Rumors of a Kroger-Target Merger

[dvferyance]

Anyone ever notice the complete lack of shopping music or pretty much any background noise at Target stores?

Yes and I hope it stays that way! Nearly every store I go into has shit (IMO) music blaring. I like to be able to hear myself think while I'm shopping. Even Dollar General and Family Dollar have their radios blaring. I don't need to hear Walker Hayes sing "You Broke Up With Me"  every time I set foot in Dollar General.

Same here I am getting sick of it too. I don't know why they even do it seems like a waste of electricity to me. If I want to hear music I will play what I want to hear. Does anyone even care about it?

[Max Rockatansky]

Anyone ever notice the complete lack of shopping music or pretty much any background noise at Target stores?

Yes and I hope it stays that way! Nearly every store I go into has shit (IMO) music blaring. I like to be able to hear myself think while I'm shopping. Even Dollar General and Family Dollar have their radios blaring. I don't need to hear Walker Hayes sing "You Broke Up With Me"  every time I set foot in Dollar General.

Same here I am getting sick of it too. I don't know why they even do it seems like a waste of electricity to me. If I want to hear music I will play what I want to hear. Does anyone even care about it?

I'm to understand the theory is that the music is supposed to make you lose touch with what time it is and encourage you to keep shopping. 

[Duke87]

I'm to understand the theory is that the music is supposed to make you lose touch with what time it is and encourage you to keep shopping.

Two other important factors here:

1) a lot of people are conditioned to expect constant background noise (TV is always on at home, radio is always on in the car, etc.) to the point where when it's suddenly quiet they notice and it feels weird. Having music playing therefore to some degree becomes a social norm that stores conform to for no other reason than habit / meeting customer expectations.

2) Back when elevator music and "muzak" were things, the general principle was it was supposed to be soothing, making an experience that might otherwise cause people to get stressed or impatient more pleasant. At some point, we as a society decided elevators could be quiet and stores started playing normal music instead - an evolution of the previous concept that perhaps still fulfills the same goal.

[bandit957]

The Kroger stores around here always play Thompson Twins songs I haven't heard on the radio in 30 years.

[cjk374]

I can't say I have ever heard music in Wal-Mart.

[DaBigE]

I can't say I have ever heard music in Wal-Mart.

No "Walmart radio"? Consider yourself lucky. As for Target, no music is one of the things I do enjoy about that store. Like others, after working retail for 6 years, I got sick of hearing Santana or "You Paved Over Paradise" 20 times a day.

[Takumi]

I can't say I have ever heard music in Wal-Mart.

No "Walmart radio"? Consider yourself lucky. As for Target, no music is one of the things I do enjoy about that store. Like others, after working retail for 6 years, I got sick of hearing Santana or "You Paved Over Paradise" 20 times a day.

If I could ban one song from ever being played again, it would be Smooth. It was overplayed when it came out 20 years ago, and it's still overplayed now.