Piped music in shops.

Arthog

How does piped music in shops affect you?
I can't shop where there is loud music, and last year decided that I don't have to put up with it, so some shops and stores are now off my visiting list. I want to be left in peace to choose and buy what we need. I used to leave with only 10% of my food list bought.
Is there a correlation between stores which are quiet/noisy and those which are doing well/struggling?
The quiet, peaceful German stores are doing alright!
Our nearest store is clearly wired up to a torture chamber where a woman is having terrible things done to her! I went into another store at Xmas 2013, stressed, to find it was just like Bedlam - loud Xmas Carols. I didn't go to one of their stores again for 10 months!
In our local shopping Mall, most of the shops have CCTV footage of me stepping on to the doormat, then turning to leave with my cash still in my pocket! Is this what they want?


I have contacted stores so many times but they don't want to know. Surely they could experiment by trying peace and quiet for a few months to see whether the takings go up. I'm absolutely certain they would! Even shoppers who say they don't mind it would appreciate being left in peace?

meritaten

Oh I am so totally with you there!
I went into a new sport shop and the music was so loud I walked out again - after noting that it was totally devoid of customers! it was on an outlet park. they shut down after just a month!
I love Aldi because it DOESNT have 'supermarket music'. I don't need to have music playing while I shop.
but then, I prefer heavy metal to 'Musak'. rofl - yeah I like loud music - but not when I am shopping!

Homeownertobe

They wouldn't play music if it didn't help sales.

pawsies

If you think of it as a staff member at least music is better than dull silence

gayleygoo

I have walked out of shops because of annoying music too. The poor staff, having to listen to that all day! 6 years ago I worked in a shop, and the CD that played repeated every hour. It was supposed to be changed every 6 weeks but it was always much less often than that. There are certain songs that if I hear in a shop now, I leave because I remember then from working there and can't stand them!

Violetta_2

Totally agree. Tesco seem to play it so loud I can hardly think straight and it makes me really irritable, oh will ask me something and I can't hear what he says grr. Usually the music in homebargains is dire but the other day they had some decent stuff on (well I liked it) what a difference to the shopping experience to be browsing away to music you like, couldn't help but smile when I spotted a few folk singing along to Dylan whilst we wandered the aisles. So difficult to please everyone though.

Gingernutty

Even charity shops have their own "radio stations" - Age UK and Barnado's are just two.

Instead of commercial adverts, they play reminders about GiftAid and other ways you can help.

System

pawsies wrote: »

If you think of it as a staff member at least music is better than dull silence

If i had the choice between sodding capital fm and the same 6 songs playing on repeat and silence, i would take silence!!! :mad: i hate our radio

bagpussbear

I agree that sometimes music can be a bit too loud, but to be honest, I tend to just zone it out, too busy concentrating on my shopping list really.

Corelli

I don't always notice it, if I'm wrapped up in my own thoughts and it is not too badly in discordance with my own taste. But thinking about it, it is a disability issue. For deaf people, the hubbub of surrounding sound makes it harder to focus on the person they are trying to understand, and for people with sensory issues eg autism it makes shopping a nightmare. As people here are acknowledging already.

catkins

I don't mind music in shops, particularly if it is something I like. The local Pound shops seems to play pretty good stuff (well in my view). When I was in there the other day there was old music playing - Spandeau Ballet, Culture Club are two I remember and I was singing under my breath as I would never subject anyone to the awful noise I make. There was a male customer singing along quite loudly though!


Sometimes in small shops if there are few or no other customers I find it too quiet and I don't like it.


Also when I worked in a shop I liked to have music playing as did the other staff. We could take it in turns to put a cd on (as long as it wasn't deemed "inappropriate" such as songs with swearing). We did occasionally get customers complain but it was usually because they didn't like the actual song(s) rather than not wanting music at all.


The only time it drives me mad as when Christmas music is playing. Not too bad the first time you hear it but after that it just gets on my nerves as there seems to be so few of them