Retail giant Big Bazaar has opened its stores to persons with disabilities by introducing inclusion initiatives and infrastructural changes that are disabled-friendly. An interview with Vineet Saraiwalla, Inclusion Lead, Future Retail Limited, who has helmed the movement and himself has 90% visual impairment on what needs to be done behind the scenes to make this feasible.
It is for the first time that Big Bazaar’s Republic Day sale had an exclusive 2 day preview in all its stores for Persons with Disability (PwD). Please could you tell us a bit about this initiative?
This concept is part of our larger philosophy on inclusion and empowerment of people with disabilities. It is part of the new mantra coined at Big Bazaar to incorporate the philosophy of “Sabke Liye” meaning ‘for everyone’. The Republic Day sale preview was exclusively for all disabled customers in all its stores so that they too could enjoy the Big Bazaar sale experience at leisure and in a safe environment without being jostled and pushed in the crowd. Many of them have never been shopping before or entered a mall. It was to encourage them to step out of their homes and enjoy the whole shopping experience.
What were the driving factors behind this initiative?
The Big Bazaar mission is based on the belief that shopping should be accessible to everyone. The joy of shopping is a feeling which everyone should experience - to navigate, bargain, talk, discover and shop like any other shopper. Big Bazaar wants to foster inclusiveness and is on a mission to make everyone shop irrespective of race, religion, income, age or disability.
When we decided to become accessible at the retail level, we realised that it not only benefits PwDs but a host of other marginalized and un-addressed consumer segments such as senior citizens, pregnant women, young mothers, the temporarily disabled and kids.
What are the other initiatives undertaken by Big Bazar for the welfare of the differently abled?
The“Sabke Liye” philosophy of Big Bazaar was started in January, 2018. It grew with the realisation that millions of people have never experience the delight of shopping and for us it was very big opportunity. The movement gained considerable currency in a short period of time.
In the first event, Big Bazaar executed a campaign where one thousand blind individuals were invited from all over India and were taught how to cook, look beautiful, and groom themselves well. Blind PwDs who were never allowed to touch a pair of scissors or get inside the kitchen, chopped vegetables; others who had never seen or heard of a ‘palazzo’, touched, felt and purchased them. Families with children with autism came to know that shopping malls can be relaxing and fun places because they felt cared for. It was a list of firsts for these shoppers who did a bunch of things non-PwDs take for granted.
In another initiative, Big Bazaar conducted India’s first Quiet Hour on December 3, 2018, for people with autism in one store at Matunga, Mumbai. Sounds from the cash till, trolley movements, and announcements were minimized/eliminated for two hours. This was a significant step as people with autism are extra sensitive to sensory stimuli and this was Big Bazaar’s true appreciation of their special needs. Families of 70 autistic children/adults benefited from this initiative.
What are the customer testimonials to the initiatives?
The response across the country was phenomenal. We had customers with disabilities across the spectrum. We had customers on wheelchairs, we had the visually and hearing impaired, we had people with cognitive disabilities, we had senior citizens. For many of them, it was the first time they had come out shopping. It was very liberating for them and gave them a feeling of immense independence. To be able to move around the store and be able to touch, feel and smell different things left many of them amazed and exhilarated.
How do you sensitize your staff about interacting with Persons with Disabilities? Do you have any training workshops?
The employee training curriculum was revamped in partnership with various specialized organizations. 60 sessions were conducted and large-scale sensitization drives were undertaken to train each member of the 30,000-strong Big Bazaar family. Big Bazaar training manuals are divided based on functions through easy-to-understand video modules for learning at every level. Every store has an Accessibility Champion whose key responsibility lies in creating happy moments for PwD shoppers.
Avesha is the flagship programme which sensitizes the entire organization on disability and is conducted quarterly at every Big Bazaar store in the country. It is a one day programme and is conducted through a TTT (Train the Trainer) methodology, where Trainers cascade the entire learning to all stores.
What modifications has Big Bazaar introduced in its stores that could be beneficial across disability types?
We have introduced several infrastructural and design changes in our stores to make them PwD-compliant for customers as well as employees with disabilities. Sixty stores have already been made PwD-friendly in terms of special parking places, wheelchairs, assistants, ramps, PwD-friendly toilets and trial rooms and most importantly intensively trained employees sensitized to their needs. At least one trial room has to be mandatorily designed in every Big Bazaar store which is PwD-compliant and reserved exclusively for their use. There is even a braille shopping guide for the visually impaired.
Check the attached file below for more details of the adaptations made
Could you tell us how many persons with disability are there in the Big Bazaar workforce at an all India level?
Currently, there are more than 300 PwDs working with Big Bazaar and contributing immensely to the business. People at Big Bazaar strongly believe that the Sabke Liye movement will revolutionize the entire retail arena and the objective is to give everyone the right to shop with dignity and self-confidence. Big Bazaar’s goal is to employ persons with all kinds of disabilities and is presently working actively to find suitable job roles for Persons with Visual disabilities. The goal is to have a significant number of PwDs working in Big Bazaar with at least 1 PwD in every store. The organization envisions an empowered and inclusive culture which, while making profits, will continue to do so with dignity for all concerned, especially for persons with disabilities. The emphasis at Big Bazaar has been to create pathways for PwDs to rise as much as possible on the basis of merit and a supportive environment. As the number of PwDs increase more and more career paths will be opened up thereby encouraging the movement.
Do you think such inclusiveness will help eliminate stigmas and stereotypes in society?
Yes, definitely. The larger goal for Sabke Liye is to sensitise the nation about disability through the power of shopping. We also want to urge shoppers with disabilities to venture outside their comfort zone and experience the world giving them dignity, liberation and confidence to handle daily tasks. It will give them a sense of freedom to explore the world their way. The greater the visibility of PwD in society, the greater will be their acceptance and inclusion. Hopefully, Sabke Liye will also usher in, along with shopping, an attitudinal change in the larger population.
Vineet Saraiwala leads the Inclusion drive for Big Bazaar and is on a mission to make shopping accessible to everyone including shoppers with disabilities. He hails from Jamshedpur and is an alumnus of the prestigious Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore. He is an avid trekker, marathoner and recently attempted Deccan Cliffhanger as the first visually impaired cyclist in the solo category.
