Which shops play the most annoying background music?

Well this is a turn up for the book. Barely a week ago I was again criticising M&S in the Which? Conversation on a good shopping exprience for not listening to their customers and now . . . Hey Presto! . . . they have come to their senses. Perhaps they couldn’t hear us over the din. Do you think they have been reading this column?

As Dorothy says, now we have to keep the pressure up on B&Q and the Coop. I know for a fact that the staff in neither chain like the music – they tend to be of a more mature demographic, and even Bill the Bodger and his mates who use B&Q for their supplies prefer what they listen to on their tinny radios while messing up your house.

Neither of the M&S stores that I visit has played music except at Christmas. Having encountered ones that do play music, I have been lucky.

Brilliant news! Hooray! Joy! At last I can go back to shopping in my favourite clothing store. As I reported here last year, I pointed out the huge Which? Conversation response to M&S (in a real paper letter!), and their reply didn’t even mention Which?! What a difference in attitude; this new CEO seems to be a listener, thank goodness. I will certainly write to congratulate him.

Thank you so much for your interest, Patrick. I have been thinking that Which? has gone very quiet on this issue which affects so many consumers, so it’s good to know that you are still there.

Was that a two for one offer? 🙁

The same situation with Morrisons in Ipswich: loud bass-bombing songs. I stopped going there. For me now Sainsbury’s! Even three times further.

Hi Alexa – I am pleased to report that Morrisons has turned down the music and in most of the store it is inaudible. I cannot remember hearing any music since the recent refurbishment of the store. You might be lucky soon.

If more people voted with their feet companies wold have to change things they now do Lazy ,cannot be bothered or what stops them from doing it ?

“Why then were staff instructed to tell everyone who complained that no one else complained and everyone else liked it?” Because there is a corporate bullying culture on the high street brought about by the recession and fierce competition. It’s not until the City gets the willies about sales figures and profits that the management changes tack, and then grudgingly.

There are times when I have gone home in tears because of staff/management responses in shops. The CoOp has been the nastiest, with Morrison’s second.

Your comment prompts me to observe that M&S did not cite the impact on people with a hearing impairment as a reason for their action – it was all down to their “extensive research” [??] and their diligent attention to feedback from their customers and colleagues.

I would be tempted to leave particularly pungent mothballs all round the branch to counteract the scent. Alternatively go to the counter wearing a gas mask and make them listen carefully to what you are saying.

It’s good to have an alliterative complaint – it makes a change from all the illiterate ones.

I’m reviving this thread because for the second time in a week ive drunk up my drink quicker than I intended because of being assailed by the so called music in Morrisons.

I travel a lot in my job and will often kill time between appointments by having a hot drink in a cafe. Today I was in Rochdale Morrisons where we were being subjected to not just the usual uncalled for piped music but a peculiarly unsuitable selection of music at that.
Excuse me if I’m wrong but I thought there was some sort of ‘science’ behind the selections they play involving at least some degree of relaxation
Well not going by what ive heard in be Morrison’s recently because today the selections were heavily weighted to the most awful whining indie – and I don’t mean a bit of feel good Oasis no this was dire 8os student union stuff with at least 3 Cure tunes in the period I was there.

This is just bizarre as do the management really believe that anyone other than the narrowest band of shoppers have their shopping experience improved by being subjected to this. And it becomes completely surreal when you imagine Morrisons think the average pensioner want to hear it. For anyone else such such specialised choices are a complete turn off if not a downright annoyance. . And it’s not even got the excuse of at least being current.

What has made me bother writing this though is that on my travels a couple of weeks ago I was in Morrisons in Todmorden, Yorkshire and heard exactly the same teeth grindingly annoying sounds.so it’s obviously not some rogue shop worker sticking his compilation on the shop sound system.

And then there’s Starbucks and even the usually more sensible Costa with their eternal dreary singer songwriters once again if you don’t Like this kind of music you probably actively dislike it.

I just find the whole idea of this completely surreal – the massed ranks of English pensioners or 20 something hairdressers or shop assistants and most of the rest of us too not just being forced to listen to music of any kind but something so bizarrely average consumer unfriendly.

I haven’t bothered reading all 1000 plus responses above but does anyone know why we have to put up with ANY music in shops when all surveys show most find it a complete turn off.

And if the shops in their wisdom insist we need at least some music why not at least playbmuted light instrumental music. Most music with vocals is only going to put the back up of at least a large part of it’s customers at any one time, if not cause some of us to leave before we intended.

Music in shops has always vaguely irritated me but having my eating and drinking experience ruined by almost fingers-down-a-blackboard-like music twice in a short period of time I’d be pleased to find out what the shops think they’re doing.

You have the option to play music through earphones, Chris. Some of us hate the music and cannot do much about it.

Not having any personal experience of the atmosphere inside a morgue, Chris, I thought your comment must be a wind-up but as I read on I realised you were being deadly serious about music in shops. I have to agree with Wavechange’s reply. There is plenty of evidence in this and related Conversations that music in shops and other places is deeply distressing to many people with hearing difficulties as it interferes with their auditory reception, affects their concentration, strains their mental faculties, and can cause pain. Set alongside that, your desire for some broadcast musical entertainment while you shop seems rather unsympathetic. Does any music do for you from classical to rap and beyond, or does it have to be your personal taste?

What’s needed in a morgue is some ‘death metal’ music. Enough to wake the dead.

I wouldn’t mind Classical music being played in shops. Mozart and Haydn could well be conducive to shopping, and Baroque would probably be okay, too. Nothing after Beethoven, though; The Ring being played during a sale could prove a little too stimulating.

I enjoy classical music though I’m accustomed to sitting down and listening to it rather than using it as background music. If you must, but don’t overdo the dissonance.

Shops that don’t play music aren’t silent, Chris. They are full of the sounds of people going about their shopping. Is Primark silent? John Lewis? Aldi? Lidl? Waitrose? M&S?

Shops should play music for all taste old new classical country chart have something for staff and customers to listen to and to please all customer but to have it not full blast so it won’t affect people but you can just about hear it,I love all types music and it should be shops that older people shop in the Waitrose m and s John Lewis should be playing classical music 60s 70s 80s music shops that younger people shop in should be chart music.play for the audicance

Thanks for your review, Duncan. I won’t be looking for that channel in view of your report.

I am still recovering from an hour in B&Q on Tuesday.