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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to have asked workplace to turn the Christmas music off?

38 replies

Bintymcbintface · 15/12/2022 19:38

Just that really. I work with the public and every year from the beginning of December Christmas music is blared around the place, usually annoying but hey its Christmas, that's what happens and we just have to deal with it. This year however the songs are beyond miserable and the very few that aren't, are repeated over and over with several cover versions, 4 versions of santa baby, 5 versions of let it snow, fuck knows how many iterations of all I want for Christmas is you. Slade doesn't feature, wizzard are nowhere to be seen....One miserable example being hard candy Christmas by dolly Parton, DOLLY PARTON SOUNDS SAD, the cheery, giggly country blonde genuinely sounds like she's singing through tears. It's bringing us all down and making us angry. I'm not a grinch, I love Christmas but this is just miserable as shit

OP posts:
CharityShopChic · 15/12/2022 19:42

If I hear that fucking Slade "it's christmas" shite one more time I will not be responsible for my actions.

On shift in the charity shop this morning we had Billy Joel's greatest hits, Coldplay, Adele and Dusty Springfield. Not a "festive" song in earshot.

CharityShopChic · 15/12/2022 19:43

And I don't know who sings the breathy, awful version of "winter wonderland" which I heard in Tesco this morning, but she can do one too.

Original poster
Bintymcbintface · 15/12/2022 19:49

I'd welcome noddy and Co at least it's cheerful. The breathy shit is courtesy of one Kylie minogue, I hate it, but I have an irrational hatred of the asthmatic Minnie mouse

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IDespairOfTheHumanRace · 15/12/2022 19:51

I hear you OP - the dire, dreadful, repetitive Christmas 'music' and abysmal outpourings and warbling of artists blatantly cashing in is enough to send one insane.
Go against the flow and ask your sound system engineer for some cracking good roots reggae, punk and afrobeats instead - buck the trend, have something lively and the public may, in the main, prefer it.

But I hate Christmas, so may be biased

Original poster
Bintymcbintface · 15/12/2022 20:00

We haven't even got the shit but cheery sounding stuff, it's all depressing and gloomy with the odd I wanna hippopotamus for Christmas thrown in (fuck that song too but at least it's happy) interspersed with hymns. I'd love a bit of reggae

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WheelofLife · 15/12/2022 20:03

They had “Little Drummer Boy” on in my local supermarket. I was almost incandescent with the rage!!!!

Runmybathforme · 15/12/2022 20:04

Our local Sainsbury has the old Christmas music going, think ' chestnuts roasting in an open fire ' etc. Problem is, my son died three years ago and these songs are an absolute trigger. I forget every year that this is the case, so just keep going in there. Last Sunday saw me and my DP huddled by the extra large eggs, him holding me, and me completely unable to stop the tears. Goodness knows what people must have thought. One year it was the sight of the Christmas edition of the Radio Times that did it. It passes quickly, and I can't be the only one affected in this way. Music is such a trigger isn't it ?

Jenn3112 · 15/12/2022 20:10

I worked at Asda one year on checkouts. Long shifts of 12 hours or more with hardly any breaks and they only had about 30mins of Christmas songs on repeat. It wasn't fun. The shift I was hungover on Christmas Eve after a party was probably the worst, and then there was a fight at my checkout. Fortunately by then I was too zombified to care.

Original poster
Bintymcbintface · 15/12/2022 20:14

I'm so sorry for your loss. My colleague made this argument yesterday, why do Christmas songs have to be played, why can't people go out and about without having "it's Christmas wooo" thrown in their face as like you said, people go through a hard time at Christmas for various reasons and having all that hit them would absolutely be a trigger be it the unnecessary crappy music or just the idea that it's expected to be a happy occasion for all. I hope things get easier for you xx

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PermanentTemporary · 15/12/2022 20:14

I think most unions are missing a trick here. Campaigning for employers to have a no-repeat Christmas playlist as long as their average shift nd proven to induce positive moods would be a worker's cause everyone in the country would get behind.

megletthesecond · 15/12/2022 20:14

Xmas music at work is miserable for staff. When I worked in retail we told our manager we weren't having it until almost Xmas. Lots of customers said how nice it was having normal music in that first half of the month.
I often leave shops quickly if they play Xmas songs.

Original poster
Bintymcbintface · 15/12/2022 20:19

PermanentTemporary · 15/12/2022 20:14

I think most unions are missing a trick here. Campaigning for employers to have a no-repeat Christmas playlist as long as their average shift nd proven to induce positive moods would be a worker's cause everyone in the country would get behind.

I looked into this (idly googled) workers in Austria tried to get compensation from their employers for "psychological torture" after having being stuck on shifts with Christmas music playing for hours on end, citing studies that showed that constant Christmas music made workers aggressive, confrontational and eventually resentful of Christmas, the union stepped in and found that from a legal standpoint there wasn't anything that could be done unfortunately but they did recommend that the music was kept to peak shopping hours and nothing more. Sadly it didn't say whether the place took the recommendation on board

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Original poster
Bintymcbintface · 15/12/2022 20:20

Given that this music is depressing as fuck I wouldn't be surprised if it drove people out rather than encourage them to stay

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PhilInt · 15/12/2022 20:24

@PermanentTemporary

Totally agree. It should be enshrined in employment law, maybe even the human rights convention. I believe the current repeated songs setup should be considered a form of torture.

IDespairOfTheHumanRace · 15/12/2022 20:27

OP, "depressing as fuck" is spot on!😂

All it does is actively discourage me from entering any shop at all, apart from a quick, unavoidable dash into the supermarket to grab a few essentials and scarper as quickly as possible.

LlynTegid · 15/12/2022 20:27

Are you sure they have paid their Performing Rights Society subscription?

Agree with you that it is unreasonable. Even Slade or Kirsty MacColl/Shane McGowan whilst excellent can become overplayed.

Original poster
Bintymcbintface · 15/12/2022 20:33

We don't have music at any other time of year so I think that they have one for Christmas/new years only and then it's back to silence. I'd welcome Slade and the Pogues, they're not played on this playlist at all. We have various covers of santa baby, several covers of let it snow, sad dolly Parton, another sad country lady and fuck knows what other doom and gloom, it's that bad the majority of us don't know what the songs are (or at least didn't until we were forced to hear them on a loop for hours on end, still don't know the names of them it's more like oh it's that same miserable shite from an hour ago)

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Bideshi · 15/12/2022 20:42

Could be worse. Last year my local Co-op had 'I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus' on a loop. 'I did. I did. I know I did...' Every time it came round I just abandoned my trolley and left. Made me want to kill someone.

On a slightly different note. My daughter worked in the`Disney shop when she was at uni and only dreamed in cartoon form.

Babdoc · 15/12/2022 20:43

Quite a few years ago, I had to walk out of Tesco without finishing my shopping, as the ghastly Christmas “music” was so loud. I am autistic, and was getting close to meltdown with sensory overload. The staff I spoke to said they hated it too.
I emailed Tesco, who promptly promised to contact the store manager and deal with it.
To my surprise, when I returned the next week, the store had ditched the vile ear splitting pop songs, and was playing very, very, quiet (almost subliminal background) traditional carols. The staff were much less stressed, shoppers were relaxed, and the whole atmosphere was wonderful.
So the moral of the story is - complain. And then give them lots of praise when they get it right.

LemoncHello7 · 15/12/2022 20:43

@Runmybathforme im
sorry for your loss of your son. Your posts really resonates. We lost a family member very suddenly last Christmas. I knew December would feel like shit but the music above all else has been the biggest trigger of pain. Wish it all would piss off. I crave January in a big way

Alopeciabop · 15/12/2022 20:47

Omg please. You find songs annoying fine. I worked hospitality for years so get it but really the depressing thing is this thread. Let people enjoy Christmas and just relax.

Original poster
Bintymcbintface · 15/12/2022 20:55

You don't get it, it's not that I'm annoyed at Christmas songs. It's like this CD is "now that's what i call depression, the Christmas edition" I'm not losing the will over your bog standard Mull Of Kintyre and Rockin Robin, I'd welcome those. It is depressing music with a slight Christmas theme, it's dire

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Original poster
Bintymcbintface · 15/12/2022 20:59

Babdoc · 15/12/2022 20:43

Quite a few years ago, I had to walk out of Tesco without finishing my shopping, as the ghastly Christmas “music” was so loud. I am autistic, and was getting close to meltdown with sensory overload. The staff I spoke to said they hated it too.
I emailed Tesco, who promptly promised to contact the store manager and deal with it.
To my surprise, when I returned the next week, the store had ditched the vile ear splitting pop songs, and was playing very, very, quiet (almost subliminal background) traditional carols. The staff were much less stressed, shoppers were relaxed, and the whole atmosphere was wonderful.
So the moral of the story is - complain. And then give them lots of praise when they get it right.

I'm glad that they listened to you, I can guarantee the staff in that store considered you a hero of sorts

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sanityisamyth · 15/12/2022 21:01

DS had a lesson for one of his hobbies last night. They kept playing the first minute of Mariah fucking Carey's shitshow of a song which was infuriating.

Candlemas · 15/12/2022 21:06

I don't care for Christmas music in shops, but in my town we are occasionally privileged to have C.B.H. singing in the town centre. I won't name the singer, but by all rights she should be in the West End. An angelic voice.