Shopping with My Sister Who Uses a Wheelchair

My sister who uses a wheelchair loves to go shopping, but shopping can often be a challenge for her. This article will discuss the various ways we have a successful and enjoyable shopping trip.

It is enjoyable to go shopping with my sister, whether at the shopping mall or one of two nearby discount department stores. Shopping gives us the time to talk, relax, have something to eat, and most of all shop! The both of us have a very nice day during these shopping trips. My husband and our dad usually join us on our shopping trips.

Writing a Shopping List: Before we go shopping, my sister makes a list of what she needs to buy at the store or shopping mall. We usually look through her clothing closet and dresser drawers and decide what clothing she needs to buy and we think about colors for these items too. For example, if she has a pair of blue pants and needs a blouse to go with them, we think about what color blouse would be a good match for the blue pants. Making a shopping list helps us as we shop because we know what we need to buy.

Traveling to the Store or Shopping Mall: My sister usually asks me to schedule a bus ride for us with a bus company that offers door-to-door transportation for the disabled. The bus company allows her to travel with a companion to her destination for a fare that is not that expensive. The amount of the fare depends on how far the store or shopping mall is located from my sister's residence.

Crowded Clothing Displays: Navigating through crowded clothing displays is often a challenge for my sister who uses a wheelchair. She usually needs me, my dad, or my husband to help her move around these crowded clothing displays. We however, had a very pleasant surprise this past summer when we shopped at a nearby discount department store. The store was recently remodeled and the clothing displays were much better organized for someone using a wheelchair. We also used the dressing/fitting room so that my sister could try on a few blouses and found the room to be very large and accommodating for my sister in her wheelchair. It would be nice if more stores followed these examples to better accommodate shoppers who use a wheelchair.

"Window Shopping": We like to visit various departments in the discount department store or various stores in the shopping mall. For example, around Christmas, we visit the Christmas department and enjoy looking at the holiday merchandise. One time we visited a store in the shopping mall that sells kitchen and cooking items. It was enjoyable to see the nicely decorated displays in the store.

Having Something to Eat: We always stop early to get something to eat, whether we are at the shopping mall or the discount department store. When the food court is not full of people it is much easier for my sister, who uses a wheelchair, to get to the restaurant where we like to eat lunch. This restaurant offers a private dining room that is roomier than the other area of the food court and the food is good too!

Limit our Purchases: Traveling with the bus limits the amount of shopping bags we can carry with us. Our purchases must be held on my lap because it is difficult for my sister to hold any shopping bags. If my dad drives my husband and himself to the store or shopping mall to meet us there, we put our purchases in the trunk of our dad's car.

We are both looking forward to our next shopping trip.