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I went into a Starbucks the other day early in the morning that didn't have music playing yet, it was really weird. It was actually kind of disconcerting. I thi
by grawprog 8y ago
I went into a Starbucks the other day early in the morning that didn't have music playing yet, it was really weird. It was actually kind of disconcerting. I think that's the only time i've ever been in one with no music. Everybody's voices echoed really loudly. You could hear every conversation going on and people ordering from the other side of the store.
As much as I dislike their music choices usually, I kind of understand why they have it going. Though a redesign of their interiors could probably do a lot to help the empty echoey feeling without constant music.
- rc_kas 8y agoI wonder if other sounds besides music would work. Like coffee pouring background noise or panther sounds or something.
- booleandilemma 8y agoRainforest Cafe had (has?) nice ambient rainforest sounds which I enjoyed as a kid.
- psychometry 8y agoAll coffee shops and restaurants these days have terrible acoustical design. It's because any kind of acoustic treatment is more expensive than none at all.
- brokenmachine 8y agoI guess also because hard surfaces are easier to clean.
- narrator 8y agoPerhaps the music is to keep people from talking on their cell phones.
- gnicholas 8y agoIronically, there are sound loops that remote workers use to make it sound like they're working in a coffee shop (sans music) https://coffitivity.com https://coffitivity.com
- Someone1234 8y agoSometimes I use a rain loop for a similar effect. For example: https://rainymood.com https://rainymood.com There are other sites that do a similar thing. This one just has a memorable name.
- gnicholas 8y agoI use the Sunny app on my iPhone. It lets you calibrate different amounts of rain, waves, music, and bird noise.
- asteli 8y agoI experienced this in a Target last year sometime. No music over the intercom, and the energy in the place just felt more... nervous, restless. I don't know whether that's an effect inherent to silence in large spaces or whether it was an effect created by the absence of something we took for granted.
- dawnerd 8y agoWait, target plays music? I've literally never noticed and I was just in one last night. Only thing I've heard is their movies section playing teasers pretty loudly.
- pmiller2 8y agoI was in a Target yesterday that played fairly loud music over their PA. I’m not sure if it’s normal or not, because I only noticed due to the volume.
- asteli 8y agoAfter that one experience, I'm pretty sure that if I walked into a supermarket or department store and they weren't playing music, I would immediately notice.
- throwawayloco 8y agoMaybe this is part of the reason I love Costco.
- Broken_Hippo 8y agoI worked in retail for years before moving out of the states. Pharmacies, specifically. The last couple of years I worked overnights at a 24 hour location. (Hey, only robbed once while I was working - a bonus!). Anyhow, I used to go into the office and turn off the music at night. The silence you speak of was my entire excuse for turning it off: Corporate expected us to do things in the store at night, yet wait on customers like normal. The added benefit was that the store was sooo peaceful without the bad covers plus adverts they played on a loop.