Muzak in (food) stores, at stations etc: love or hate?

Use this board for general non-cycling-related chat, or to introduce yourself to the forum.

Do you love muzak?

Yes, I hum along and buy more
0
No votes
Yes, but I don't really notice it
1
4%
What is muzak?
2
8%
No, dislike it if I'm tired or its too loud
10
38%
No, I hate it, I leave the store ASAP
8
31%
Classical music in a bookshop, +1!
5
19%
 
Total votes: 26

User avatar
Audax67
Posts: 6001
Joined: 25 Aug 2011, 9:02am
Location: Alsace, France
Contact:

Re: Muzak in (food) stores, at stations etc: love or hate?

Post by Audax67 »

T'other day I went to see the gastropodologist, and was shown into a pleasantly calm, bright, spacious waiting-room. I hauled out my phone and began to read my current eBook. Five minutes later a secretary (or secretory, given the visceral environment) comes in and zaps the wall-mounted TV into ugly, intrusive, banal, unnecessary life. I remonstrated: she replied "Mais non, if a doctor comes in and it's off I get scolded".

So my nice peaceful James Ellroy was punctuated by thumpy with-it muzak and bouncy snippets about train strikes, floods, Perfidious Rump and Macron's campaign expenses.

Never mind shops, TV in waiting-rooms is an abomination.

Still, a TV news channel is preferable to the intimate medical propaganda you get shoved down your throat in some places.
Have we got time for another cuppa?
AlaninWales
Posts: 1626
Joined: 26 Oct 2012, 1:47pm

Re: Muzak in (food) stores, at stations etc: love or hate?

Post by AlaninWales »

ThePinkOne wrote:I am on the autistic spectrum and noise-sensitive. I find the "music" in many shops and eateries deeply unpleasant and overwhelming of my cognitive processing; and why on earth is it soooooooooo loud?

That said, I have also noticed how many people seem unable to do anything without some inane warble-plus-beat noise accompanying them, and they also seem wholly unaware of how many others in the surrounding vicinity have to put up with their noise pollution.

I don't dislike music, but I struggle to cope with the constant barrage of noise in many places. Online shopping is truly a Godsend!

I enjoy listening to the sounds of nature.... Birdsong, rain falling, the wind in the trees, water in a stream, a buzzing bumbly bee.....

TPO

Interrupts your cognitive processing? Yes, that's what it is meant to do. Why is it so loud? The reasons (as with tempo) vary, it will be loud when that has been decided (and frequently proven by research) to be the best for Sales.
Do people really not know that this trend is part of marketing? 'They' (the businesses) care not whether individuals like or dislike the effect, it increases sales so it is used.

Sounds like scare-mongering?

http://www.businessinsider.com/effects-of-music-on-sales-2011-7?IR=T#low-tempo-music-causes-shoppers-to-move-slowly-but-they-also-buy-more-similarly-at-restaurants-slow-music-causes-people-to-take-their-time-but-buy-more-2

The reference links seem to be broken, but that's easily bypassed with a quick search; for example the first paper (about how loud it should be incidentally):

http://freakonomics.com/media/Using%20Background%20Music%20to%20Affect%20the%20Behavior%20of%20Supermarket%20Shoppers.pdf
thirdcrank
Posts: 36776
Joined: 9 Jan 2007, 2:44pm

Re: Muzak in (food) stores, at stations etc: love or hate?

Post by thirdcrank »

I do read a lot of news about entire shopping chains being in trouble so perhaps the racket is a distress signal rather than a friendly customer greeting. :?

One more reason for buying online, so long as you don't have to ring a so-called helpline with raucous music to abuse the ears of everbody in the queue. :evil:
Cyril Haearn
Posts: 15215
Joined: 30 Nov 2013, 11:26am

Re: Muzak in (food) stores, at stations etc: love or hate?

Post by Cyril Haearn »

thirdcrank wrote:I rarely go into Leeds centre these days, but the majority of buskers there are using a sort of instrumental karaoke on high volume.

Live music in pubs and the like seems OK to me and as it's generally advertised you can avoid anything not to your taste. We had a family meal out yesterday (Crab and Lobster, Asenby) in a separate dining room. They have occasional live performers and part of the attraction is that they can play music to suit the audience. A child of 21 months spontaneously standing on a chair and dancing in time to I wanna be like you. Just the thing to raise the spirits of a grumpy git who avoids piped music.

PS The big attraction for me of the upstairs room there is that they can switch off the piped music. :D

+1 for cheeky kiddies, I love them
Saw some yesterday, a couple of boring grownups were enchanting them with reptiles and tales of the Stone Age
Entertainer, juvenile, curmudgeon, PoB, 30120
Cycling-of course, but it is far better on a Gillott
We love safety cameras, we hate bullies
Cyril Haearn
Posts: 15215
Joined: 30 Nov 2013, 11:26am

Re: Muzak in (food) stores, at stations etc: love or hate?

Post by Cyril Haearn »

Aldi, Lidl & Co are the best stores and are respected and trusted, I use them where possible

The owners/founders are financially very comfortable

Aldi, Lidl & Co do not play muzak!
Entertainer, juvenile, curmudgeon, PoB, 30120
Cycling-of course, but it is far better on a Gillott
We love safety cameras, we hate bullies
Cyril Haearn
Posts: 15215
Joined: 30 Nov 2013, 11:26am

Re: Muzak in (food) stores, at stations etc: love or hate?

Post by Cyril Haearn »

Still time to vote, anyone dare to choose "yes"?
Entertainer, juvenile, curmudgeon, PoB, 30120
Cycling-of course, but it is far better on a Gillott
We love safety cameras, we hate bullies
Cyril Haearn
Posts: 15215
Joined: 30 Nov 2013, 11:26am

Re: Muzak in (food) stores, at stations etc: love or hate?

Post by Cyril Haearn »

How may one get the serviceperson to switch the music off? I was in a charity bookshop, would have spent more had it been quiet

Tried talking to her, she said I was the first person to complain, how should I have responded? One wonders whether many people had praised the muzak [I could try doing that, just for fun]
The servicepeople do not understand that the music reduces their sales, would they care if they did understand?

Next time I went there, took my industrial ear protection
Entertainer, juvenile, curmudgeon, PoB, 30120
Cycling-of course, but it is far better on a Gillott
We love safety cameras, we hate bullies
User avatar
Cunobelin
Posts: 10801
Joined: 6 Feb 2007, 7:22pm

Re: Muzak in (food) stores, at stations etc: love or hate?

Post by Cunobelin »

We have "patient surveys" in our waiting room, and one of the most frequent requests is for music or TV
User avatar
Mick F
Spambuster
Posts: 56359
Joined: 7 Jan 2007, 11:24am
Location: Tamar Valley, Cornwall

Re: Muzak in (food) stores, at stations etc: love or hate?

Post by Mick F »

I too am on the autistic spectrum - as many of you know.
I score 47 out of 50 on the AQ questionnaire.
AQ Results.jpg


I hate constant music. Noise is ok, but constant beat-y music makes my head explode. Mrs Mick F likes music radio, and it has to be low enough volume for me not to complain.

Morrisons supermarket in Tavistock has a quiet 09:00 to 10:00 every Saturday. They promise no musak, no announcements, no shelf stacking and no floor walkers. By all accounts it's very popular though I've not tried it yet as that time on a Saturday morning isn't a good time to go shopping as far as we're concerned. I'd prefer if they had it 10:00 to 14:00 instead or every day of the week ........... or permanently.
Mick F. Cornwall
Cyril Haearn
Posts: 15215
Joined: 30 Nov 2013, 11:26am

Re: Muzak in (food) stores, at stations etc: love or hate?

Post by Cyril Haearn »

Cunobelin wrote:We have "patient surveys" in our waiting room, and one of the most frequent requests is for music or TV

Waiting room. . How long do they have to wait? Is music/tv provided or not? Are old copies of The Countryman provided to read?
I do not like waiting rooms, went for a medical once ("very healthy") but in the waiting room I caught an awful fever. As far as I can remember I slept most of the time for a couple of days, minusplus
Entertainer, juvenile, curmudgeon, PoB, 30120
Cycling-of course, but it is far better on a Gillott
We love safety cameras, we hate bullies
User avatar
Cunobelin
Posts: 10801
Joined: 6 Feb 2007, 7:22pm

Re: Muzak in (food) stores, at stations etc: love or hate?

Post by Cunobelin »

Cyril Haearn wrote:
Cunobelin wrote:We have "patient surveys" in our waiting room, and one of the most frequent requests is for music or TV

Waiting room. . How long do they have to wait? Is music/tv provided or not? Are old copies of The Countryman provided to read?
I do not like waiting rooms, went for a medical once ("very healthy") but in the waiting room I caught an awful fever. As far as I can remember I slept most of the time for a couple of days, minusplus


Depends on teh patient. If we get it right about 15 minutes for each visit, if they are a transport patient or from another hospital or home... up to 8 hours
Psamathe
Posts: 17650
Joined: 10 Jan 2014, 8:56pm

Re: Muzak in (food) stores, at stations etc: love or hate?

Post by Psamathe »

One thing that surprised me was that in the few German campsites I used they play piped music (I assume the German equivalent of Radio 2) through the toilet blocks. Can’t say it helped me in any way. Nondescript unoffensive pop music. Through all the toilets, 24/7.

Ian
Cyril Haearn
Posts: 15215
Joined: 30 Nov 2013, 11:26am

Re: Muzak in (food) stores, at stations etc: love or hate?

Post by Cyril Haearn »

Psamathe wrote:One thing that surprised me was that in the few German campsites I used they play piped music (I assume the German equivalent of Radio 2) through the toilet blocks. Can’t say it helped me in any way. Nondescript unoffensive pop music. Through all the toilets, 24/7.

Ian

To stop people loitering?
Entertainer, juvenile, curmudgeon, PoB, 30120
Cycling-of course, but it is far better on a Gillott
We love safety cameras, we hate bullies
Cyril Haearn
Posts: 15215
Joined: 30 Nov 2013, 11:26am

Re: Muzak in (food) stores, at stations etc: love or hate?

Post by Cyril Haearn »

Awful muzak in the food store this evening, I would not be surprised if it provoked someone into running amok

What ARE they thinking? Are they thinking?
Entertainer, juvenile, curmudgeon, PoB, 30120
Cycling-of course, but it is far better on a Gillott
We love safety cameras, we hate bullies
Cyril Haearn
Posts: 15215
Joined: 30 Nov 2013, 11:26am

Re: Muzak in (food) stores, at stations etc: love or hate?

Post by Cyril Haearn »

Visited a charity shop, been there before, loud music is played throughout the store

I wanted to spend a lot of money on books

How might I persuade the manageress to turn off the music so I can stand being in the store, so I will spend a while there and a lot of money?

Tried asking before, answer: "you are the first person who has complained!"
Entertainer, juvenile, curmudgeon, PoB, 30120
Cycling-of course, but it is far better on a Gillott
We love safety cameras, we hate bullies
Post Reply