Fairway Helps Hard of Hearing

Fairway Market customers with hearing loss can place orders at the deli counter in the upscale chain’s flagship Broadway store more easily since the recent installation of a hearing loop. According to Fairway, it’s the first supermarket in New York City to implement this technology.

The hearing loop works with a shopper’s telecoil-equipped hearing instrument or cochlear implant. The deli associate speaks into a microphone connected to the hearing loop, which sends the signal (speech) wirelessly to the telecoil. The system blocks out ambient background noise and amplifies the associate’s voice, enabling the customer to hear it.

The Hearing Loss Association of America and the American Academy of Audiology both promote the use of hearing loop technology.

“The deli can be a very noisy environment, and our customers living with hearing loss will greatly benefit from the hearing loop and enjoy a much better shopping experience,” said Herb Ruetsch, CEO of Fairway, which is owned by New York-based parent company Fairway Group Holdings Corp.