shopping used to be fun

Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun
From: saulgoldie
Date: 31 Jul 04 - 09:19 AM

Kendall, many of these entities are so big that one or two of you and me staying away will not noticable affect their bottom line. It has to be wave after wave of "us" and they have to KNOW that it is and WHY. I am with you, of course, in that I adjust my shopping habits according to how they treat me, and that is more than just the aural annoyance.

And some of the smaller establishments often just treat me like a crank. Apparently, their sense of how things should be because of either their understanding of their customer base or their own personal taste (and mine be damned) is not the way I would have it.

In the case of the leather & spikes punk coffee house, I didn't go there because of the feel and the music. Apparently, there was not enough of a critical mass of like-minded people in this case, because the joint closed in less than a year.

But in the case of a place where I like to go to read, write and have a pint, I constantly have to ask them to turn the music down so that my ears don't hurt, nevermind the format of the music (which I don't like but can tolerate in lower volume). And there, they do tend to view me with some annoyance.

And my one or two beers is not the difference between their success and failure. And most of the other patrons do not seem to be bothered by the conversation-drowning volume, and sometimes even ask for it to be louder. So I don't go there as much as I might. Unfortunately, it is the only brewpub within 25 miles.

But I have adjusted my shopping and I continue to do so.

Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun
From: kendall
Date: 31 Jul 04 - 12:04 PM

I've lived long enough so that those empty headed cretin's opinion of me don't matter. I will not pay to be annoyed. full stop.

Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun
From: kendall
Date: 31 Jul 04 - 12:06 PM

Sometimes I take my Walkman. That way I get listen to music instead of the twanging and caterwalling.

Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun
From: open mike
Date: 31 Jul 04 - 01:23 PM

My dentist office supplies walkman / radio / tape / c.d player to drown out the sound of drilling, etc. I used to schedule appointments for cleaning (teeth scraping) during the local celtic music show and be assured of a pleasant "session" . Yes, often the piped in music is offensive, but i did find myself singing along yesterday night in the grocery. A few days previous i was at a gas station that had a (way too) loud peaker blasting some commercial radio station into the out doors, and while i was there a booming rap car pulled, in, you know the ones which rattle the windows when they are at idle, and on the other side of me another such car whose speakers were blown and blaring out a distorted sort of fuzzy sound....I tried to imagine going up to either of the drivers and say soemthing...anything.....i am sure i wouldd have had to shout...and what would i say? "Please" did not even seem to be a word they would understand. "What the f**k makes you think that any one else wants to listen to that sh*t" was more likely what would have come out...and i feared some sort of road rage might have occurred....so the fear of reprisal caused me to not approach at all.
sad
oh yes the song i was singing along with at the grocery was "
This song's for You" perhaps an elton john number? "..I sat on the roof and i kicked at the moss...." "..i hope you don't mind that i wrote down the words..." i was surprised that i remembered the words..it has been decades since i heard that one...funny how
some songs successfullly plant them selves in your head....
some in a positive way...if i knew the magic answer as to why or how that happens i could be a songwriter....i would like to know how to craft that song and tune that "stick"...

Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun
From: saulgoldie
Date: 31 Jul 04 - 01:28 PM

"Your Song" by Elton John. And if it was the original, I coulda dug it, too.

Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun
From: SINSULL
Date: 31 Jul 04 - 07:03 PM

I can usually tune out most of the "music" but RAP or really loud noise sends me running. If they can do without my dollars, so much the better.

My worst Muzak experience was at a jobsite in the early 70s. The owner had been sold a bill of goods. Every day we were motivated in the AM by "Hi Ho Hi Ho, It's Off To Work We Go" and after lunch by the Can CAn from Orpheus In The Underworld. Drove me nuts!

Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun
From: JennieG
Date: 01 Aug 04 - 12:20 AM

My husband listens to ABC Radio when in the car - he's a sales rep so spends a lot of time on the road driving around Sydney. Recently the topic was marketing and how shops present themselves to their particular market. One woman rang and said she shops in the chicky-babe shops because she likes the clothes, but doesn't like the pounding music so she complained to the manager. She was told that the loudness and choice of music is to keep out older shoppers as "it doesn't fit the shop's image to have older women browsing among the racks".
So I don't go to chicky-babe shops.......

Cheers
JennieG who was a chicky-babe once

Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun
From: kendall
Date: 01 Aug 04 - 06:00 AM

Sounds like age discrimination to me, and that's illegal here.

Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun
From: Hrothgar
Date: 01 Aug 04 - 06:15 AM

Ooooh, Jen!

Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun
From: JennieG
Date: 02 Aug 04 - 02:28 AM

Kendall, I reckon it's subversive age discrimination. And because it's subversive I don't reckon anyone could really complain. Most shopping malls here have music piped through the entire mall, then many individual shops have their own choice of music as well. Perhaps we could come up with some appropriate music suggestions here on Mudcat for shops to play?
Hrothgar - shall we trip the light fantastic at Maitland?

Cheers
JennieG

Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun
From: dunkel_esel
Date: 02 Aug 04 - 04:09 AM

I speak for the young generation.

Why do old people always complain? Is it just a fact of life? Will I complain when the day comes that I have less of a hold on society? And are we really doing such a bad job?

Second point - muzac is amazing! It is as much in our culture as.... other cultural things and I am sure it is here to stay, no matter how much people complain.

Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun
From: DMcG
Date: 02 Aug 04 - 05:07 AM

Why do old people always complain? Is it just a fact of life? Will I complain when the day comes that I have less of a hold on society? And are we really doing such a bad job?

Sounds like complaining to me, dunkel! :->


Just a few points you might like to consider. No need to answer them, just mull them over. Or answer them if you prefer, its your choice!

*) What sort of hold on society do you actually have? To what extent does society have a hold on you (and me)? Which is greater?

*) Musak is not something you choose, it something forced upon you. How do you feel about other things forced upon you? Don't you think you have the right to say? You can choose what music you play on your CD or radio, or you can turn it off if you wish. You don't have this right for musak. Try a thought experiment. Would you defend it as part of our culture if it was constant right-wing/left-wing party political broadcasts?

*) Is being all-pervasive the same thing as being part of our culture? Even if it is part of our culture and all-pervasive, does that make it A Good Thing? Compare and contrast with slavery, racism, ... If you are American, consider that being run from the UK was once part of your culture.

*) Maybe there are parts of musak you don't like. It could be, for example, you find the Christmas carols from October onwards disruptive of the musak you prefer. Or you may find that there are shops and resturants that play stuff that you find 'too old'. How strongly do you defend their right to do that?

Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun
From: DMcG
Date: 02 Aug 04 - 05:16 AM

I should perhaps point out that I don't mean to imply that muzak and racism are in any way comparable; merely that the argument that common=acceptable is more than a little suspect.

Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun
From: Billy Weeks
Date: 02 Aug 04 - 05:17 AM

Dunkel; Do the young generation know you are speaking for them?

Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun
From: kendall
Date: 02 Aug 04 - 07:13 AM

Someone once described America as simply "The freedom to choose." Well, when it comes to Muzak, we have NO freedom. We old timers were raised in an era where the music we heard was real music, not just loud pounding twanging and screeching on key.
To me, it's almost as bad as having an unwanted visitor invade my space.

Some years ago there was a drive -in quick food place in Canada where gangs of young people hung out getting on the nerves of customers. After many complaints, the manager started playing classical music on the sound system and they all left. I would seek out such a place!

Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 02 Aug 04 - 10:25 AM

I'm back. Been busy laying the new kitchen floor!

I bought the tiles at a different Home Depot (my only local source) from the one I complained about. I wore my hearing protectors. I like the soft, waxy ones by Mack which mold to the shape of your ear canal.

The music in the second Home Depot was noticeably quieter, but I still used the hearing protectors because of it and because of the noticeable rumbling of the air conditioning. It made for a nicer visit.

The huge store had only one check-out clerk working. I gave up on the possibility of getting any help finding the tools I would need, so I bought the tile and went to my corner hardware store (also a chain) for everything else.

I am convinced that there is no kind of music which will please (or fail to irritate) all the possible customers to a store, so the best kind is no music.

PS Those soft hearing protectors are Great for airline travel as well. I put them in and put headphones right over them, listening to music I like.

Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun
From: kendall
Date: 02 Aug 04 - 11:04 AM

There are ear protectors that shut out ALL sound. We use them on the firing range because the magnum hand guns make a terrible noise that can ruin your hearing.

Subject: RE: shopping used to be fun
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 02 Aug 04 - 11:31 AM

Eh? What was that?