to feel so sorry for retail staff for the next 7 weeks?

[OtraCosaMariposa]

Have just been on a shoe shopping expedition, in and out of several stores. M&S, which doesn't usually have music playing, already has Elton warbling about stepping into Christmas and Mariah telling us what she wants for Christmas.

It's the THIRD OF NOVEMBER. There are over 7 weeks to Christmas Those poor staff having to listen to this shite on repeat for almost 2 months. And they wonder why everyone's switching to online shopping?

I thought the same in Costa yesterday. I did order one of their Christmas hot chocolates though so I'm probably not helping matters!

Oh I don't know...when I worked in retail I really enjoyed the Christmas songs. I'm probably going to be in the minority though.

I loved the work but the music drove me demented.

M&S had their Christmas menu up on the 1st November and it looks rubbish. The sandwich selection is woeful so I feel sorry for the staff that will have to deal with complaints from now till Christmas!

When I worked retail, Christmas songs were the least of my worries. Even though my store couldn’t afford to play the real versions, and played cheap covers instead!

The worst was not having the “right” stock. I worked Christmas Eve the year the Nintendo Wii first came out. I lost count of how many times I was called “you cunt” that day by people hoping to purchase one the day before Christmas, only to be told we were out of stock (weeks ago). Shockingly, they didn’t seem to consider that the sixteen-year-old in front of them wasn’t in charge of ordering stock...

Merry fucking Christmas!

Retail staff know what they’re getting into , I’m sure they can handle it.
We had the same songs on loop in the bar I worked at when I was younger and that was crappy Jazz so I’d rather Christmas songs !

Sasha really? You lost count of the times someone called you that? Find that a bit hard to believe

Yes, really. The store I worked in was not very nice, and isn’t particularly known for having a “naice” clientele, either. We had a queue of people to the shop door all day, and had to give the same message about the Wii over and over, despite the signs up all over the shop. Add in the “stressed” atmosphere of last minute shopping, and several groups who’d clearly come straight from the pub, and there you go. Us till staff didn’t have a very pleasant shift that day.

I’ve worked in a card shop. They start playing Christmas music in August! One per hour, as time goes on the frequency increases.

I enjoyed it

*

It's the THIRD OF NOVEMBER. There are over 7 weeks to Christmas Those poor staff having to listen to this shite on repeat for almost 2 months.

Was the same 20odd years ago when I worked in a hotel. Never got any sympathy back then.

I work retail and the run up to Christmas the crappy music is the least of my problems. 3 times the size stock deliveries, no extra staff, random nights of late night shopping, the general mess shoppers leave the Christmas isles in, the increase in shop lifters and stock loss, the heat of working in store with the heating blasting down from the ceil ducts all day and then you have the great general public who think someone who is earning just above minimum wage is responsible for their crappy shopping experience.

I did Christmas temp work at John Lewis last year. We weren't allowed to have our Christmas music on. Most disappointed.

I think it was just in certain parts of the store and I was on menswear.
If you want to feel sorry for retail staff it should be because customers think they can try clothes on 5 minutes before store closes at 8pm. And don't get me started on women insisting on going into the men's fitting room with their partners! I used to explain that in the same way men are not allowed in a ladies fitting room they could not go into the men's. If there was no other men using the fitting room I would allow them in but it's also a theft issue.

*were not was

It's par for the course. Retail sucks regardless of Xmas tunes.

I refuse to engage with it, it's my personal version of hell (Aspergers). Black friday amazon+wowcher+pick your own tree farm+booking a Christmas dinner at my local place. At the very best, I might go by a bauble to support the local Christmas market.

I Christmas temped in the children's department in Debenham's in the 90s and the music didn't start until december. But they were also cheapskates and we had the rerecorded versions, a tape of about 10 songs on repeat which lasted 20 minutes ish, if you were on a 8 hour shift you'd hear the same song 24 times.

Just horrendous. I'm not a fan of loud music in shops at any time, DD likes to shop in New Look and the music in there is deafening. Bur Mariah and Elton can crawl back into their little holes for another six weeks at least.

Retailers have to pay royalties to the artists for their piped music that is why you will find a lot of stores are now using covers and less music tapes so the same stuff over and over again.
The high street is struggling to survive so a large chain store can make big savings this way.

I did 6 years of supermarket check outs while the girls were little.

The music seemed to cycle through the same 6 songs all day. I remember the year Susan Boyle brought out an album and every few Christmas songs it was advertised on asda radio. ‘Wild horses ‘ seemed to be the only lyrics Played.

I personally ‘ruined christmas’ for Many customers as there was no turkeys left by 4pm on Christmas Eve.

As a student I worked at argos the Christmas telly tubbies were released. They went out of stock within minutes but we would have people banging on the store window before opening shouting that we were lying to customers and had them in stock and demanding we let them in to get them. It was really frightening to see grown adults red in the face and practically foaming at the mouth.

It was before the automated system That told you what number to go to collection point as well. Customers used to crowd round the desk and shout and swear for their stuff.

I worked in Boots as a student. I remember o started half term week and we had a selection of songs including Christmas ones from the week I started. They were okay for a bit, then really annoying, then I blanked them out altogether. They didn’t change the music until mid-January though!

I haven't worked in retail for 2 decades and I used to love the Christmas music, it just made me excited. But I am a bit dim though, so there's that.

Christmas seems to bring out th bad manners in lots of people. In M&S I watched a woman hurl a Christmas cake on the floor because the till roll had be changed at the checkout. Saw two old ladies fighting over a turkey and a man trying to pay for the acetate display box that housed the contents of a toilet bag.
Shops seem full of people frothing at the mouth and snarling

I don't mind retail at Christmas but it's not Christmas yet. Christmas should be December only.

Selfridges overdo it with the music, I try to avoid going there after Black Fridays sales, I do feel sorry for the staff.

I love listening to Nat king Cole and Bing Crosby while browsing , feels so festive,

It’s the Mariah Carey and WHAM songs that makes me want flee.

I work in retail , don't feel sorry for me .. I choose to work there and can zone it out if I don't like it ! 🤷‍♀️