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Starbucks' music is driving employees nuts

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Re: Starbucks' music is driving employees nuts

#131

Post by ben509 »

eeeeeeeeeeeee wrote: post #84
maxxxxx wrote: post #22

In general I don’t understand why people think that it’s ok to pollute every bit of space with noise of their choice (aka music). I view it as a big nuisance.

I notice this with some people in general, that seems to always want to pollute the air with words when sometimes, there is beauty in silence. And then I get called "quiet" for not doing the same. Ugh. I know a few people that for some reason feel the need to narrate what I can see with my own eyes.

I love the click-baity videos that carefully spell out what you can plainly see on the screen.

Some people have a strong urge to socialize. I was on a long drive with one guy like that, there were four of us in the truck. He'd go for almost exactly 3 and a half minutes before he'd start talking, then get an "uh huh" response, and go awkwardly silent again. He was pretty consistent, this pattern repeated a good dozen times.

Re: Starbucks' music is driving employees nuts

#132

Post by ww520 »

ravenstine wrote: post #41
save_ferris wrote: post #10

I experienced this working in retail during the holiday season back when I was in college. The little bell intro to Mariah Carey's "All I want for Christmas is You", will forever haunt my dreams. I rarely listen to Christmas music anymore because of that experience. Nowadays, I get irritated when I've burned through a 2 hour playlist twice at work and need to find something else to listen to, but I totally take the a…

I was once in charge of the electronics department for a retail store, except for whatever music my bosses wanted to have playing over the speakers. It was one CD with a mix of pop and hip hop. They never would change it, so I decided to commandeer the stereo as I just couldn't handle the repetition anymore. I played new music we got in, both alternative and what was popular. The customers seemed fine with it, and I…

This makes me laugh out loud. Forced to listen to the same music is a form of torture. Glad you rebelled against that.

Re: Starbucks' music is driving employees nuts

#133

Post by brokenmachine »

mrec wrote: post #116
maxxxxx wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

" loud enough that conversations are difficult because this causes patrons to buy more drinks" I know that I am weird but this makes me just want to run away,.

That doesn't make you weird, that makes you sane. You couldn't pay me to drink in bars like that.

I'm the same, but I guess we're not the target market then.

They want mindless binge drinkers, not talkers.

It's weird because I feel I'd drink more when I'm comfortable, with music audible but not loud enough to drown out conversation or be too offensive.

Re: Starbucks' music is driving employees nuts

#134

Post by jniedrauer »

maxxxxx wrote: post #73
jniedrauer wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As with many things, it's profit-driven. As a related example, bars intentionally turn the music up loud enough that conversations are difficult because this causes patrons to buy more drinks.

" loud enough that conversations are difficult because this causes patrons to buy more drinks" I know that I am weird but this makes me just want to run away,.

This is a symposium of nerds so I suspect we will all agree with you.

Re: Starbucks' music is driving employees nuts

#135

Post by fredophile »

balabaster wrote: post #13
save_ferris wrote: post #10

I experienced this working in retail during the holiday season back when I was in college. The little bell intro to Mariah Carey's "All I want for Christmas is You", will forever haunt my dreams. I rarely listen to Christmas music anymore because of that experience. Nowadays, I get irritated when I've burned through a 2 hour playlist twice at work and need to find something else to listen to, but I totally take the a…

I moved from the UK to Canada 20 years ago this September. Back in High School and University, I worked retail for about 5 years or so. By the time I left, I haaaaaated Christmas music. Couldn't stand it. Now after 20 years in Canada, I really miss it. Nothing here is the same as it is in the UK when it comes to Christmas traditions. There's no carolers, the smells aren't the same, the shops aren't the same. Everythi…

Carolers aren't common in Canada but they aren't unheard of. Different places will have different Christmas traditions so you're unlikely to ever get the same smells and shops. If you miss carolers I'd suggest you try getting a small group together and go out caroling.

Re: Starbucks' music is driving employees nuts

#137

Post by Someone1234 »

gnicholas wrote: post #76
grawprog wrote: post #6

I went into a Starbucks the other day early in the morning that didn't have music playing yet, it was really weird. It was actually kind of disconcerting. I think that's the only time i've ever been in one with no music. Everybody's voices echoed really loudly. You could hear every conversation going on and people ordering from the other side of the store. As much as I dislike their music choices usually, I kind of u…

Ironically, there are sound loops that remote workers use to make it sound like they're working in a coffee shop (sans music) https://coffitivity.com

Sometimes I use a rain loop for a similar effect. For example:

https://rainymood.com

There are other sites that do a similar thing. This one just has a memorable name.

Re: Starbucks' music is driving employees nuts

#138

Post by cableshaft »

I worked at a department store for a year in the gifts department (think Hummel figures, Precious Moments figures, candles, lava lamps, crystal dishes, various crap like that). There was a CD player that had a single CD in it that played on repeat. It was a CD of showtunes, like Oklahoma, etc. The only song on there I could tolerate was "If I Were a Rich Man" from Fiddler on the Roof, all the rest drove me nuts. I could escape it though, by going to a different corner of the department, so it wasn't too bad.

There was another time I worked in a factory job for a year, and the forewoman would blast the local Top 40 station throughout the whole factory all day every day. I would hear the same songs 3 or 4 times a day every day I worked there that entire year. To this day I get flashbacks whenever I hear Kylie Minogue's "Can't Get You Out of My Head" (specifically the "la la la, la la, la la la" chorus. Drove me nuts hearing that all the time).

Re: Starbucks' music is driving employees nuts

#139

Post by chrshawkes »

dmonagha wrote: post #19
ng12 wrote: post #7

I spent years working retail in a CVS. Hamilton's got nothing on off-brand Christmas music.

Worked at Walgreens during high school. I'll take waterboarding over having to hear 'Train - Drops of Jupiter' ever again.

That's a bad one, but I got one better... Pompei by that terrible singer I'll never listen to voluntarily. That song is worse than Kars for Kids.

Re: Starbucks' music is driving employees nuts

#140

Post by brokenmachine »

naravara wrote: post #78
mc32 wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I haven’t been to malls in a while, so maybe it’s done stateside too, but some overseas malls go the extra effort and make sure they pump it up to 11 (as if at a bar after hours) It's as if they’re trying to drive traffic out of their stores instead of trying to keep them in.

They're not trying to drive traffic out, they're trying to discourage loitering. If you're there to buy something you're likely to just go in and buy it despite the problem. And if you're on the fence, you're likely to just make a hasty decision instead of considering it if it's too loud to avoid. The big impediment though, is loiterers. If there is a problem with people loitering in or in front of your store that te…

Is that true?

eg if I'm going to the mall to buy a shirt, I'm not really interested in how many "loiterers" are in the store browsing, I just want to go in and buy a shirt.

If the music's offensive then I'm not going in at all.

I'm sure they've done studies and focus groups and whatever, it's just odd to me that even with all the comments here to the contrary, businesses still think they're going to make more by making their stores unpleasant to go into.

I have quite a bit of discretionary income so I would have thought I'd be a desired customer, but malls are so unpleasant that I do almost all of my buying online.

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