Introduction
JAN provides this information as a way to share accommodation situations and solutions from retail industry related jobs. For a more in depth discussion, contact JAN directly.
Situations and Solutions:
A buyer for a department store has low vision.
A buyer for a department store has low vision and was accommodated with a CCTV magnification device for reading paper documents and screen magnification software for her computer.
A grocery check-out person had a standing restriction due to a back injury.
He was accommodated with a sit/lean stool and anti-fatigue mats.
A retail clerk’s hand had two fingers and a thumb, and her arms were unusually short.
This made it difficult for her to perform some of her job duties, including answering incoming phone calls and accessing a computer to check information for customer service representatives. A large button overlay was used on the telephone, and a ball-shaped device, with a pencil stylus going through it, was used to facilitate taking messages and typing. Also used was a strap-on hand stylus for straight typing.
A sales associate with a severe hearing loss was provided transcripts of training videos as they had not been previously captioned.
Amplification was provided for the telephone at the register stations. With her hearing aids she had no difficulty communicating face to face with customers.
A retail employee with AD/HD often forgot the closing and cash-out procedures, which resulted in missed printouts of daily sales reports.
The employer created a numbered checklist that identified each step for proper closing procedures and identified which reports to run from cash registers. This accommodation benefited all employees.
A gaming store clerk with Fragile-X did not know her ABCs and could not read movie titles.
She had difficulty stocking returned video games to the shelf. JAN suggested the employer make picture labels for the cases that matched shelf display boxes. This allowed the employee to match pictures, not words, when returning games to the shelf.
A cashier at a large retailer had standing limitations stemming from post-polio syndrome.
Work shifts required him to stand for 8 hours, but he was physically incapable of standing that long. The employer couldn’t limit the hours worked, but did get the employee a stand/lean stool which permitted him to continue working from a seated position but still allowed him the reach and accessibility to perform his cashier duties.
An employee working at a resort gift shop who is legally blind had difficulty knowing when a new customer was in the store.
She also had trouble reading tags on merchandise. She did benefit from magnification. JAN suggested a wireless visitor alert system that would chime when customers walked through the door. To read tags on merchandise, JAN suggested a portable electronic magnifier that the employee could carry everywhere in the store.
A little person interviewed for a cashier position at a retail store.
The employer asked her to demonstrate how she would operate the cash register and ring out material goods. The applicant explained that with the use of a simple work platform she would be able to reach everything she needed in order to perform the job successfully.
A retail store manager with multiple sclerosis uses a scooter to move distances throughout the store.
She also has an accessible parking space near the rear entrance of the store.
A retail employee with AD/HD often forgot the closing and cash-out procedures, which resulted in missed printouts of daily sale reports.
The employer created a numbered checklist that identified each step for proper closing procedures and identified which reports to run from cash registers. This accommodation benefited all employees.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, clothing, accessory, and general merchandise stores will continue to have many job openings, fueled by the large number of workers who transfer to jobs in other industries and must be replaced. For new workers with disabilities, and as our working population ages, it is imperative to consider providing job accommodations to enhance the productivity of these valuable workers. For additional information, see: Final Report on Best Practices For the Employment of People with Disabilities In State Government.