Groceteria.com

Why did supermarkets play so much music in store back in the day? I know you could say it was entertainment, to get people to spend more money perhaps, but was there something more to it? What kind of "mood" were they really trying to set?

Musiak or the music that was piped into stores had two purposes 1. Two make the customer relax and thus spend more time in the store, thus buying more impulse items. 2. Store Cast, which was owned by Acme, was used to sell vendors in store Ad Time around a Music Program.
The Store Manager in the latter days was able to match up various music channels to his stores demographics. In the early days, it simply was a tape or casset that played over and over again. In the days where whoever closed worked from 8am to 9Pm you could loose your mind, heraring the same songs very half hour. At Christmas time you could learn to depise Christmas Carrols by Christmas Eve.
It has become some what a thing of the past. Customers have become intolerent of each others, Music choices and would often complain to who ever was in charge, sometimes not in the most politicaly correct way.

Vintage music (Muzak?) is still alive and well at Walgreens...there is more 50s-60s music played over the intercoms there than on most oldies stations!

Hi, Yes you spelled it correctly I didn!T ! That makes perfect sense who needs a pharmacy more then folks who remember when the oldies were new!
Ah, Food Chains need those folks, thier Kids and their Grand Kids . Kids to grow the busines and can!t rely on Father Time, to provide tomorows customers.

Some stores these days have a very strict "NO MUSIC" policy. Target is a good example.

What bothers me though are the stores which play jingles for certain products over the P.A. and usually at a louder volume. Not long ago at my local Fred Meyer they were playing the "Pillow Pets" jingle every five minutes or so and that got annoying fast.

Here is a site with MP3s from an old record of background music specifically intended for use in S.S Kresge stores in the early 60s, and sure enough, the stuff hits every bouncy string cliche in the book.

During my short period of employment at a long-gone discount department store which shall remain nameless, the music rarely came into focus. I just kind of "tuned it out"-- although it was noticed when it was turned off after the store closed for the night.

But when it did come into focus... my head hurt. Imagine a schmaltzy version of "Nights in White Satin" with the lyrics replaced with "la la la la la la... la la la la..."

On a more positive note, Wegmans tends to play a range of music that skews more contemporary (though it's hard to imagine something less contemporary than the above). I don't know who programs it but I think it's well done, and once in a while I hear something I'd like to find for my own music library.

I'm also pleased when I hear a song in Wegmans that I think deserves more "airplay" like Natalie Imbruglia's "Wrong Impression" (she is best known for "Torn").

And being pleased with music being played makes for a "better" shopper, no?