Reducing Consumer Disadvantage: Reassessing Access in the Retail Environment

Abstract

Extensive interviews about the food shopping experiences of one disadvantaged group—wheelchair users in South Wales—enables a reassessment of the access dimension of consumer disadvantage following a period of pronounced retail changes and improvements associated with the Disability Discrimination Act. Although a slim majority of wheelchair users felt that they had proper choice over their shopping locations, many expressed continuing experiences of consumer disadvantage. Residual consumer disadvantage remains particularly in older, more traditional shopping locations, while the large supermarkets offer advantages because of their dedicated car parking spaces, their spacious aisles, special facilities and staff training. For the wheelchair user, superstore growth has had a beneficial effect on accessibility, reducing consumer disadvantage.

Key Words:

• Disadvantaged consumer
• shopping experiences
• wheelchair users
• disability
• access
• UK