Cranked up, blarring music in stores...turns off the "i want to buy" ambition!
By coffeebreak
@coffeebreak (17798)
United States
October 23, 2010 6:02pm CST
I just don't get it. Why do stores insist on piping such loud, violent sounding music throughout their stores? I mean, shopping is supposed to be fun and they are supposed to try to do things to entice you to buy more....but that disgusting music blarred so loudly...I hate shopping. I was in Macys today and looking for particular items, and after 45 minutes I couldn't stand it anymore, took only 2 things I had that I had already tried on and layed the rest on the counter and went to pay for those two things...didn't get the items I went in for and wanted to shop more... but I couldn't stand the music anymore. The salesgirl said "Is this all you are going to get? We have this great one day sale going on". I said, "yeah, I know that is why I came here but the music is so nerve racking loud and blarring and all I now have a headache and don't want to be in this store any longer". OF course, no comment.
But if the shopping experience is so uncomfortable adn you can't even talk to the person you are with without shouting and while trying to decide in the fitting room and all....I would think that they'd want a calm atmosphere for shoppers to make a decision and hopefully buy a lot. I saw several in line, but only with 1-2 garments and only in the "sale" sections of the store.
But why do they crank it up so loud? Target doesn't play music even has a sign saying "distraction free store". I buy alot there!
2 responses
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
25 Oct 10
We had this problem at a restaurant a few nights ago. The food was absolutely delicious, but the noise level in the restaurant was just nuts. It was a pretty good group they had singing and playing but we could not have a conversation during the meal as everyone else was shouting to be heard over the music.
1 person likes this
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
25 Oct 10
Isn't that annoying! And yeah, everyone else is yelling at each other across the tables cause they can't hear either cause the music is so loud. I just don't understand why they manager can't see that and turn it down. Most don't go to a resturant to hear music, they go to eat and visit. At a bar, yeah the music is there for dancing etc, but still...i've been and the people there are still just yelling at each other, yelling in ears etc. It just doesn't make any sense. But I guess if people continue to go to the resturants while the music is loud, why should they bother doing anything about it if a few complain. I wonder how deaf the employees are...in that 8 hours a day 5 days a week...don't they care about their hearing?
I keep telling my grand daughter...when you are a working girl...the money will be made as an orthopedic doctor because of all the carpel tunnel and hand/finger problems from this decade of finger/thumb button pressing constantly and as a hearing doctor...people her age are going to have massive hearing problems to deal wtih!
@bunnybon7 (50973)
• Holiday, Florida
24 Oct 10
wow. i didnt know macy's did that. of course i never shop there. good reason huh?
what i cant stand is when xmas comes and stores and nearly everywhere you go has xmas music blaring and very seldom do you hear something new. plus, why do they think everyone is so happy about it. im usually just praying i'll get through it without shouting at someone. maybe if you'd had time you could speak to the manager about this. the check out person probably has nothing to do with it. 
you could call them, speak to the manager and explain your disappointment with not getting to look for what you came after. this would likely help a lot!you might even get something out of it if you explain the headache part. @coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
24 Oct 10
I just found out about Macys and their sales. Pretty good mark downs. But all the stores do it. Even resturants do it and I will ask there and often they will turn it down a little, but it eventually goes back up. I have walked out of places where the music was to loud and told them why. They didn't seem to care. I doubt that they'd bother turning it down in a store the size of macy's just cause one person complained. They don't really care about their customers...just barely!
AN outdoor mall here, they have piped music outside! It isn't so bad as it is the music like Frank SInatra and those styles that aren't so blarring and jerky and violent sounding. You can understand the words! But each store has their own music and during the summer they leave the doors open (while the AC runs inside) and as you walk past each store, their music blares, then changes to the next store and it blares all the while the piped music outside is going!
