The local Target used to be music free, and was the only big chain shopping experience I’ve ever enjoyed. I’d go out of my way to go there over competitors. Then they renovated, and now they blast the same terrible noise that every other retailer does. It sucks. I haven’t been back since.
Starbucks' music is driving employees nuts
161–170 of 321 posts
Re: Starbucks' music is driving employees nuts
#162Earlier quoted context omitted.
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.
>They want mindless binge drinkers, not talkers.
I'm friends with a lot of bar owners, and have had a few bars in the family in the past.
Owners don't want someone getting plastered. We want the high functioning alcoholic who orders 3 pints to his partner's 1 and draws his friends to come to the pub with him every night or two.
Re: Starbucks' music is driving employees nuts
#163Obviously "cafe has music" is going to be a popular comments section on HN where we all relate our horror stories of working at places with nonstop music.
But this is a surprisingly terrible article. Guantanamo bay, really? Quoting a no-name Adam Johnson with a head shot, unrelated to the source, to weigh in on music? Focusing on Starbucks as linkbait when this is ubiquitous?
Re: Starbucks' music is driving employees nuts
#164I don't know about Starbucks but have you ever been to a Family Mart convenience store in Japan? I'm wondering how the music didn't drive the employees mad. The Family Mart welcome song is probably the most recognizable but the same goes for stores like Bic Camera and many others.
Don't forget "Daydream Believer" by the Monkees at the 7-11s here. It's incessant. I can't stand it and I wonder how the staff survives ...
Re: Starbucks' music is driving employees nuts
#165In 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 go to the coffee shop and bar to avoid silence.
Re: Starbucks' music is driving employees nuts
#166I 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 walked out of at least 3 restaurants this "season" because they had Christmas music on. Can't stand it.
Re: Starbucks' music is driving employees nuts
#167Earlier quoted context omitted.
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 maki…
>Is that true?
Depends. Some places just like it, but a lot of it is to shoo loiterers away.
>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.
You're not thinking like a status conscious retailer. Some retailers prefer to not have people of certain races be seen associated with their brands. Their target market will be disinclined from shopping there.
Also, in many cases loiterers actually just intimidate people.
Re: Starbucks' music is driving employees nuts
#168Earlier quoted context omitted.
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 maki…
I'm put off going in a place if there are people hanging around outside. I guess it's the subconscious thought that I also have to meet them going out and face their silent judgement. It's not rational, but little is in non-B2B business.
Re: Starbucks' music is driving employees nuts
#169Earlier quoted context omitted.
A friend of mine made more money from licensing a single song to Armani stores than he made from the entire rest of his sales put together.
Now that you've pointed out that this process exists, I'm super intrigued to hear the playlists of different stores and compare that with the brand image of said stores. Maybe if I like 'x' brand, I'll also enjoy their store playlist... could be the key to finding lots of great music.
Sort of ironically given the linked article's subject, Starbucks used to take music very seriously, to the point of selling CDs in store, setting up CD burning kiosks, and even running their own record label in partnership with jazz/folk label Concord. (There were even standalone Hear Music stores for a few brief years.)
https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/02/st...
Re: Starbucks' music is driving employees nuts
#170I don't know about Starbucks but have you ever been to a Family Mart convenience store in Japan? I'm wondering how the music didn't drive the employees mad. The Family Mart welcome song is probably the most recognizable but the same goes for stores like Bic Camera and many others.
The Japanese take this to another level. Imagine listening to these all day, every day: Don don don, donki, don quijote... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJyYrrDKYZE (Don Quijote) Kamera wa yodobashi kamera! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4QSu1ZHunw (Yodobashi Camera)
Dear god. Listening to that first link all the way through was a poor decision. It won't go away!
How do marketers come up with such reliably earwormy stuff? Are there papers I can go read about this?