noises are coming at a person with autism at the same level of priority and it can be really overwhelming."
Some Countdown stores have been shutting things down for a low-sensory quiet hour ever since a staff member in Whanganui who has an autistic child suggested it.
The Three Kings store in Auckland has been trialing it for a year and this week nearly all of its stores around the country are following suit.
Countdown says it's a win for its staff who come up with new ideas while parents say it's a massive win for them and the kids.
Lights off, music gone, no noisy trolleys, shelf stocking or store announcements and even the checkout volume is lowered.
Megan Stokes is bringing along her 20-year-old son Conor to get some shopping in after school. He headed straight for the toy section to expand his Hot Wheels collection and wanted two packets of five cars, as he will only buy items in even numbers.
"So Conor would cry as we drove in to the supermarket to the carpark and he would basically cry all the way around and then be happy once we left so it was a huge sensory issue for him and we didn't realise just how hard it was for him until we realised he had autism."
Megan says she enjoys the peace and quiet as well.
"It's nice and calming you know - I've had a busy day I work a lot of hours and so then being able to come somewhere and shop in peace - I think it's a great idea."
Store manager David Collo says even the staff look forward to the calm that comes with quiet hour.
"When I actually do this hour it's actually very calming and soothing, and it kind of relaxes you, it's almost like doing an hour of meditation, it's actually really, really nice you really get to notice how noisy the store really is and how bright it is, because there's like LED lights everywhere and you take it for granted."
Tanya Blakey says it's really not a major change but a small step to people understanding the struggles of others.
"They're making some allowances just like you'd build a ramp for somebody in a wheelchair. This is all that this is, and hopefully in a few years' time we won't even be talking about it, it'll just be we're all just living together and making allowances for people."
Countdown says it's about being more inclusive but Tanya says she's looking forward to a time when the word inclusive is irrelevant.
"This is the beginning of something quite wonderful and I'm wondering where else can this go - could it go to cinemas, could it go to shopping malls?
"I think when we don't need that word inclusion, when that word becomes obsolete, I think we're there."
