Does this describe you at all?
You are relatively comfortable when it comes to cooking and cleaning. Your travel skills are fairly polished. Overall, you fancy yourself to be a confident, competent blind person. There is only one thing from which you shrink—one word which strikes fear in your heart. Dare I say it? Yes, that’s right, the dreaded S word: SHOPPING.
I’m not talking safe, on-line shopping; I’m talking hands-on, in person, walking-in-to -a-store-and-finding-your-own-items shopping. It can be a scary thing if you’re not used to it, especially if you are an introvert like I am. Nevertheless, it must be done. Even with more and more resources which make it possible for us to buy most of our groceries and other necessities online, we may still need to venture into a store from time to time, and it is important to equip ourselves with the skills to do that, including the ability to shop independently and without the aid of AIRA.
When you enter an unfamiliar store, you may become overwhelmed by all the sounds and smells around you. One of the first things you will probably want to do is find a customer service representative, and if one is not forthcoming, you can first locate a check-out counter to ask for one. In many stores, the check-out counters are close to the entrances, and you can find them by listening for the sounds of cash registers. Sometimes, however, they are not in an obvious location, and you may need to ask someone for directions.
Once you have connected with a customer service representative, you can ask him or her to assist you in locating your items. IF you are shopping for a lot, it may be wise to print out a shopping list to make it more efficient for your rep to find everything. I would also advise you to walk with your rep to shop, as opposed to waiting while he or she shops for you.
While some customer service representatives are friendly and helpful, there are others who really don’t care, have trouble finding items, or want to finish the job as quickly as possible. Don’t be afraid to ask for information and clarification when selecting your items, taking time to compare brands, prices, and even to read instructions if necessary. Even if your rep seems unwilling to do this, you don’t want to get to the check-out counter and discover that your total amount exceeds your budget, nor do you want to discover that you have purchased the wrong brand of something after you have already left the store.
I cannot write an article about shopping without mentioning shopping carts. There are many ways of handling carts as a blind person. You can, of course, ask your customer service representative to push it for you, or you can push the cart while your rep pulls it. I prefer to pull the cart myself, using my free hand to work my cane or my dog, while following behind my rep.
When you have gathered all your items, you may need to ask your rep to direct you toward a check-out line if you are turned around. Once you are there, be aware of your surroundings, including when the person in front of you moves forward. If you are paying with a card, you may need to ask the clerk for assistance with the touch screen kiosk; if you pay with cash, be sure that the clerk differentiates any bills that are given to you as change.
Now that we have gotten the finer points of shopping without technology out of the way, let’s talk about all the new tech which can help make a shopping experience much faster and easier. Here is a list of devices, apps, and websites which help make shopping virtually painless.
AIRA: This is a wonderful program which makes it possible for sighted agents to assist blind consumer by literally becoming their eyes. All you have to do is call AIRA through their app, and your agent will be able to see your surroundings, either through the camera on your phone or that of AIRA’s special glasses, providing any visual information you desire. For shopping purposes, you may use this resource to locate items, customer service representatives, or anything else. You may also use it to operate self check-out kiosks and read currency. This program does require a subscription in most cases, but there are exceptions.
https://aira.io/
Be My Eyes: This program is like AIRA, only it is free of charge. Your service may not be quite as
professional, but it will probably get the job done.
https://www.bemyeyes.com/
Seeing AI: This is a useful app with several great features including the ability to read currency, bar
codes, text, and even basic scene description and person recognition.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/ai/seeing-ai
Digit-Eyes: This is a bar-code-reader app. Once it has scanned a bar code, it will also give you more
information about a product, including ingredients and instructions.
http://www.digit-eyes.com/
BeSpecular: This app allows you to take a picture, type a question, and send it to a sighted volunteer for
the answer.
https://www.bespecular.com/
iBill Talking Banknote Identifier: The United States government will provide a standard currency reader
to eligible citizens who are blind or visually impaired. This may be a useful device to have.
https://www.moneyfactory.gov/uscurrencyreaderpgm.html
KNFB Reader: This app allows you to convert text into accessible format. It may be useful in reading
receipts or anything else.
https://knfbreader.com/
Mag. Light: For those of you low-vision folks who just want things to be magnified, this is a free-but-
effective app that does just that.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rvappstudios.magnifyingglas
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/magnifying-glass-with-light/id406048120
Instacart: This fabulous little app allows you to do your grocery shopping without even leaving your
room. Just choose your store, add products to your cart, and allow your Instacart agent to do all the
shopping for you. Not all grocery stores are available through Instacart, and I would not advise using this
option if you only need to pick up one or two items, since you will need to pay a delivery fee on orders
under $35.
https://www.instacart.com/
There are, of course, countless other ways to shop online, so I will not list them all here. When
considering an online shopping option, you should compare the cost with that of shopping in person,
taking into account shipping or delivery costs versus any travel expenses to and from the store.