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Starbucks' music is driving employees nuts

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Re: Starbucks' music is driving employees nuts

#191

Post by brewdad »

rmason wrote: post #185

They modernized the gas pumps at our local Speedway by adding video players. Instead of news like I've seen in California they play endless commercials and the volume is loud. I remember stopping one time when it was twenty below zero this winter, no one was at the pumps and the same commercial was playing and not a single pump's sound was in sync with another. I felt like I was in a movie about a dystopian future.

I ran into a pump in MI last summer that wouldn't even turn on until it finished playing the first 30 second commercial. Eventually, I could start pumping but it continued to play obnoxious ads throughout. I won't be filling up there anymore.

Re: Starbucks' music is driving employees nuts

#192

Post by jriot »

rmason wrote: post #185

They modernized the gas pumps at our local Speedway by adding video players. Instead of news like I've seen in California they play endless commercials and the volume is loud. I remember stopping one time when it was twenty below zero this winter, no one was at the pumps and the same commercial was playing and not a single pump's sound was in sync with another. I felt like I was in a movie about a dystopian future.

Sounds like the scenes in the `Dark Forest`.

Re: Starbucks' music is driving employees nuts

#193

Post by TuringNYC »

rmason wrote: post #185

They modernized the gas pumps at our local Speedway by adding video players. Instead of news like I've seen in California they play endless commercials and the volume is loud. I remember stopping one time when it was twenty below zero this winter, no one was at the pumps and the same commercial was playing and not a single pump's sound was in sync with another. I felt like I was in a movie about a dystopian future.

That sounds like the Black Mirror episode: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifteen_Million_Merits

Re: Starbucks' music is driving employees nuts

#194

Post by TuringNYC »

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've heard they do A/B testing on this across stores and across time for the same store. The treatment probably increased sales.

Re: Starbucks' music is driving employees nuts

#195

Post by PNWChris »

rmason wrote: post #185

They modernized the gas pumps at our local Speedway by adding video players. Instead of news like I've seen in California they play endless commercials and the volume is loud. I remember stopping one time when it was twenty below zero this winter, no one was at the pumps and the same commercial was playing and not a single pump's sound was in sync with another. I felt like I was in a movie about a dystopian future.

They have these at the station I use along my commute. I also find it quite annoying.

Pro tip I came across online a bit back: pressing one of the buttons on the right will mute the screen. In my experience the button one down from the top on the right works.

Re: Starbucks' music is driving employees nuts

#196

Post by jdietrich »

nomel wrote: post #58
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 think it shows the motivation of the business. They're creating an area of easy conversation, not concentration. By having something similar to the volume of conversation, you make conversation both "safe" and less distracting. Safe since speaking won't break some period of silence that is bound to happen. Breaking silence in a populated area requires a certain amount of social tension, "Why is everyone quiet? Will…

>Sound masking would be more ideal for concentration, but I'm sure the regular Starbucks patrons would be a bit confused at constant "hoooshhhh" sounds of a noise generator.

Sound masking is very dubious with respect to the ADA - you're deliberately making it harder to understand speech, which has obvious implications for hearing-impaired guests or employees.

Re: Starbucks' music is driving employees nuts

#197

Post by TuringNYC »

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 flew on the same international airline for business dozens of times and they always had the same tune on for the first hour during boarding/etc and then again during landing. I've now developed a bad Pavlovian response to that track because it is associated with brutal long-haul travel, jetlag, dry air, customs hassles, etc.

Note: I then got Gold/Platinum ranking, started boarding sooner, and so got exposed to the music even more!

Note 2: International flights have much longer boarding periods and usually large plans, so the time intro music is played is long.

Re: Starbucks' music is driving employees nuts

#198

Post by [deleted] »

drilldrive wrote: post #181
ABCLAW wrote: post #162

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>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.

Seeing that you have experience in this sector, what is the purpose of a bar exactly? I never have gone to a bar, but always have had the assumption that bars are pretty much for getting plastered.

[deleted]

Re: Starbucks' music is driving employees nuts

#199

Post by peterarmstrong »

TuringNYC wrote: post #197
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 flew on the same international airline for business dozens of times and they always had the same tune on for the first hour during boarding/etc and then again during landing. I've now developed a bad Pavlovian response to that track because it is associated with brutal long-haul travel, jetlag, dry air, customs hassles, etc. Note: I then got Gold/Platinum ranking, started boarding sooner, and so got exposed to the…

ANA theme music? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kB4fm_kO1us
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