Some retailers actively work to create excitement and interest by showcasing bright colors, blaring loud and boisterous music, and running constant video feeds. The distracting, noisy environment is, in a sense, the point. But for many shoppers, such environments are distracting, difficult, and even painful. Rather than excitement, they produce confusing, unpleasant experiences, which is the last thing a retailer wants to convey.

Whether consumers exhibit neurodivergent tendencies or simply are sensitive to loud noises and bright, moving displays, many of them have expressed clear preferences for less sensory-intensive, quieter settings. In response, a range of retailers have begun experimenting with sensory-friendly or quiet hours. During select times, the stores turn off display monitors, lower the volume of any music playing (or stop playing any sounds at all), avoid emitting any strong scents (e.g., perfume, cleansers), and even dim the lights.

Sephora is the most recent retailer to announce such an initiative, noting that all of its stores will designate specific hours of sales days as quiet hours. Although the specific times are up to each store, it encourages them to establish calmer environments at least during the first hour or two that they are open on every Tuesday and Saturday. The earliest opening hours will vary, but the novel environmental design will be consistent in stores throughout the country. Before initiating the universal adoption, Sephora tested out this strategy in a select set of 32 stores, which provided it with clear insights into how best to serve customers with sensory sensitivities, even while attempting to sell products that tend to feature strong scents.

It is not the first retailer to adopt the offering though. Walmart began promising sensory-friendly hours several years ago. It also tested the concept before committing to a full rollout. Starting with just one day per week, the experiment proved so popular that in most of its stores, the retail giant offers quiet hours every day, for the first two hours the stores are open. For Walmart, the appeal of such a tactic reflected input from not just customers but employees as well. Employees with hyperactivity, autism, and attention deficit conditions note the very meaningful benefits, in terms of both their productivity and their personal comfort, associated with working mainly during quiet hours.

Some other retailers have begun experimenting with the idea as well, including Target and Chuck E. Cheese. Citing the “overwhelmingly positive” feedback that existing adopters have received in response to their efforts, one observer thus argues that quiet hours are the “future of retail.”

Discussion Questions

1. Should all retailers adopt the notion of quiet or sensory-friendly hours? Why or why not?
2. When various sensory elements are quieted, what can retailers do to engage or excite consumers, in a way that leaves them comfortable?

Sources: Sara Moniuszko, “Sensory-Friendly Hours Are Becoming Mainstream. Who Are They For?,” USA Today, July 28, 2026; Drew Pittock, “Sephora Launches Quiet Hours. Here’s What Shoppers Need to Know,” USA Today, July 29, 2026; Gabe Hauari, “Walmart to Start Daily Sensory-Friendly Hours in its Stores this Week: Here’s Why,” USA Today, November 8, 2023.