The music was so loud, I could barely hear myself think in the Steve Madden shop where I was trying on a pair of cute shoes. And it wasn’t Mozart. “How can you stand it?” I asked the twenty something salesgirl at the register. “I don’t even hear it anymore,” she said. If she works there for for much longer she literally won’t hear this Madden(ing) Music, or anything else, because she is going to go deaf.
My nephew’s girlfriend worked for another fashion retailer that blared the music at deafening levels. She quit. Smart girl.
Sylvia, my FOF friend, complained about intrusive music in yet another shop. “Do you think it’s our age?” she asked me and another friend, Terry.
“I thought we were supposed to get hard of hearing,” I laughed.
“I read something about loud music making you buy more,” Terry added.
My Lord. This world is going crazy. Perhaps every one of the retail executives who decides to employ this noise attack should first be forced to sit alone in a room for 24 hours with non-stop music. And I don’t mean Mozart.
You can imagine how quiet things would get.
0 Responses to “Madden(ing) music”
Linda McCoy says:
Christmas time is my favorite time for bashing canned music. Must we hear Burl Ives sing “Have a holly jolly Christmas” one more time? Oh yes, and Elvis (love him) but “I’ll have a blue, blue Christmas without you” makes me depressed. Karen Carpenter. Bing Crosby. The list goes on. These are talented people, but have passed away. Could we please have some holiday music performed by entertainers who are still with us? Where are the marketing people? Lol!
Oh my golly have a holly jolly Christmas this year,
Linda
Nicole Ricci says:
Geri, it was the funniest thing. Here I’m thinking I just graduated from college and I am working for a company that could care less about their clients, and their actual image. So funny that I was actually embarrassed for all of my colleagues, but most of all my Managers. They should really be ashamed at themselves for running a business that pushes away clients instead of pulling them in. You would think in this economy they would have actually cared about bringing in more sales. Not only could I not hear myself think, but I had not one, but three customers complain about the music. Confronted my DM, and she could care less. I mean thats crazy. I am so happy that I walked out. Companies like that don’t deserve wonderful employees like me 😉 haha. Better yet, Companies like that don’t deserve to be in business. Pretty sickening what the world is coming to.
On a better note. Word was that you may be coming to Adam’s BBQ at the Cozy Zausmer residence this Sunday? Hope to see you there. I wear that beyond lovely perfume you gave me as a gift….everyday. I love it!
Janey B says:
Hear hear, Toby. I do NOT believe we’ve become fuddy duddies. I think we are more sensitive than many twenty somethings who grew up on noise. And I can tell you, I usually buy stuff (even if I shouldn’t) in stores where the staff are friendly and helpful.
Toby Wollin says:
They’ll try everything except the thing that will work: do a better job with customer service. Train your people. Make them valuable to customers. Give them a chance to really know the product lines. Respect experience and respect the customer and want to give them an experience that will keep them coming back. Loud music is the aural version of the seating in McDonalds.