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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think that songs containing offensive language are not suitable to be played in shops?

57 replies

Steinerino · 21/02/2014 13:02

I was in York on Tuesday and I went into Urban Outfitters to buy a bag I had seen on the website. I was with my 2 children aged 6 & 8.

I noticed that the music being played in the shop contained the words mother fr, nr, bitch & f*k. Repeatedly.

In my opinion these words are offensive, racist and misogynistic and unsuitable for public airing particularly when there a may be children around. I felt strongly enough about this and so complained to a member of staff that I felt this was unsuitable music to be played in a public place. Her attitude I felt was not apologetic and she said it wasn't their fault because they have no control over the music played in store and anyway there was a parental advisory notice on the door. I had a good look after leaving and couldn't see any warning notice. I left without making a purchase.

I know I am too old to fall within their target market but surely this is shortsighted to possibly alienate a group of potential shoppers? Prior to this I was a regular shopper there.

Is this a sign that I'm extremely old and out of touch with what's acceptable or would others have found this offensive?

OP posts:
VulvaBeaker · 21/02/2014 13:06

YANBU - you don't have to be "non urban" to not want to teach your children to call people niers, bihes, faots and so on - ffs that's absolutely horrendous if they want the business of people with their kids. What exactly are they suggesting about their clientele, too? It's an insult.

Almost tempted to moan about that to them myself tbh.

chocoluvva · 21/02/2014 13:10

Of course YANBU - it goes without saying.

Urban outfitters had were selling t-shirts proclaiming, 'DEPRESSION' and 'EAT LESS' recently, causing an outcry. It would seem that their marketing strategy is very cynical.

Original poster
Steinerino · 21/02/2014 13:21

Thanks for your replies. Was starting to wonder if I had lost touch with reality!

I feel so strongly about this particularly because of the disinterested attitude of the staff, I think I might write an official complaint to the chief exec.

Vulva feel free to busy body away, I'd be delighted.

Chocoluvva I find those slogans sickening in part due to the fact I work in MH.

OP posts:
Marylou2 · 21/02/2014 14:00

YANBU. Also Urban Outfitters had lots of bad press for selling Christmas cards with Merry f*ing christmas on the front. Just ghastly!

RiverTam · 21/02/2014 14:06

YANBU, and I would email their head office.

I used to work in bookshops and in one branch the manager of all people would put the music on full blast! OK, it was The Beatles so not offensive but loud music in a bookshop! C'mon!

Tuhlulah · 21/02/2014 14:10

YA SO NBU! I am so fed up with taking Ds 12 into shops to hear overly loud music with sexual references or sweat words. He is old enough now that we just look at each other with raised eyebrows. But why should we have to put up with it?

But I am fed up with loud music in shops FULL STOP! It is a shop not a nightclub. Too loud and too intrusive. I walked out of a shop the other day because the music level was just unbearably loud. There is nothing i want to buy that much that I will put up with being blasted with loud noise.

Shop assistant: Can I help you?
Me: Yes, turn the music down.

Tuhlulah · 21/02/2014 14:11

sorry, swear words.

UnexpectedItemInShaggingArea · 21/02/2014 14:13

YANBU

I really want to organise a flashmob of grannies into a branch of Urban Outfitters and/or Abercrombie & Fitch.

We could squint about in the semi darkness demanding they turn the lights up and music down, tut about the quality of the stitching, instagram our saggy, wrinkly, overweight selves from the changing rooms and cover the surfaces in lace doilies, china pekinese figurines and lavender-scented pot pourri.

Who's with me? Grin

chocoluvva · 21/02/2014 14:16

Tuhlulah - I've responded to a "Can I help you?" with the same reply (to DD's embarrassment) Grin

Once I made DD return a t-shirt to TopShop that she had bought for a friend as it had swearing on the front. When the assistant asked if there was anything wrong with it I said , "Yes, it's offensive". The assistant wasn't in the slightest bit bothered.

chocoluvva · 21/02/2014 14:17

Ooh I'm with you Unexpected.

MaidOfStars · 21/02/2014 14:22

Hahhahahah, I had a very similar experience in Urban Outfitters - perhaps it is company policy? At Christmas, I was browsing the gift section when I heard the starting bars of a dance song that I knew to, in it's original version, contain liberal swearing. However, I assumed it would be a radio edit so only had half an ear out.

Sure enough, here comes the bridge, the background tune drops and all anyone can hear, bellowing around the shop, is a very loudmouthed singer screaming...

"I guess that cunt getting eaten"

X 4.

I died from laughter but can see how others wouldn't find it amusing.

akachan · 21/02/2014 14:26

Ha, yes I had a similar one as well. I was in a shop with my MOTHER and the lyric "got her panties off but that pussy was stinking" rang out clear as a bell. I pretended not to notice.

Tuhlulah · 21/02/2014 14:31

And we -the flashmob of grannies- can then go to other shops. I am including on the list my local Tesco. Only supermarket in an urban village and following refurbishment has ceased to sell anything other than crisps and sandwiches (or so it seems). It doesn't care about me trying to buy food for cooking, just wants to sell beer, sandwiches and crisps to lunch time workmen. And jazz mags.I complained that they had soft porn (isn't Nuts magazine soft porn?) in full view of the school children who queue up to buy sweets after school and these are now removed to a higher shelf. But they have a section called 'Women's Interest' which is TV/'celeb' mags and things like Cosmopolitan, etc. But New Scientist and Private Eye is under Men's Interests. How fucking dare they? I think about fire-bombing them every time I go in for this alone! bastards.

Plus the till favoured by the shop assistants is behind a concrete pillar so you can't pack your bag and can't get your money out without smashing your elbows.

Tuhlulah · 21/02/2014 14:32

My God, where are all these sexist and misogynistic lyrics coming from?
You don't get this in John Lewis.

nessus · 21/02/2014 14:32

YAMDNBU. It really aggravates me when I encounter this as well. We should name and shame...

BANK clothing

lazyhound444 · 21/02/2014 14:34

We were on holiday at a hotel in Majorca last year. It was supposedly family friendly but every day at the pool those sort of lyrics you mention in your OP were blasting out. I just found it a bit depressing.

MrsDmitriTippensKrushnic · 21/02/2014 14:37

They definitely used to produce shop-friendly versions of albums. I still have a couple of CDs from when I worked at Woolies which had all the swearing muted (don't know why I still have them, nostalgia I guess) which HO sent out to play during opening hours.

Lunaballoon · 21/02/2014 14:45

Me too unexpected! While Christmas shopping in UO, we were subjected to similar god awful loud, offensive noise. I also complained to an assistant who rolled her eyes in sympathy. At least we got out as quickly as possible. She had to put up with it all day long!

Marylou2 · 21/02/2014 15:32

Forgot to mention that I was in a bar/restaurant in Egypt last year and heard an offensive lyric played loudly.I mentioned it discreetly to the bartender who switched it off immediately. He looked horrified. If only we could expect this type of response at home.

EduCated · 21/02/2014 15:39

Complain to Head Office. I used to work in a shop that was part of a reasonably large chain - we literally didn't have any control over the music apart from volume. It would arrive on a funny floppy disk thing each month that had to be loaded into a special machine. So store staff may well be right that they don't have any control.

Luckily our music wasn't offensive. Just crap. The Croatians music would arrive 1st November each year Sad

BobFlemming · 21/02/2014 16:27

At the Foresters Inn in Centerparcs they were playing the non-edited version of GoldDigga - " I ain't sayin she a gold digger, but she ain't messin wi no broke n*as."
I was astonished.

ricericebaby · 21/02/2014 16:32

I want some Croatians music Grin

StepAwayFromTheEcclesCakes · 21/02/2014 16:41

I can't understand why they need such awful lyrics tbh I bought an emeinem Cd once as I liked some of his chart stuff back in the days of slim shady and had no idea.... put it on as I got in the car, the first track was about stuffing a hamster up his arse and cummin repeatedly, I was Shock turned the car round and took it straight back!

LetZygonsbeZygons · 21/02/2014 17:28

YASOOOOOOOOOOOONBU.
Ive also walked out of shops due to this, and ive said -while hoiking up my boobs les Dawson style- its a shop not a nightclub, and this was in a shop with childrens section in it with lewd lyrics.

FlockOfTwats · 21/02/2014 17:37

Yanbu.

I wasn't happy when a shop full of TVs had Nikki minage girating around rubbing her fanjo up and down men in full view of several children, and i don't particularly want to see it either.

I was shocked at alton towers too when they played lily allens "not fair".

For those who don't know lyrics include;

"Oh i lie here in the wet patch in the middle of the bed, I'm feeling pretty damned hard done by i spent ages giving head"

Obviously not going to be picked up fully by children but my mouth fid drop open a bit when it played that bit, ex asked what was wrong and said it is normally censored on radio because hes always wondered what she was singing when hes heard it.