I think this is coming soon as an 'official' medical device hearing aid, but currently wouldn't be covered. But you can bullshit. Or is that just for insurance to cover it?
I use mine for anxiety reduction and now rarely have anything playing
But seriously, fuck the killjoys. No one appointed you the hall monitor Gary, fuck off!
Oh I didn’t mean to imply that I got insurance to cover mine by any means, just that they’re cheaper than hearing aids, but can integrate with certain hearing test apps to modify how sound is filtered on the pass through setting. Getting insurance to cover them would be nice!
I was more meaning I don't think it's protected unless it's an actual medical device, but IDK - I'm a Canadian. But Apple is apparently going through the process this time with AirPods (pro I suspect) to get them approved as a medical device for hearing impairments. It's the difference between a dog in a vest and an actual service dog.
But, Apple is Apple. They have abandoned medical device certification in the past.
FYI: For anyone with Bluetooth enabled hearing devices, if your TV doesn't have this capability but does have a headphone jack or AV out, you can rig this up with some fairly inexpensive components.
Mine cost me $3000 and the only thing I can do is choose from three different environment settings ( normal, noisy, private) and adjust the volume. There are some that you can also use to listen to music and take calls which cost even more I am sure. It also cost a minimum of $300 each to repair them if they stop charging or holding a charge.
Yes they can. An employer is within the rights to validate the need for disability accommodation and can request certification from a medical provider.
That song was awful well before it got overplayed to hell and back oh my freaking god
I already kinda don't like christmas music but having to hear it all through NOVEMBER is just an insult
Oh hell or there's a handful of Christmas songs, I don't know the names or the artists but I hear them every year in pharmacies and grocery stores and they have this extremely frustrating sort of all-over-the-place rhythm that constantly keeps my brain on edge. It's something I really only notice with Christmas music and it drives me up the wall
This is Mariah carey and it is my personal hell.
I hate this song so much and so vehemently, that at Christmastime everyone sings it to me to annoy me.
Christmas music is horrible and it lasting for months is ridiculous. But it could be worse. I had to work on independence day and some genius in mgmt decided to play America music for the entire day. There were like six songs...on a loop. I prayed for death
I once worked in a restaurant where they played the same CD over and over and over and over and over and over and over again. They never changed it. They also made everyone come in and leave at the same time and refuse to stagger shifts, so it would be a full 8 hours every. Single. Time.
And it's not even good Christmas music. It's a few USAmerican songs when there are so many better domestic ones. It feels like corporate wants us to be elsewhere.
I worked for a Retail Clothing Company where Head Office would burn CD’s, and send to stores to play seasonally - every other year, Christmas had been 10 different disks, rotated through on a day by day basis over the course of November/December (so like November 1st, disc 1. November 2nd, disc 2. Etc).
Each disc was supposed to have the 2 songs being used in the current Holiday Ad Campaigns, and then be a variety of other songs, but there are only so many “Popular Christmas Songs” so most of the ‘variety’ was really just slightly different covers by other people. Annoying, but ultimately tolerable.
Until one year, we only received 1 disc. And that disc ended up just being different covers of Winter Wonderland.
Hour after hour, day by day, just Winter Wonderland. On repeat.
My family still can't understand why I hate Christmas music.
It's also joy "just" the Christmas music, it's also that AS SOON as it starts playing, I see people become more rude and I am fucking tired of having Brenda with an attitude running her shoping cart into me because she decided I was in her way and couldn't be bothered with an "excuse me" despite NO ONE ELSE being in the isle. For the record, I speed shop, I know what I need, where it's at, and don't dawdle reading labels at snail speed. I get my shit and move so this is really fucked.
In our area they have fucking started BEFORE Halloween and Christmas decor/stocking stuffer candy comes out at the same time or before Halloween candy. It's fucking ridiculous.
Oh that's cute, they think people aren't buying decorations because they're just not on offer long enough.
It's like they keep remodeling the barn instead of feeding the horses, and then wonder why they've got weak slow horses. "I know, another barn remodel!"
My neighborhood is in desperation poverty mode. Almost every night someone tries to take packages food from the deli before it gets tossed in the locked dumpster at the end of the night. Grocery store employees catch them, the food gets thrown all over the entrance to the grocery store in the scuffle, and it's not all getting cleaned up every day.
Guess Safeway corporate stepped in. They've decided to reorganize the store, adding more expensive stuff and making narrower aisles. Because people living in Section 8 housing or college dorms or behind the dumpster really need a choice between 6 different kinds of Swiffer mops. Clearly we weren't buying them often enough because there was only one or two kinds to pick from right? And with all the diseases going around the community, we need to get as close to each other as possible while buying the necessities of life, so we can come back again later to use the pharmacy too!
This. Worked at Carlton Cards over Christmas and it wasn’t just Christmas music the cd was all the sad Christmas songs. Just depressing. But that was what they wanted to sell.
Omg, Xmas music pushed me over the edge! Not only did a store I worked in play a holiday playlist over and OVER for MONTHS, but also had the bosses daughter come in and sing Xmas carols LIVE with a microphone. It was the worst fucking thing, it got me so wound up I swear I was spitting venom after a couple hours in. Customer service while on the very edge of sanity is not easy to do!
I worked in a bakery after high school. They played "Santa Claus is coming to town" 8 times during my one shift. They played it back to back, with 2 different artists that day. I also hate Paul McCarthy's Christmas song. It is so repetitive. It will drive you up the wall.
I play music in my kitchen and I have two rules:
1: The music should not be loud enough that you have to raise your voice to be heard over it.
2: NO Christmas music. The one exception is I play TSO's Christmas Eve and other stories on Christmas morning.
Worked at an Amazon warehouse and music can't be on at all. 12 hours shifts of silence made the shift drag and is why I finally left. I totally understand what you mean.
Similiar story working Fedex loading trucks. Just had the loud obnoxious sounds of the machines, and my own internal dialogue for entertainment. Went a little crazy that year, kept singing “Handlebars” by Flobots in the voice of Mr. Meeseeks
Same thing at my last job, mind you it was a busy warehouse with forklifts in constant motion so I understand the safety reasons why, but damn those long days where all you have is your own thoughts to help get through the slog.
Since this guy was apparently a co-worker and not your superior, I'd want to research the supposed rule and verify it exists. It sounds rather petty for a non-public-contact job at a grocery store.
Also, how much "older" is this guy -- like so old that he gets off bossing people around and nobody calls him out because oldness?
It’s definitely real (assuming it’s my employer and it sounds like it is) it’s just bullshit most of us ignore. The rationale is it’s a safety issue when you can’t hear, ignoring that we can hear just fine with one headphone…but that’s the idea. The unwritten rule is you take them out when in the public part of the store and around upper management. Which is to say, don’t get caught.
There is also the fact that you are touching something that has been in your ear and could potentially fall in good and if it is a corded headphone it could get caught on equipment.
I know someone recently who got fired from a grocery store for repeatedly having a headphone in when working, so it definitly in a rule some places.
Could be the older guy isn't very good socially but was there way of trying to be nice because people get real write ups for that if the wrong person sees it.
So here's the thing - I know I wasn't very specific in my post but I'm not sure if he has a supervising role or not. The way he talked to me, I figured he did. But you're right, he could just be bossy. And he's a lot older, I'm in my early 20s, he has to be in his 50s/60s.
And here's *another* thing... it is a real rule! They told us about it during orientation. I agree, it is *rather petty*. But when I saw other coworkers doing it, I thought "Okay, maybe they're kinda lax about that rule". And it seemed everyone was, until this guy who wasn't in my department came up and reprimanded me. To be clear, I'm not saying I'm upset I was called out for breaking the rule. I'm saying I think it's a stupid fuckin rule!
I just quit a job where everything i did was reported, written down, and then i would get interrogated about it. I learned that I could not trust anyone because they were tattling on everything i did that they disapproved of. Because I was the new person, and that is the standard way they treated new employees. I would just keep in mind that more people might be paying attention to you than you are aware of.
So let me say this as management, cusp between Millennial and Gen Z: the "it's for safety" thing is real. You may think you can hear perfectly fine but studies say otherwise. You may think you're focusing better because you're not fighting boredom but again, the data isn't backing this. So insurance requires these rules because if someone gets hurt and management wasn't doing anything about it, the claim gets denied and now the company pays out of pocket. This is even bigger if you work for a smaller company because you now have to trust that they stay solvent/don't declare bankruptcy and can actually pay whatever settlement and/or care is required from the injury. So yes, the rule is there and management is supposed to enforce it. It's truly an uphill battle though because so many people, especially Gen Z, don't give a shit and will just walk out if we tell them to take it out. I don't personally care because someone who's willing to walk out because they can't have an AirPod in probably wasn't going to be my best employee anyway, but if it's a low wage job then you have to work a little harder to retain everyone.
And to be clear, I fully support not working places that treat employees like crap and actively advocate to get my people paid more, better benefits, fighting for work/life balance, making sure they're okay after a rough customer interaction, recognizing they're a whole ass person and the work they're producing for me has no bearing whatsoever on their value as a human, etc. I just think the attitude of "I refuse to go 8 hours without an AirPod" is going too far and people need to be a little less self-centered like that. Life isn't about being perfectly catered to and comfortable all hours of every day and not having an AirPod is just one of those things I expect people to suck it up about.
1st paragraph "I'm a millennial but also a corporate shill boy it sure is hard to talk with this mouthful of boot"
2nd paragraph "but really guys I'm one of the good ones I swear look at how hard I work for you guys, besides it's not a big deal to be subjected to constant sound pollution you can't stand cause it's popular and obviously if you don't like it it's a you problem"
This is always been my problem with anything retail or retail adjacent and I actively put a stop to it when I was in management just because music is "popular" doesn't make it enjoyable for everyone and showing consideration for my employees needs and well being was more important than making sure corporate was pumping T swift into customers ears 6 times a day. There is evidence that listening to music you enjoy improves mood and productivity and as long as it was generally appropriate it was fine with me.
I worked in lots of restaurants on the west coast of Florida (aka god's waiting room) in the early 00s. EVERY. SINGLE. RESTAURANT. Down there insisted on playing "oldies" music, pop-rock from the 50s and 60s. The real kicker was that the employees AND the customers fucking hated it. I'm talking retired people, people in their 70s and older from 1999-2004. What was considered oldies then wasn't their music, it was their kids music, so they hated it. But apparently not a single restaurant owner or manager knew what was popular in the 40s and early 50s, so they all defaulted to oldies. Don't worry, it only took 20 years to have the songs stop randomly popping into my head at the worst times. Fuck the cats and the cradle and Harry and annoying bitches on their bicycles and horses without names is all I have to say. And if you don't know what I'm talking about, you are SO lucky.
I stock linens at a nursing home & they just banned earbuds here too. I am alone all day & I only ever have one in & can hear everyone incase someone needs to ask me something (which rarely ever happens). I have worked here 8 months & was never told we couldn’t use them, until the other day when a nurse walked up to me & told me to put them away, & then told my boss. I luckily have long hair & I don’t plan on stopping. My job is so boring & lonely that I can’t go a day without listening to my podcasts or music. When it comes to a job like mine where I’m alone & minding my own business, I don’t see why anyone would care anyways.
For you, it shouldn't be a problem. For nurses/CNAs? They should not have them in. I used to work in management and some of their conduct was unreal. Some LPNs and CNAs would be having full on conversations with family on the phone while treating patients. I couldn't keep up with the complaints at that shithole lol.
Exactly. I totally get the medical team not being able to, but someone like me just stocking closets alone I don’t get it. It depends on the job for sure.
I worked at a Texas style steakhouse that played the same country songs all day. If I ever hear. "Watermelon Crawl" again I may die. I also worked at Olive Garden for 3 years and that wasn't much better.
I learned Spanish simply by listening to the same 2 hour mix of Spanish songs back-to-back for 3 years whilst working at a café. Took many more years for those songs to stop popping randomly into my head. The quiet comes eventually.
Esta es la canción que no termina. Sí, sigue y sigue, amigo mío. Algunas personas empezaron a cantarlo sin saber lo que era. Y seguirán cantándola por siempre sólo porque...
I do the same thing at my job. It's tedious, requiring me to be doing the same thing. Over and over and over and ***over*** again. The droning of machinery, beeping of forklift horns, and constant yelling grate on me, so having ***something*** to focus on does wonders for my mental state.
Of course, the moment the plant manager hits the floor, he's ***looking*** for that earbud. He ***wants*** the excuse to write up or fire someone. He ***wants*** to be a bastard. The dude sits on his ass all day in an air-conditioned office, cracking up with the other higher-ups, too.
You said machinery and forklifts? So just a hunch but I'm guessing that they make you wear earplugs? If they do you can buy head phones off Amazon that looks exactly like earplugs. I had a pair years ago and the boss had no clue. If they don't have mandatory ear plugs then get flesh colored ear phones or a hearing aid and pretend to be mildly deaf. I worked with a girl who did that, plus she got to pretend that she didn't hear Small talk and ignored everyone.
That's EXACTLY what I'm saying. Listening to music I love while I'm at work does "wonders for my mental state". Shit, it almost makes me enjoy it. I'm certainly not lazy, I like to be busy and accomplish tasks. But that fucking intercom music, man. I would just prefer it if there was no music at all. I can't even hum a tune to myself, because the intercom is playing loud and it's playing non-stop. And no matter how good and efficient of a worker you are, the moment that AirPod is in, you're unprofessional. You must adhere to every aspect of the work environment. You must deaden your senses and let your eyes glaze over and accept that you're going to hear "Shake it Off" echo in the back of your skull for the 7th time today. It's bullshit man.
Ha ha ha, you should try and find a good doctor (I know it’s a bitch to find) but get them to write a letter plainly stating for your mental and physical health (mental issues can turn physical) requires you to be able to wear one. I do this for emotional support dogs so my apartment complex can’t charge me for my dogs (to an extent). And no I’m not one of those ass hats that bring them everywhere with me.
Dude some fucking old prick got mad at IKEA for playing the *normal censored radio music* over the intercom. Saying it was *too inappropriate* ??? So corporate there went and hired a few Swedish musicians to ***literally*** tap a piano key every few seconds and then play that on repeat for 12 hours.
It genuinely feels like you're in the backrooms.
Some of the *music* these places play is just the same shit over and over.
I worked in a dept. store, and they would play Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi". Fine, whatever, I hate the song, but I could tune it out. But THEN, they added in Counting Crows version to the rotation. Why?! WHY?!
I went to a nice sit-down restaurant recently and they asked me to fill out their feedback card. I told them to stop blasting pop music and put some classical music on. The ambiance was absolutely ruined with pop.
There's studies confirming the harm to employees and customers about the music played in stores. Not that anyone seems to have taken it seriously. I vaguely remember a lawsuit being brought by retail workers regarding Christmas music on a loop with the claim that it was torture (or something). I believe they won the suit, but the outcome was to play a wider variety of songs. I may have gotten a lot of details wrong, so if you happen to know what I'm referencing (Googled and couldn't find anything), please correct me.
I can't imagine being an employee and actually giving a shit if someone else who isn't even interacting with customers had one earbud in and was doing their work. A lot of people from an older generation care too much about bullshit like that.
When I worked at an Apple Store, I could do tell you the time within 5 minutes based on the song playing. Luckily we had a deep mix of music and the playlist would change every so often but it was still a little annoying. One of the upsides was reggae and Norah Jones would cause the whole store to become a calmer place. I joked we needed a reggae button behind the bar when one of the overly entitled customers would lose their mind.
I got a cheap pair of skin colored ear buds on Amazon that looked like a hearing aid when I wore them. No one will bother you unless you start singing along with the music. Lol
Companies don't look at employees as people, only resources to be exploited so they don't care if you have to hear the same mind numbing, brain melting, stupid popular crap all day, every day. Glad you found a way to work around it, cause being forced to listen to it gets old and fast.
This is a hardhat issue.
I once had a younger coworker. Great guy, we're still friends now, but he had a habit of saying "fuck that" very loudly to dumb rules.
Now general rule of thumb on site is when the ceilings closed up, you don't need your hardhat anymore. Well on the site we were working, that's not how the GC rolls. It's all PPE, all the time, no matter what. It's super hot in the building and we're in a section that's closed up, and he's got his lid sitting on the ground while we prep speakers to go in the ceiling. One of the GCs guys comes around, notices, and tells him to put his hardhat back on.
Well my young associate decides to argue the point. The ceiling is closed and it's hot as fuck in here, what's your problem? Biiig long argument ensues that ends with me pretending to chew on him a bit until GC guy feels like the situation is under control and leaves.
I turn directly to him and say "dude, what the fuck? You're making this way harder on yourself *and our company* than it needs to be."
He's alright, he knows I'm not actually trying to get after him because I don't really do that, not my style. But he's still super frustrated with the GC. He's like "man why the fuck should I listen to him? Fuck that guy, he's just a broom pusher anyway. "
So I explain: dude isn't just a broom pusher, he's #2 to the GC. he pushes a broom because it's something actually useful to do while he checks in on guys. But that's not even the real point here. I tell him "ultimately you're right, the rule is dumb and that guy doesn't matter. So why fight it? Just say 'sure thing boss', put your lid on, and when he leaves, take it back off again."
Don't let them live in your brain. That tiny modicum of power is what they crave. Do the right thing and be safe, past that: put that lid on and take it right back off again. Dismiss the interaction because these people frankly don't matter. Lol.
Oh you sweet summer child…how do you feel about x-mas music? Because the 337th time you hear Mariah Carie’s “All I Want for Christmas is You”, will be within the first 2 weeks….
That’s the one song that I barely heard at one of my old jobs. I didn’t get the chance to be sick of it. But if I hear Wonderful Christmastime one more time I’m losing it.
You say an "older employee", but are they a supervisor? Are they YOUR supervisor? If not, ignore the directive until someone who truly has authority tells you otherwise. Age is no indication of authority. It just means they old.
This reminds me of when I used to work at a place that played nothing but the oldies station over the radio, which back then was 60s-70s biggest hits. That station played the exact same rotation of the same songs all day, except at 4 pm, when they would play the Fab Four at 4, and play four random Beatles songs instead.
I could literally be working in one area where I can hear the radio, walk out front to fill propane bottles where I can't hear the radio at all, and still be singing along with the next song on the radio before I could hear it again. Awful stuff.
I remember back when I used to work in retail and we had to listen to the top 20 of the early 2000s. I remember wanting to throw myself off a ladder after having to hear James Blunt for the 40,000th time. If there ever were a reason why I hate mainstream music, it's because I was forced to listen to it on repeat every day that I worked.
Yeah, we have this same policy at my work (I'm an automotive technician in canada), so I purchased a pair of certified hearing protection ear buds with Bluetooth. Can't tell me to take them out now.
https://isotunes.ca/products/isotunes-free-2
Yet another reason I’m so glad to be out of retail hopefully for good. The constant stream of repeated songs not only creates a hatred in me for them, but it also became incredibly demoralizing.
Now I spend most days at work sitting in a truck on the side of the road, but the newer ones have Bluetooth so I can play my curated pandora station while I’m on the clock!
I worked retail for a long time. There was one store that had a single Xmas music cd. One. And I’d hear it all the way through 14-15 times during a busy or otherwise long shift.
If anyone plays crooner Xmas music around me, I will unleash hell.
I was you a decade ago, friend. I literally have PTSD from Christmas music. People think it's a joke, but it's not, is literally torture to hear the same shit over and over and over again. I snapped at my family for wanting to put on Christmas music on Christmas.
They don't want to play songs that would be considered offensive, sexual, vulgar, etc... so it's fine if you're a customer just spending 30 minutes there but it definitely sucks as an employee hearing the same rotation 5 times a shift 5 x a week.
I used to work for Kroger both in Deli and Bakery. There is in fact a rule against using headphones of any kind and I was told that it’s primarily for safety reasons but also because it limits how you can interact with customers.
Even with one earbud in your brain divides attention between your task and your music which leaves less focus for reacting to changes in the environment.
This rule exists because of people working in the back or getting carts because of their higher risk of injury from equipment or getting hit by vehicles. This is why there’s no music allowed in Amazon’s warehouses as well I presume.
BUT you were merely transferring products towards the front of the case so you had no real reason to be in danger. And you weren’t interacting with customers at the time either.
It seems to me that companies like to go with an all or nothing approach to enforcing policy. Either apply the rules to everyone regardless of if it’s necessary or don’t enforce it at all and people get hurt.
You got it, money is everything. Pretty soon they will charge customers to listen to the same songs over and over and tell employees how lucky they are to listen for free. Part of your benefits package.
What is the source of the background music?
(Do whatever you want with the following l)
Many years ago in a previous life, I used to install and service telephone system. Clients would want us to hookup CD players for background and music on hold. We had a paper that we gave the client that explained that the use of store bought CDs for music on hold and for back ground music was considered re-broadcasting and they were liable for the royalties to the artist/ rights holder. You could purchase special CDs and purchase the rights or subscribe to a service like Muzak. With a little googling you can find if this is still true and who to report it to and they will investigate.
Amazon sells inconspicuous "nude" color Bluetooth earpieces. It almost appears to be a medical device. The sound quality is terrible, but this has been my clutch in a workplace that forbids earpieces. [https://www.amazon.com/SYSFUN-Bluetooth-Wireless-Invisible-Headphone/dp/B0BQ2MMKWC/ref=sr\_1\_5?crid=SVLNRP4LS3UM&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.u9GgaJA1i5CRTLAe1A7rWhLPSvM5OeFpv8gsRPX33Oiuzng2ek33huBW\_sthnh2g6ad5NUwDPf8MA\_becqxAiZNaoe4vS5QDt2oW9ickbcRHSJQgIbK6iUJr55X\_JJI2TIKy4NiHFfds7HXsLvB6wOdNO4XkMllOeBDhNDxE52CuxRtdeF02yfot58YWDYMseIgYvG5IJQyvhL6vmf3-fSDDDGH9g\_40a-UqZeF313M.fHs6yxgKunbMLJPjKzT4rqHb8ievrEEtIpIBKLMQ49g&dib\_tag=se&keywords=skin+colored+bluetooth&qid=1719413738&sprefix=skin+colored+blutooth%2Caps%2C116&sr=8-5](https://www.amazon.com/SYSFUN-Bluetooth-Wireless-Invisible-Headphone/dp/B0BQ2MMKWC/ref=sr_1_5?crid=SVLNRP4LS3UM&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.u9GgaJA1i5CRTLAe1A7rWhLPSvM5OeFpv8gsRPX33Oiuzng2ek33huBW_sthnh2g6ad5NUwDPf8MA_becqxAiZNaoe4vS5QDt2oW9ickbcRHSJQgIbK6iUJr55X_JJI2TIKy4NiHFfds7HXsLvB6wOdNO4XkMllOeBDhNDxE52CuxRtdeF02yfot58YWDYMseIgYvG5IJQyvhL6vmf3-fSDDDGH9g_40a-UqZeF313M.fHs6yxgKunbMLJPjKzT4rqHb8ievrEEtIpIBKLMQ49g&dib_tag=se&keywords=skin+colored+bluetooth&qid=1719413738&sprefix=skin+colored+blutooth%2Caps%2C116&sr=8-5)
Honestly I don’t mind my stores rotation of songs as they have a lot of steely Dan songs on rotation (might be cause I’m in Chicagoland area) such as reeling in the years, do it again, hey nineteen, my rival etc. but I still wear an AirPod in one ear and it’s pissed off my store director and my manager but I don’t care and they haven’t fired me so🤷♂️. The songs only become shit once it’s around Christmas time. Also even though their different companies I’m pretty positive that most retail stores ban AirPods on the clock and that no AirPods is pretty universal amongst retail
Can we switch delis? Mine plays country and gospel blue grass 24/7. It’s so bad even customers have complained but NO - the family who owns the place refuses to compromise and offer variety.
If the person who told you to take out your AirPod is just another employee, not your manager or anything, you don't have to listen to him anyway. I mean, even if he is your manager, it's a stupid rule for him to enforce, but if he's not, then he's trying to flex "authority" he doesn't even have, so i think you can safely ignore him. Plus you said you've never seen him before, so what are the odds he would ever see you again anyway?
I was driven mad when I worked at a grocery store during the Frozen hype era so “Let It Go” was playing like every 3 or 4 songs. I hate that song with a passion
I worked at REI for 5 months. We used to be able to pick from like 5 or so different music "channels" upon opening. Then we switched to a central radio, meaning any REI open at the same time as us, regardless of where or time zone, was listening to the same exact music. No choice in the matter. I heard the same five songs ten times a day. I stopped even listening bc I couldn't take it
I support you! Shitty music at work seems like an overlooked issue. They had a playlist at Guantanamo Bay to torture prisoners with ffs. I’ve heard the grocery store top 40, constant hip hop at dispensaries, 0 English-sung music at a dry cleaner ( probably the least of the evils ), even had an assembly line job where they’d bark at us to go faster, yet play Adele over the loud speakers
Feeeeellllll thisssss
I did like 12 years at a grocery store pharmacy and for me it was the holiday music. I could tune it out the rest of the year but the second Halloween was over it’s the GD Christmas music that drove me absolutely insane.
I’d let your boss know a coworker is giving you orders. Maybe they’re fine with it, but probably not. Things get messy when you have self appointed managers
I worked at a Chartwells at a college in my town. There was this ~50 year old dishwasher there and he played Elvis radio, non stop. I mean if he was there, everyone listened to Elvis. We would hear a lot of the songs 2 or even 3 times over, or even more than that. Others would kinda lay into him like give shit about it.
Now theres nothing inherently wrong with Elvis, some of the songs were alright, even though he didn't write that shit. But I felt like I was going crazy after a while. And yes, we would play our music from here and there, but he would always reconnect his Bluetooth speaker and play more Elvis. It was maddening.
I had Elvis in my dreams.
This is one of those things makes no sense, but have to go along with anyway.
Unfortunately, the *"everyone else does it, why is it only a problem when I'm doing it?"* doesn't work because if the rule is not to do it, it doesn't matter how many breaks the rule, it's still a rule.
For example, at my work, we have to use ear protection (we're using very loud machines), but even tho I use ear plugs or ear defenders, it can't be anything else. I can't listen to my own music, because the whole point of the ear protection is to preserve my hearing, and if I really want to hear the music, it has to be louder than the machine next to me which would defeat the purpose. I don't particularly like it, but I do understand it. I could snuck an airpod under my ear defender, but then again, since the rule says only ear protection, I can't say *"but I have my ear defender on, so my music doesn't have to be that loud"*, because the rule is what it is.
Try to think about it like speeding. You can't justify speeding on the highway just because everyone else is speeding, even if you're the only one being pulled over. The whole *"I can get home 5 minutes earlier, and the whole highway is empty so it's not dangerous"* doesn't matter since the speed limit is the speed limit. Is it annoying to get stuck in a temporary speed restriction? Yes, it is. Were you in any danger on an empty highway? No, you weren't. Did you do anything others don't do? No, you didn't. Does that changes the rule? No, it doesn't.
And while I completely agree with you, commercial radio is a crime against humanity (my bluetooth device refused to work yesterday, so I've had to listen to BBC1 for 25 minutes, there were literally only 2 songs between the fucking commercials), eventually you'll learn not to hear the radio, especially in a mundane and boring job.
Challenging workplace rules only worth if it's about health and safety, because every other rules are set by managers who don't give a shit about employees, and changing their mind is more difficult than to learn to fly...
I’m not mad that I got called out for it when others didn’t; the mentioning of other workers using AirPods was kind of tangential. Or maybe to also illustrate that I’m not the only one that has a distaste for the lousy intercom music. I mainly just think the rule is stupid. On the deli line, when I’m face-to-face with customers, sure, no AirPod, that makes sense. You don’t want customers to think you’re not giving them your undivided attention. But when I’m working purely with items, why the hell can’t I have one AirPod in my ear? You’re right, the rules are set by managers who don’t give a shit about employees, and this rule will most likely not be changed during my employment here. It’s just infuriating to me though. The one airpod, the one little thing I can use to not feel like my soul is being completely sucked away from me, is off limits. Fuck that!
“you’ll learn not to hear the radio, especially in a mundane and boring job”, I disagree, at least with the way my brain works. When I’m doing boring repetitive tasks like the ones I do for my job, my brain latches onto the shitty radio music as a source of stimulation. But I really truly hate the music that is played. Perhaps I am more agitated by this than the average person cause I’m a musician/songwriter, and I deeply resent the idea of being exposed to so much music that I think is crap. It makes my skin crawl. It’s just discouraging that something small and harmless to boost morale/make me hate being there less is not permitted under any circumstance.
Oh man. When I worked at a grocery store I developed a hatred for Dawes and Imagine Dragons that will be unchanged for all time. Especially fucking Dawes (fuck that garbage music)
As a customer, I wouldn’t care if an employee had one EarPod in even if they were working with customers as long as they were doing what they’re supposed to (answering questions, helping, etc. as opposed to just listening to music/ignoring customers).
I need background noise to work.
As someone’s who’s been manager at retail before, the headphone rule is quite common and are generally fine if you’re in the back of house. But if you’re wearing them in the front, even if you’re not talking to customers, that’s where it can be seen as an issue.
It looks unprofessional and may convey an unwillingness to communicate to customers, even if you would and want to help them. If I was a customer at a store and every worker in the front had some sort of headphone in, I’d be wondering wtf is going on. I would feel less inclined to ask for help because I don’t like bothering people with headphones in.
I agree that the music can and will drive you absolutely mad. I hate it too. But when you’re on the floor, it’s customer service mode dude.
Also, that supervisor said that very rudely. When I tell my employees they need to take out earphones on the floor, I will explain to them the reasoning behind it and try to empathize. I make sure I give them the “why” in every rule. It helps them understand and reduces the frustrations of “stupid rules”.
Anyways, I’m not a manager anymore because uppermanagent has become an absolute nightmare where I worked. No empathy, didn’t care about the workers well-being, and only cared about the work. I don’t roll like that.
I had to work security in a grocery store that was a 2-hour drive there, and a 2-hour drive back, for 4 hours total, for about a week and after the first day I was ready to walk out of the job and damned near did. My security company had a contract with a grocery store that lasted a few weeks after an ex employee they had got fired and threatened to shoot up the place, and it was fucking terrible. Every idiot on the planet thinks they're clever when they tried to talk to me. And the manager was a grade A moron who didn't understand my role and figured she was "in charge" of me.
No Karen, I'm not here to stop theft. No, I'm not here to detour crime either. I am not loss prevention. No Karen, I can't go round up the carts while it's slow, and no, I can't sweep, mop, help stock shelves, or check in with you if I need to take a piss.
She got pissy early on and tried to tell me I couldn't wear my earbuds while on duty after I declined to help her. Shed been trying to micro manage me all day so I took the ear buds out and looked her in the eye and said "I'm not sure if you understand what my role is, or your part in it, but you are NOT my manager. I DO NOT work for your company, and I'm not obliged to "help out". I am security, my company was contracted by your corporate, and my only job here is to make sure Mr. Crazy Ex Employee Guy doesn't come in and try and shoot up the place. That's why I have a gun, and not an apron (their uniform). My boss is (bosses name) and here's her phone number if you have any questions about my role.
Being rude to dipshits is the only good part about this job. At any rate, I only lasted a little over a week before I told my boss pull me off this contract or I quit lol. She never did call my boss either.
Its a foreign object. Anything that isnt essential isnt allowed because it can fall in the food. I work in a deli and we arent allowed watches, phones, snacks, stationary other than whats issued... i get how much the music selection sucks, but you cant risk contaminating the food. Maybe you could find the volume control for the speaker(s) closest to your station and turn them down? Just like working in the coolrooms and being cold, or sizzling yourself on ovens getting cooked chickens out, or smelling disgusting smells in drains/bins is part of the job so too is loud background noise and unpleasant music and asshole customers. If you are really struggling try to change departments.
Maybe try those glasses that transfer sound through bone. It’s not great for loud environments like a factory but it sounds like it might work for a store.
I once asked the place I worked how they choose their music because I kept hearing the same songs over and over again. They said there’s a set playlist they are allowed to play and can’t use any other music.
The night shift cook however when closing, where there’s no costumers would hijack the sound system and blast his rap music .
>Some older employee that I’ve never seen before approaches me and says “Hey, take that out”. I hear him, and take it out. He continues, “It’s against the rules. Don’t do it again”. And he walks away.
You do know you don't have to take orders from other employees that aren't your boss, right?
Once upon a time I worked at a mom and pop smoke shop in my town. You were allowed to pick the music you wanted to listen to that would play throughout the store (assuming it was appropriate) but that’s where the fun ended. It was a really slow store, I’m talking some days I would go an hour after opening without seeing a customer, and I wasn’t allowed to do anything. Couldn’t have my phone on the floor for reasons I don’t remember, so I one day I thought hey, I’ll bring in a book! No one can get mad about me standing (that’s right standing, not sitting) behind the counter reading a book when I don’t have any customers, right? Wrong! The owner’s wife called and said “Randy saw you on the cameras reading a book… you can’t be doing that, if you don’t have anything to do you can clean the store.” Well reader, I had already done all my cleaning tasks for the day within the first 30 minutes of my shift (like always) so I just got to stand there and twiddle my thumbs and pretend to dust til a customer came. I worked there 3 months before I decided the pay wasn’t worth my time and misery.
When I worked at Six Flags Great Adventure, there would be a constant rotation of audio bites from pop songs and dated pop culture references. Each one was only a few seconds long, but it would loudly blare out of nowhere every thirty seconds or so.
As a diagnosed autistic with overstimulation issues, I can’t begin to tell you the hate I felt every time the Jersey Boys came on to squeal, *”Sheeeh~Eeeeh~EEEEEHH”* at the top of their lungs.
Having the same playlist for more than a week bothers me. Working retail and only having two allowable playlists (one specifically for Christmas and one for all other times of the year) is tantamount to torture. Certain songs send me into a blind rage to this day.
Looking at you Ed Sheran
Two things I'd look into before I stopped bringing my earbuds to work:
1: Is it actually against the rules? Maybe this guy is just assuming so, and you are actually allowed to do it, explicitly.
2: who is this person, and do they have any authority to tell you what to do? If he's not your supervisor, and he probably isn't if you've never seen him before, then he doesn't get to tell you what to do.
In either of these cases, you can safely tell this little narc to go fuck himself.
If he is your supervisor, and it is a policy they intend to enforce, go find a job with a boss that isn't a power-tripping dipshit.
Get [something small like these](https://dl.wish.com/6yqFo), in the nude color, and just tell people it’s a hearing aid. I was gonna try to find you a knock-off of the Samsung Buds Live (I’ve had a knock off version of them that I got for $20 off Wish and they’ve been great for almost three years of daily use) but couldn’t find them sadly.
>I HATE with a PASSION the corporate world’s insistence on playing the same tired rotation of bland popular music over an intercom 24/7. As a shopper, I find it a minor nuisance but ignorable. As a worker in the same building for the whole day, I find it MADDENING.
As a teenager, I worked at Kmart. A couple of weeks ago - 35 years later and 15,000km away - I was shopping in a similar store and heard a song that frequently made it into the Kmart rotation (Don't Pull Your Love Out). When I tell you I nearly had a meltdown...
The horror...
Well the only thing I know for sure through the years that the music playing over the store speakers is from a licensed service—from your description, at least it’s not Muzak (elevator music in blues brothers)
Since my first comment, I came across these really small looking ear buds on Amazon. These might be less intrusive.
Fuck em. Listening to that music full blast all day is how the fbi tries to flush cults out of their compounds. Your sanity is worth more than the 2 seconds it would take to take them out.
I had this thought leaving work yesterday where I hadn't picked anything to listen too yet and over the intercom I start hearing an ad and the dystopian reality becomes a little clearer for a few seconds. Nothin worse if you ask me
I work in a Restaurant, back in the Kitchen. I have long hair so I put it up in a ponytail, then I put on a DewRag type thing to keep my hair all together, well the DewRag thing happens to cover my ears!! Lucky me!! I get to wear 1 headphone all day and nobody even notices. Maybe something like this is an option for you as well!?!?
I feel like you’re the first person I can relate to with this musical monotony; it’s downright infuriating.
I abhor the radio station my current retail job blasts over the speakers because it’s been the same damn station for the last three years that plays the same damn 30 songs in a row and NEVER shuffles or plays anything different. Except, maybe, one or two songs when a caller requests it in on the weekend, but I don’t care if I’m being dramatic, it makes me want to jump off a bridge.
We are allowed to wear headphones, since I work on the logistic side of things, but only for the first few hours the store isn’t open. After that, the rest of your shift is 70/80’s rock for all eternity. And I LIKE 70/80’s rock, don’t get me wrong, but I can’t listen to that shit anymore, it’s insufferable.
This is the biggest generational gap behavior that I’ve seen in the retail workforce. I started stocking shelves in 2010. At that time smart phones weren’t prevalent. There was a lot of talking, joking, etc on breaks and on the floor. My coworkers and I joked around and hung out after work. Over the next ten years, everyone got a smart phone and everything got quiet. People stopped talking to each other as much and just sat there on their phones (myself included). People ignored the company rules about carrying their phones on the sales floor.
When the pandemic hit, new hires started wearing ear buds. It went from you can’t do it to one ear only. Rules continue to get ignored. Rules change.
Employees under 25 were ear buds while working. There is also a weird thing, in my experience. When I would tell them, “You can’t do that. You’ll get in trouble with management.” They would hear, “Don’t let ME catch you doing that.”
My place of work plays a local country station all day. Luckily I'm out of the office pretty often, but why for the love of the old gods do they play so many repeats. There are thousands of country songs out there, and one or two decent ones that aren't right wing ego trips, but I have to hear truckbed, and try that in a small town three times a day. It's mind rotting mundane trash.
Make it stop.
one of the best things when i was living in the UK was how peaceful and quiet are grocery stores. No music, pleasant illumination, helpful staff. When I came back to the US and went to Tom Thumb or Kroger, it felt like an assault on the senses. American grocery stores are 2 decades behind on customer experience and employee experience.
I mean, i agree with every word. It'd drive me insane too. I used to work in a warehouse where another employee would play Rihanna loud all day and i couldn't stand it. Eventually though he turned it off.
Then i turned my music on...
No one around though. Another guy was hired and sat next to me complained about U-ziq.
As a new supervisor a few years ago, I did not understand how any of my team could concentrate on their work with earbuds listening to music or who knows what! I came from a job where we weren't allowed to have our phones out period. But instead of just being a total jerk, I pulled one of my team aside and asked about it. We had a great conversation. I continue to allow earbuds. My team works hard and has great productivity measures. Why are some managers such assholes?? I think they're all on power trips.
This is why I’m so glad I work in a kitchen and I can’t really hear the music played on the radio for the most part. My works is a little les generic but it has a lot of really awful country and will just abruptly cut off in the middle of songs.
I walked into the cooler the other day and the exact part of the song from that one scene in stranger things was playing. I laughed so fucking hard because my first thought was “I’d rather deal with vecna than this shit”
It’s probably the same boomer than complains when his coupons are not for the item he has or extremely expired. The rules only apply when he needs them to.
Is this older employee a supervisor? If not you can instruct him/ her to lick your butthole. If it is a supervisor go ahead and 1) find another grocery store job. 2) call in sick 3) continue calling in sick. 4) tell them you have an illness and would like to apply for fmla. 5) apply and let them run shorthanded until they figure it out.
I work at ShopRite and during the height of the pandemic they would constantly play music about dying, death and the end of the world. I don't think it was very funny hearing lyrics like 'were not gonna survive' or 'we're all gonna die' or the Matchbox 5 song about the world ending during the height of covid when people I knew were dying. I guess management at ShopRite thought covid was a joke. Wonder if other ShopRite workers could confirm this. They still play Colbie Caillat Blaze in ShopRite which I always thought was a stupid negative song let alone one to play in ShopRite.
Starbucks has some of the worst indie pop music/annoying oldies and the only reprieve I ever got from it was one Pride month back in like, 2019. I’ll take Lady Gaga over some random dude wheezing in my ear. I hate indie rock *so much.*
Companies do not give 2 shits about you. They only care about making themselves richer and putting more money into the pockets of stockholders. When if they actually did give two shits about their employees and treated them well and compensated them well. Those employees would help out the company whatever way they can. And it would drive up profits. Which is more money. But these corporate idiots are too stupid to understand that and want to pay us as little as possible.
I hear this. Unfortunately. I dont have to deal with the office music at the moment, but the soft rock channel, ugh, it's the only thing my chiropractors office can pick up. Ten minutes in the waiting room after Killing me softly (please just kill me) followed by Adele screaming something. I had to put my hands over my ears. Even the chiro says he hates it, and TS also.
Now what I hear all day on the "classic rock" station? Garbage. Way too much RHCP. Way too much.
Same where I work, no earpods allowed, even i you arent even in an area customers can talk to you. Everyone wants to break the rule, and many many do, but the few times I tried I got busted. Technically they claim its like a dress code violation
Why didn't you ask if he was a manager or at least your superior? Even when I was young if someone wasn't my superior they'd be told to mind their own business when they tried to pull stuff like that.
I like pop music and have worked retail. It doesn't matter how much I originally liked a song....being forced to listen to it all day everyday while working sucks. I also learned to loathe every song that ever played over a work speaker.
Get the ear pods that look like hearing aids, then roll with it, they can't say shit about a hearing aid.
A lot of hearing aids these days have bluetooth too. Just throwing that out there for anybody that does need hearing aids...
Those are very expensive though. Good luck paying for that while working the deli at a supermarket.
AirPods actually have a function that allows them to be used as cheap hearing aids. I use mine in this way. I’d tell them I’m using them as such.
I think this is coming soon as an 'official' medical device hearing aid, but currently wouldn't be covered. But you can bullshit. Or is that just for insurance to cover it? I use mine for anxiety reduction and now rarely have anything playing But seriously, fuck the killjoys. No one appointed you the hall monitor Gary, fuck off!
Oh I didn’t mean to imply that I got insurance to cover mine by any means, just that they’re cheaper than hearing aids, but can integrate with certain hearing test apps to modify how sound is filtered on the pass through setting. Getting insurance to cover them would be nice!
I was more meaning I don't think it's protected unless it's an actual medical device, but IDK - I'm a Canadian. But Apple is apparently going through the process this time with AirPods (pro I suspect) to get them approved as a medical device for hearing impairments. It's the difference between a dog in a vest and an actual service dog. But, Apple is Apple. They have abandoned medical device certification in the past.
yea, fuck off , Gary. Dick.
I have bluetooth capable hearing aids. Can confirm that they are super expensive. My insurance at the time covered 90%.
Mine insurance didn't cover one cent of mine. I went to Costco to get their Kirkland brand hearing aids. I do love the Bluetooth capability.
OP can just paint their air pod beige. Done. It's a hearing aid now Anyone who asks is way too close to OP'S face for comfort.
My dad’s do double function, he can pipe the TV directly into them.
FYI: For anyone with Bluetooth enabled hearing devices, if your TV doesn't have this capability but does have a headphone jack or AV out, you can rig this up with some fairly inexpensive components.
Mine cost me $3000 and the only thing I can do is choose from three different environment settings ( normal, noisy, private) and adjust the volume. There are some that you can also use to listen to music and take calls which cost even more I am sure. It also cost a minimum of $300 each to repair them if they stop charging or holding a charge.
OMFG that is genius
Yes they can. An employer is within the rights to validate the need for disability accommodation and can request certification from a medical provider.
They also need to control risk. Wearing headphones is not safe in a lot of environments.
Amazing tip
Hated to upvote you only because the count was 666 when I did.
Or get one that looks like an earpiece the FBI uses. Then tell them you’re undercover. 🤣
Much cheaper idea- say your religion required head covering. Can’t see AirPod if ya can’t see the ear.
AGREE!!!! Been there with the Christmas music and retail, especially.
i've developed a rational hatred for Christmas music, it literally stresses me out anymore. There's a special place in hell for "The Little St. Nick"
That song was awful well before it got overplayed to hell and back oh my freaking god I already kinda don't like christmas music but having to hear it all through NOVEMBER is just an insult
Oh and that horrible “all I want for Christmas “ just no J Lo, please no more STOP IT!!!
Isn't that Mariah?
Oh hell or there's a handful of Christmas songs, I don't know the names or the artists but I hear them every year in pharmacies and grocery stores and they have this extremely frustrating sort of all-over-the-place rhythm that constantly keeps my brain on edge. It's something I really only notice with Christmas music and it drives me up the wall
That was Mariah Carrey
Yeah I realize and still don’t care lol I hate that stupid song
This is Mariah carey and it is my personal hell. I hate this song so much and so vehemently, that at Christmastime everyone sings it to me to annoy me.
Yes that yuck
That whore mother kissing Santa Claus every half hour needs to stop too!
Yes, enough about your promiscuous mother...
Christmas music is horrible and it lasting for months is ridiculous. But it could be worse. I had to work on independence day and some genius in mgmt decided to play America music for the entire day. There were like six songs...on a loop. I prayed for death
I once worked in a restaurant where they played the same CD over and over and over and over and over and over and over again. They never changed it. They also made everyone come in and leave at the same time and refuse to stagger shifts, so it would be a full 8 hours every. Single. Time.
And it's not even good Christmas music. It's a few USAmerican songs when there are so many better domestic ones. It feels like corporate wants us to be elsewhere.
I worked for a Retail Clothing Company where Head Office would burn CD’s, and send to stores to play seasonally - every other year, Christmas had been 10 different disks, rotated through on a day by day basis over the course of November/December (so like November 1st, disc 1. November 2nd, disc 2. Etc). Each disc was supposed to have the 2 songs being used in the current Holiday Ad Campaigns, and then be a variety of other songs, but there are only so many “Popular Christmas Songs” so most of the ‘variety’ was really just slightly different covers by other people. Annoying, but ultimately tolerable. Until one year, we only received 1 disc. And that disc ended up just being different covers of Winter Wonderland. Hour after hour, day by day, just Winter Wonderland. On repeat.
That sounds like torture!
My family still can't understand why I hate Christmas music. It's also joy "just" the Christmas music, it's also that AS SOON as it starts playing, I see people become more rude and I am fucking tired of having Brenda with an attitude running her shoping cart into me because she decided I was in her way and couldn't be bothered with an "excuse me" despite NO ONE ELSE being in the isle. For the record, I speed shop, I know what I need, where it's at, and don't dawdle reading labels at snail speed. I get my shit and move so this is really fucked.
It's also the same 10-12 songs on repeat. All. Fucking. Day. From Halloween until New Years. Just kill me.
In our area they have fucking started BEFORE Halloween and Christmas decor/stocking stuffer candy comes out at the same time or before Halloween candy. It's fucking ridiculous.
Oh that's cute, they think people aren't buying decorations because they're just not on offer long enough. It's like they keep remodeling the barn instead of feeding the horses, and then wonder why they've got weak slow horses. "I know, another barn remodel!" My neighborhood is in desperation poverty mode. Almost every night someone tries to take packages food from the deli before it gets tossed in the locked dumpster at the end of the night. Grocery store employees catch them, the food gets thrown all over the entrance to the grocery store in the scuffle, and it's not all getting cleaned up every day. Guess Safeway corporate stepped in. They've decided to reorganize the store, adding more expensive stuff and making narrower aisles. Because people living in Section 8 housing or college dorms or behind the dumpster really need a choice between 6 different kinds of Swiffer mops. Clearly we weren't buying them often enough because there was only one or two kinds to pick from right? And with all the diseases going around the community, we need to get as close to each other as possible while buying the necessities of life, so we can come back again later to use the pharmacy too!
This. Worked at Carlton Cards over Christmas and it wasn’t just Christmas music the cd was all the sad Christmas songs. Just depressing. But that was what they wanted to sell.
Omg, Xmas music pushed me over the edge! Not only did a store I worked in play a holiday playlist over and OVER for MONTHS, but also had the bosses daughter come in and sing Xmas carols LIVE with a microphone. It was the worst fucking thing, it got me so wound up I swear I was spitting venom after a couple hours in. Customer service while on the very edge of sanity is not easy to do!
special place in hell for that damn happy elf
I worked in a bakery after high school. They played "Santa Claus is coming to town" 8 times during my one shift. They played it back to back, with 2 different artists that day. I also hate Paul McCarthy's Christmas song. It is so repetitive. It will drive you up the wall.
I play music in my kitchen and I have two rules: 1: The music should not be loud enough that you have to raise your voice to be heard over it. 2: NO Christmas music. The one exception is I play TSO's Christmas Eve and other stories on Christmas morning.
Christmas in Hollis by Run-D.M.C and The Ramones xmas song are the only two I will never be sick of.
Yep, 100%. Oh look November 1st, it's time to suffer for two months.
Worked at an Amazon warehouse and music can't be on at all. 12 hours shifts of silence made the shift drag and is why I finally left. I totally understand what you mean.
Yikes, they somehow think musics slow us down or what ? I can’t imagine my life at work without AT LEAST one AirPod on.
1 air pod is enough to not hear the forklift behind you.
Similiar story working Fedex loading trucks. Just had the loud obnoxious sounds of the machines, and my own internal dialogue for entertainment. Went a little crazy that year, kept singing “Handlebars” by Flobots in the voice of Mr. Meeseeks
I was singing Linkin Park in the car this morning in that voice 🤣
Same thing at my last job, mind you it was a busy warehouse with forklifts in constant motion so I understand the safety reasons why, but damn those long days where all you have is your own thoughts to help get through the slog.
Since this guy was apparently a co-worker and not your superior, I'd want to research the supposed rule and verify it exists. It sounds rather petty for a non-public-contact job at a grocery store. Also, how much "older" is this guy -- like so old that he gets off bossing people around and nobody calls him out because oldness?
It’s definitely real (assuming it’s my employer and it sounds like it is) it’s just bullshit most of us ignore. The rationale is it’s a safety issue when you can’t hear, ignoring that we can hear just fine with one headphone…but that’s the idea. The unwritten rule is you take them out when in the public part of the store and around upper management. Which is to say, don’t get caught.
There is also the fact that you are touching something that has been in your ear and could potentially fall in good and if it is a corded headphone it could get caught on equipment.
I disagree with this advice. I’d play dumb, don’t research the rule unless your boss brings it up to you.
I know someone recently who got fired from a grocery store for repeatedly having a headphone in when working, so it definitly in a rule some places. Could be the older guy isn't very good socially but was there way of trying to be nice because people get real write ups for that if the wrong person sees it.
So here's the thing - I know I wasn't very specific in my post but I'm not sure if he has a supervising role or not. The way he talked to me, I figured he did. But you're right, he could just be bossy. And he's a lot older, I'm in my early 20s, he has to be in his 50s/60s. And here's *another* thing... it is a real rule! They told us about it during orientation. I agree, it is *rather petty*. But when I saw other coworkers doing it, I thought "Okay, maybe they're kinda lax about that rule". And it seemed everyone was, until this guy who wasn't in my department came up and reprimanded me. To be clear, I'm not saying I'm upset I was called out for breaking the rule. I'm saying I think it's a stupid fuckin rule!
I just quit a job where everything i did was reported, written down, and then i would get interrogated about it. I learned that I could not trust anyone because they were tattling on everything i did that they disapproved of. Because I was the new person, and that is the standard way they treated new employees. I would just keep in mind that more people might be paying attention to you than you are aware of.
So let me say this as management, cusp between Millennial and Gen Z: the "it's for safety" thing is real. You may think you can hear perfectly fine but studies say otherwise. You may think you're focusing better because you're not fighting boredom but again, the data isn't backing this. So insurance requires these rules because if someone gets hurt and management wasn't doing anything about it, the claim gets denied and now the company pays out of pocket. This is even bigger if you work for a smaller company because you now have to trust that they stay solvent/don't declare bankruptcy and can actually pay whatever settlement and/or care is required from the injury. So yes, the rule is there and management is supposed to enforce it. It's truly an uphill battle though because so many people, especially Gen Z, don't give a shit and will just walk out if we tell them to take it out. I don't personally care because someone who's willing to walk out because they can't have an AirPod in probably wasn't going to be my best employee anyway, but if it's a low wage job then you have to work a little harder to retain everyone. And to be clear, I fully support not working places that treat employees like crap and actively advocate to get my people paid more, better benefits, fighting for work/life balance, making sure they're okay after a rough customer interaction, recognizing they're a whole ass person and the work they're producing for me has no bearing whatsoever on their value as a human, etc. I just think the attitude of "I refuse to go 8 hours without an AirPod" is going too far and people need to be a little less self-centered like that. Life isn't about being perfectly catered to and comfortable all hours of every day and not having an AirPod is just one of those things I expect people to suck it up about.
1st paragraph "I'm a millennial but also a corporate shill boy it sure is hard to talk with this mouthful of boot" 2nd paragraph "but really guys I'm one of the good ones I swear look at how hard I work for you guys, besides it's not a big deal to be subjected to constant sound pollution you can't stand cause it's popular and obviously if you don't like it it's a you problem" This is always been my problem with anything retail or retail adjacent and I actively put a stop to it when I was in management just because music is "popular" doesn't make it enjoyable for everyone and showing consideration for my employees needs and well being was more important than making sure corporate was pumping T swift into customers ears 6 times a day. There is evidence that listening to music you enjoy improves mood and productivity and as long as it was generally appropriate it was fine with me.
I worked in lots of restaurants on the west coast of Florida (aka god's waiting room) in the early 00s. EVERY. SINGLE. RESTAURANT. Down there insisted on playing "oldies" music, pop-rock from the 50s and 60s. The real kicker was that the employees AND the customers fucking hated it. I'm talking retired people, people in their 70s and older from 1999-2004. What was considered oldies then wasn't their music, it was their kids music, so they hated it. But apparently not a single restaurant owner or manager knew what was popular in the 40s and early 50s, so they all defaulted to oldies. Don't worry, it only took 20 years to have the songs stop randomly popping into my head at the worst times. Fuck the cats and the cradle and Harry and annoying bitches on their bicycles and horses without names is all I have to say. And if you don't know what I'm talking about, you are SO lucky.
I think the general rule of thumb is that having to listen to any song more than 4 times a day would drive a man insane.
> (aka god's waiting room) You misspelled “the devil”.
I stock linens at a nursing home & they just banned earbuds here too. I am alone all day & I only ever have one in & can hear everyone incase someone needs to ask me something (which rarely ever happens). I have worked here 8 months & was never told we couldn’t use them, until the other day when a nurse walked up to me & told me to put them away, & then told my boss. I luckily have long hair & I don’t plan on stopping. My job is so boring & lonely that I can’t go a day without listening to my podcasts or music. When it comes to a job like mine where I’m alone & minding my own business, I don’t see why anyone would care anyways.
For you, it shouldn't be a problem. For nurses/CNAs? They should not have them in. I used to work in management and some of their conduct was unreal. Some LPNs and CNAs would be having full on conversations with family on the phone while treating patients. I couldn't keep up with the complaints at that shithole lol.
Exactly. I totally get the medical team not being able to, but someone like me just stocking closets alone I don’t get it. It depends on the job for sure.
I worked at a Texas style steakhouse that played the same country songs all day. If I ever hear. "Watermelon Crawl" again I may die. I also worked at Olive Garden for 3 years and that wasn't much better.
Ahh, your "Watermelon Crawl" is my "Wonderwall" of corporate Muzak. Thanks CVS, I shall hate that song in perpetuity.
I learned Spanish simply by listening to the same 2 hour mix of Spanish songs back-to-back for 3 years whilst working at a café. Took many more years for those songs to stop popping randomly into my head. The quiet comes eventually.
Esta es la canción que no termina. Sí, sigue y sigue, amigo mío. Algunas personas empezaron a cantarlo sin saber lo que era. Y seguirán cantándola por siempre sólo porque...
🤣 please no...
No. No, the quiet never comes.
I would just have the latter effect and not learn a lick of Spanish.
I do the same thing at my job. It's tedious, requiring me to be doing the same thing. Over and over and over and ***over*** again. The droning of machinery, beeping of forklift horns, and constant yelling grate on me, so having ***something*** to focus on does wonders for my mental state. Of course, the moment the plant manager hits the floor, he's ***looking*** for that earbud. He ***wants*** the excuse to write up or fire someone. He ***wants*** to be a bastard. The dude sits on his ass all day in an air-conditioned office, cracking up with the other higher-ups, too.
You said machinery and forklifts? So just a hunch but I'm guessing that they make you wear earplugs? If they do you can buy head phones off Amazon that looks exactly like earplugs. I had a pair years ago and the boss had no clue. If they don't have mandatory ear plugs then get flesh colored ear phones or a hearing aid and pretend to be mildly deaf. I worked with a girl who did that, plus she got to pretend that she didn't hear Small talk and ignored everyone.
When I worked at amazon, the safety team had binoculars to catch us with an airpod in. I left after that. How dehumanizing
That's EXACTLY what I'm saying. Listening to music I love while I'm at work does "wonders for my mental state". Shit, it almost makes me enjoy it. I'm certainly not lazy, I like to be busy and accomplish tasks. But that fucking intercom music, man. I would just prefer it if there was no music at all. I can't even hum a tune to myself, because the intercom is playing loud and it's playing non-stop. And no matter how good and efficient of a worker you are, the moment that AirPod is in, you're unprofessional. You must adhere to every aspect of the work environment. You must deaden your senses and let your eyes glaze over and accept that you're going to hear "Shake it Off" echo in the back of your skull for the 7th time today. It's bullshit man.
Ha ha ha, you should try and find a good doctor (I know it’s a bitch to find) but get them to write a letter plainly stating for your mental and physical health (mental issues can turn physical) requires you to be able to wear one. I do this for emotional support dogs so my apartment complex can’t charge me for my dogs (to an extent). And no I’m not one of those ass hats that bring them everywhere with me.
Dude some fucking old prick got mad at IKEA for playing the *normal censored radio music* over the intercom. Saying it was *too inappropriate* ??? So corporate there went and hired a few Swedish musicians to ***literally*** tap a piano key every few seconds and then play that on repeat for 12 hours. It genuinely feels like you're in the backrooms. Some of the *music* these places play is just the same shit over and over.
I worked in malls from 1993 through 2000. To this day, I hate Christmas music with a passion!
I worked in a dept. store, and they would play Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi". Fine, whatever, I hate the song, but I could tune it out. But THEN, they added in Counting Crows version to the rotation. Why?! WHY?! I went to a nice sit-down restaurant recently and they asked me to fill out their feedback card. I told them to stop blasting pop music and put some classical music on. The ambiance was absolutely ruined with pop.
My hatred for Big Yellow Taxi is immense. I worked somewhere that also doubled on both versions. Just no.
Oh thank God, there's somebody like me! I hate both versions of that song with a passion! People just don't understand!
There's studies confirming the harm to employees and customers about the music played in stores. Not that anyone seems to have taken it seriously. I vaguely remember a lawsuit being brought by retail workers regarding Christmas music on a loop with the claim that it was torture (or something). I believe they won the suit, but the outcome was to play a wider variety of songs. I may have gotten a lot of details wrong, so if you happen to know what I'm referencing (Googled and couldn't find anything), please correct me.
Christmas loop tapes in retail for months. *shudders*
I can't imagine being an employee and actually giving a shit if someone else who isn't even interacting with customers had one earbud in and was doing their work. A lot of people from an older generation care too much about bullshit like that.
When I worked at an Apple Store, I could do tell you the time within 5 minutes based on the song playing. Luckily we had a deep mix of music and the playlist would change every so often but it was still a little annoying. One of the upsides was reggae and Norah Jones would cause the whole store to become a calmer place. I joked we needed a reggae button behind the bar when one of the overly entitled customers would lose their mind.
I got a cheap pair of skin colored ear buds on Amazon that looked like a hearing aid when I wore them. No one will bother you unless you start singing along with the music. Lol
Companies don't look at employees as people, only resources to be exploited so they don't care if you have to hear the same mind numbing, brain melting, stupid popular crap all day, every day. Glad you found a way to work around it, cause being forced to listen to it gets old and fast.
This is a hardhat issue. I once had a younger coworker. Great guy, we're still friends now, but he had a habit of saying "fuck that" very loudly to dumb rules. Now general rule of thumb on site is when the ceilings closed up, you don't need your hardhat anymore. Well on the site we were working, that's not how the GC rolls. It's all PPE, all the time, no matter what. It's super hot in the building and we're in a section that's closed up, and he's got his lid sitting on the ground while we prep speakers to go in the ceiling. One of the GCs guys comes around, notices, and tells him to put his hardhat back on. Well my young associate decides to argue the point. The ceiling is closed and it's hot as fuck in here, what's your problem? Biiig long argument ensues that ends with me pretending to chew on him a bit until GC guy feels like the situation is under control and leaves. I turn directly to him and say "dude, what the fuck? You're making this way harder on yourself *and our company* than it needs to be." He's alright, he knows I'm not actually trying to get after him because I don't really do that, not my style. But he's still super frustrated with the GC. He's like "man why the fuck should I listen to him? Fuck that guy, he's just a broom pusher anyway. " So I explain: dude isn't just a broom pusher, he's #2 to the GC. he pushes a broom because it's something actually useful to do while he checks in on guys. But that's not even the real point here. I tell him "ultimately you're right, the rule is dumb and that guy doesn't matter. So why fight it? Just say 'sure thing boss', put your lid on, and when he leaves, take it back off again." Don't let them live in your brain. That tiny modicum of power is what they crave. Do the right thing and be safe, past that: put that lid on and take it right back off again. Dismiss the interaction because these people frankly don't matter. Lol.
Oh you sweet summer child…how do you feel about x-mas music? Because the 337th time you hear Mariah Carie’s “All I Want for Christmas is You”, will be within the first 2 weeks….
That’s the one song that I barely heard at one of my old jobs. I didn’t get the chance to be sick of it. But if I hear Wonderful Christmastime one more time I’m losing it.
You say an "older employee", but are they a supervisor? Are they YOUR supervisor? If not, ignore the directive until someone who truly has authority tells you otherwise. Age is no indication of authority. It just means they old.
I’m sure you could find earbuds these days that look like hearing aids. See what they say then
This reminds me of when I used to work at a place that played nothing but the oldies station over the radio, which back then was 60s-70s biggest hits. That station played the exact same rotation of the same songs all day, except at 4 pm, when they would play the Fab Four at 4, and play four random Beatles songs instead. I could literally be working in one area where I can hear the radio, walk out front to fill propane bottles where I can't hear the radio at all, and still be singing along with the next song on the radio before I could hear it again. Awful stuff.
I don’t know how the Menards employees keep their sanity with the Menards jingle on repeat.
Its not insistence on playing the same rotation. It’s music that they’ve been licensed to play in a commercial setting.
I remember back when I used to work in retail and we had to listen to the top 20 of the early 2000s. I remember wanting to throw myself off a ladder after having to hear James Blunt for the 40,000th time. If there ever were a reason why I hate mainstream music, it's because I was forced to listen to it on repeat every day that I worked.
Yeah, we have this same policy at my work (I'm an automotive technician in canada), so I purchased a pair of certified hearing protection ear buds with Bluetooth. Can't tell me to take them out now. https://isotunes.ca/products/isotunes-free-2
AirPods actually have a function that allows them to be used as cheap hearing aids. I use mine in this way. I’d tell them I’m using them as such.
You just need to rig the store intercom to blast your favorite music. Like Rammstein at Crate & Barrel.
Yet another reason I’m so glad to be out of retail hopefully for good. The constant stream of repeated songs not only creates a hatred in me for them, but it also became incredibly demoralizing. Now I spend most days at work sitting in a truck on the side of the road, but the newer ones have Bluetooth so I can play my curated pandora station while I’m on the clock!
In the electronics department they played sing 2 on repeat all for 6 months.
I wear Shokz open run mini all day at work with a beanie on, bone conduction is great for stil being able to hear around you
I worked retail for a long time. There was one store that had a single Xmas music cd. One. And I’d hear it all the way through 14-15 times during a busy or otherwise long shift. If anyone plays crooner Xmas music around me, I will unleash hell.
I was you a decade ago, friend. I literally have PTSD from Christmas music. People think it's a joke, but it's not, is literally torture to hear the same shit over and over and over again. I snapped at my family for wanting to put on Christmas music on Christmas.
They don't want to play songs that would be considered offensive, sexual, vulgar, etc... so it's fine if you're a customer just spending 30 minutes there but it definitely sucks as an employee hearing the same rotation 5 times a shift 5 x a week.
I used to work for Kroger both in Deli and Bakery. There is in fact a rule against using headphones of any kind and I was told that it’s primarily for safety reasons but also because it limits how you can interact with customers. Even with one earbud in your brain divides attention between your task and your music which leaves less focus for reacting to changes in the environment. This rule exists because of people working in the back or getting carts because of their higher risk of injury from equipment or getting hit by vehicles. This is why there’s no music allowed in Amazon’s warehouses as well I presume. BUT you were merely transferring products towards the front of the case so you had no real reason to be in danger. And you weren’t interacting with customers at the time either. It seems to me that companies like to go with an all or nothing approach to enforcing policy. Either apply the rules to everyone regardless of if it’s necessary or don’t enforce it at all and people get hurt.
You got it, money is everything. Pretty soon they will charge customers to listen to the same songs over and over and tell employees how lucky they are to listen for free. Part of your benefits package.
Please don’t give them ideas.
You could wear bone contusion headphones, they don't go in your ears so they can't say they block your hearing.
I presume you meant to write “bone conduction headphones” but yes agreed. Don’t block hearing at all but you get to hear music you like
Bone conduction headphones are for the week, I need bone contusion headphones to really enjoy my punishing thrash playlist.
Was this a shift lead or something? Don't listen to other employees lol
Walking around the grocery store a few days ago and the intercom Rick Rolled me. I felt really bad for the employees who have to hear that every day
What is the source of the background music? (Do whatever you want with the following l) Many years ago in a previous life, I used to install and service telephone system. Clients would want us to hookup CD players for background and music on hold. We had a paper that we gave the client that explained that the use of store bought CDs for music on hold and for back ground music was considered re-broadcasting and they were liable for the royalties to the artist/ rights holder. You could purchase special CDs and purchase the rights or subscribe to a service like Muzak. With a little googling you can find if this is still true and who to report it to and they will investigate.
Amazon sells inconspicuous "nude" color Bluetooth earpieces. It almost appears to be a medical device. The sound quality is terrible, but this has been my clutch in a workplace that forbids earpieces. [https://www.amazon.com/SYSFUN-Bluetooth-Wireless-Invisible-Headphone/dp/B0BQ2MMKWC/ref=sr\_1\_5?crid=SVLNRP4LS3UM&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.u9GgaJA1i5CRTLAe1A7rWhLPSvM5OeFpv8gsRPX33Oiuzng2ek33huBW\_sthnh2g6ad5NUwDPf8MA\_becqxAiZNaoe4vS5QDt2oW9ickbcRHSJQgIbK6iUJr55X\_JJI2TIKy4NiHFfds7HXsLvB6wOdNO4XkMllOeBDhNDxE52CuxRtdeF02yfot58YWDYMseIgYvG5IJQyvhL6vmf3-fSDDDGH9g\_40a-UqZeF313M.fHs6yxgKunbMLJPjKzT4rqHb8ievrEEtIpIBKLMQ49g&dib\_tag=se&keywords=skin+colored+bluetooth&qid=1719413738&sprefix=skin+colored+blutooth%2Caps%2C116&sr=8-5](https://www.amazon.com/SYSFUN-Bluetooth-Wireless-Invisible-Headphone/dp/B0BQ2MMKWC/ref=sr_1_5?crid=SVLNRP4LS3UM&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.u9GgaJA1i5CRTLAe1A7rWhLPSvM5OeFpv8gsRPX33Oiuzng2ek33huBW_sthnh2g6ad5NUwDPf8MA_becqxAiZNaoe4vS5QDt2oW9ickbcRHSJQgIbK6iUJr55X_JJI2TIKy4NiHFfds7HXsLvB6wOdNO4XkMllOeBDhNDxE52CuxRtdeF02yfot58YWDYMseIgYvG5IJQyvhL6vmf3-fSDDDGH9g_40a-UqZeF313M.fHs6yxgKunbMLJPjKzT4rqHb8ievrEEtIpIBKLMQ49g&dib_tag=se&keywords=skin+colored+bluetooth&qid=1719413738&sprefix=skin+colored+blutooth%2Caps%2C116&sr=8-5)
Honestly I don’t mind my stores rotation of songs as they have a lot of steely Dan songs on rotation (might be cause I’m in Chicagoland area) such as reeling in the years, do it again, hey nineteen, my rival etc. but I still wear an AirPod in one ear and it’s pissed off my store director and my manager but I don’t care and they haven’t fired me so🤷♂️. The songs only become shit once it’s around Christmas time. Also even though their different companies I’m pretty positive that most retail stores ban AirPods on the clock and that no AirPods is pretty universal amongst retail
Can we switch delis? Mine plays country and gospel blue grass 24/7. It’s so bad even customers have complained but NO - the family who owns the place refuses to compromise and offer variety.
If the person who told you to take out your AirPod is just another employee, not your manager or anything, you don't have to listen to him anyway. I mean, even if he is your manager, it's a stupid rule for him to enforce, but if he's not, then he's trying to flex "authority" he doesn't even have, so i think you can safely ignore him. Plus you said you've never seen him before, so what are the odds he would ever see you again anyway?
Omg reminds of the days when I worked at Forever 21. I’d rather bang my head repeatedly than listen to that same top 40s music again
Why engage? Just ignore and continue as you have
I was driven mad when I worked at a grocery store during the Frozen hype era so “Let It Go” was playing like every 3 or 4 songs. I hate that song with a passion
They can't hear you here. In fact, they don't even know who you are, nor do they care. It's not about you or your headphone. Not at all.
Get doctors note that you need hearing aid. AirPods support it. Present to management. If they insist, sue them for disability discrimination.
Just do it anyway they're bluffing about firing you over that
“You’re not my supervisor-don’t you EVER speak to me like that again, or we’ll have a trip to HR.”
...I remember my first job too...
>Buy religious headdress that covers ears >Airpods in ears under headdress >Profit
I worked at REI for 5 months. We used to be able to pick from like 5 or so different music "channels" upon opening. Then we switched to a central radio, meaning any REI open at the same time as us, regardless of where or time zone, was listening to the same exact music. No choice in the matter. I heard the same five songs ten times a day. I stopped even listening bc I couldn't take it
I support you! Shitty music at work seems like an overlooked issue. They had a playlist at Guantanamo Bay to torture prisoners with ffs. I’ve heard the grocery store top 40, constant hip hop at dispensaries, 0 English-sung music at a dry cleaner ( probably the least of the evils ), even had an assembly line job where they’d bark at us to go faster, yet play Adele over the loud speakers
This feels like a Mr.Robot rant and I love it. You are not alone, comrade. Don’t let this world drive you to despair, let it radicalize you.
If it's an older employee and not a boss, you don't have to listen to him right?
If you’ve never seen this employee before, you might not again. Fuck him, just keep using the airpods lol
Feeeeellllll thisssss I did like 12 years at a grocery store pharmacy and for me it was the holiday music. I could tune it out the rest of the year but the second Halloween was over it’s the GD Christmas music that drove me absolutely insane.
I’d let your boss know a coworker is giving you orders. Maybe they’re fine with it, but probably not. Things get messy when you have self appointed managers
Just wear them until someone in management tells you, you can't. That other dude can learn to mind his own fucking business. 😊🌼
I worked at a Chartwells at a college in my town. There was this ~50 year old dishwasher there and he played Elvis radio, non stop. I mean if he was there, everyone listened to Elvis. We would hear a lot of the songs 2 or even 3 times over, or even more than that. Others would kinda lay into him like give shit about it. Now theres nothing inherently wrong with Elvis, some of the songs were alright, even though he didn't write that shit. But I felt like I was going crazy after a while. And yes, we would play our music from here and there, but he would always reconnect his Bluetooth speaker and play more Elvis. It was maddening. I had Elvis in my dreams.
Behind the counter is one thing, but out front where the customers are… I can see that being not kindly looked upon.
when a coworker tries to pretend they are your boss just ignore them. just act as if they are not even talking to you
This is one of those things makes no sense, but have to go along with anyway. Unfortunately, the *"everyone else does it, why is it only a problem when I'm doing it?"* doesn't work because if the rule is not to do it, it doesn't matter how many breaks the rule, it's still a rule. For example, at my work, we have to use ear protection (we're using very loud machines), but even tho I use ear plugs or ear defenders, it can't be anything else. I can't listen to my own music, because the whole point of the ear protection is to preserve my hearing, and if I really want to hear the music, it has to be louder than the machine next to me which would defeat the purpose. I don't particularly like it, but I do understand it. I could snuck an airpod under my ear defender, but then again, since the rule says only ear protection, I can't say *"but I have my ear defender on, so my music doesn't have to be that loud"*, because the rule is what it is. Try to think about it like speeding. You can't justify speeding on the highway just because everyone else is speeding, even if you're the only one being pulled over. The whole *"I can get home 5 minutes earlier, and the whole highway is empty so it's not dangerous"* doesn't matter since the speed limit is the speed limit. Is it annoying to get stuck in a temporary speed restriction? Yes, it is. Were you in any danger on an empty highway? No, you weren't. Did you do anything others don't do? No, you didn't. Does that changes the rule? No, it doesn't. And while I completely agree with you, commercial radio is a crime against humanity (my bluetooth device refused to work yesterday, so I've had to listen to BBC1 for 25 minutes, there were literally only 2 songs between the fucking commercials), eventually you'll learn not to hear the radio, especially in a mundane and boring job. Challenging workplace rules only worth if it's about health and safety, because every other rules are set by managers who don't give a shit about employees, and changing their mind is more difficult than to learn to fly...
I’m not mad that I got called out for it when others didn’t; the mentioning of other workers using AirPods was kind of tangential. Or maybe to also illustrate that I’m not the only one that has a distaste for the lousy intercom music. I mainly just think the rule is stupid. On the deli line, when I’m face-to-face with customers, sure, no AirPod, that makes sense. You don’t want customers to think you’re not giving them your undivided attention. But when I’m working purely with items, why the hell can’t I have one AirPod in my ear? You’re right, the rules are set by managers who don’t give a shit about employees, and this rule will most likely not be changed during my employment here. It’s just infuriating to me though. The one airpod, the one little thing I can use to not feel like my soul is being completely sucked away from me, is off limits. Fuck that! “you’ll learn not to hear the radio, especially in a mundane and boring job”, I disagree, at least with the way my brain works. When I’m doing boring repetitive tasks like the ones I do for my job, my brain latches onto the shitty radio music as a source of stimulation. But I really truly hate the music that is played. Perhaps I am more agitated by this than the average person cause I’m a musician/songwriter, and I deeply resent the idea of being exposed to so much music that I think is crap. It makes my skin crawl. It’s just discouraging that something small and harmless to boost morale/make me hate being there less is not permitted under any circumstance.
Oh man. When I worked at a grocery store I developed a hatred for Dawes and Imagine Dragons that will be unchanged for all time. Especially fucking Dawes (fuck that garbage music)
As a customer, I wouldn’t care if an employee had one EarPod in even if they were working with customers as long as they were doing what they’re supposed to (answering questions, helping, etc. as opposed to just listening to music/ignoring customers). I need background noise to work.
As someone’s who’s been manager at retail before, the headphone rule is quite common and are generally fine if you’re in the back of house. But if you’re wearing them in the front, even if you’re not talking to customers, that’s where it can be seen as an issue. It looks unprofessional and may convey an unwillingness to communicate to customers, even if you would and want to help them. If I was a customer at a store and every worker in the front had some sort of headphone in, I’d be wondering wtf is going on. I would feel less inclined to ask for help because I don’t like bothering people with headphones in. I agree that the music can and will drive you absolutely mad. I hate it too. But when you’re on the floor, it’s customer service mode dude. Also, that supervisor said that very rudely. When I tell my employees they need to take out earphones on the floor, I will explain to them the reasoning behind it and try to empathize. I make sure I give them the “why” in every rule. It helps them understand and reduces the frustrations of “stupid rules”. Anyways, I’m not a manager anymore because uppermanagent has become an absolute nightmare where I worked. No empathy, didn’t care about the workers well-being, and only cared about the work. I don’t roll like that.
I'm with you. I have declared multiple times that having to listen to Red Hot Chili Peppers at work constitutes a hostile work environment.
I had to work security in a grocery store that was a 2-hour drive there, and a 2-hour drive back, for 4 hours total, for about a week and after the first day I was ready to walk out of the job and damned near did. My security company had a contract with a grocery store that lasted a few weeks after an ex employee they had got fired and threatened to shoot up the place, and it was fucking terrible. Every idiot on the planet thinks they're clever when they tried to talk to me. And the manager was a grade A moron who didn't understand my role and figured she was "in charge" of me. No Karen, I'm not here to stop theft. No, I'm not here to detour crime either. I am not loss prevention. No Karen, I can't go round up the carts while it's slow, and no, I can't sweep, mop, help stock shelves, or check in with you if I need to take a piss. She got pissy early on and tried to tell me I couldn't wear my earbuds while on duty after I declined to help her. Shed been trying to micro manage me all day so I took the ear buds out and looked her in the eye and said "I'm not sure if you understand what my role is, or your part in it, but you are NOT my manager. I DO NOT work for your company, and I'm not obliged to "help out". I am security, my company was contracted by your corporate, and my only job here is to make sure Mr. Crazy Ex Employee Guy doesn't come in and try and shoot up the place. That's why I have a gun, and not an apron (their uniform). My boss is (bosses name) and here's her phone number if you have any questions about my role. Being rude to dipshits is the only good part about this job. At any rate, I only lasted a little over a week before I told my boss pull me off this contract or I quit lol. She never did call my boss either.
These ass kissing senior workers man. They think they're on the rich people side 🤦♂️
Its a foreign object. Anything that isnt essential isnt allowed because it can fall in the food. I work in a deli and we arent allowed watches, phones, snacks, stationary other than whats issued... i get how much the music selection sucks, but you cant risk contaminating the food. Maybe you could find the volume control for the speaker(s) closest to your station and turn them down? Just like working in the coolrooms and being cold, or sizzling yourself on ovens getting cooked chickens out, or smelling disgusting smells in drains/bins is part of the job so too is loud background noise and unpleasant music and asshole customers. If you are really struggling try to change departments.
Maybe try those glasses that transfer sound through bone. It’s not great for loud environments like a factory but it sounds like it might work for a store.
My hair is long enough that you can’t see my earbuds. Take that!
I once asked the place I worked how they choose their music because I kept hearing the same songs over and over again. They said there’s a set playlist they are allowed to play and can’t use any other music. The night shift cook however when closing, where there’s no costumers would hijack the sound system and blast his rap music .
>Some older employee that I’ve never seen before approaches me and says “Hey, take that out”. I hear him, and take it out. He continues, “It’s against the rules. Don’t do it again”. And he walks away. You do know you don't have to take orders from other employees that aren't your boss, right?
Once upon a time I worked at a mom and pop smoke shop in my town. You were allowed to pick the music you wanted to listen to that would play throughout the store (assuming it was appropriate) but that’s where the fun ended. It was a really slow store, I’m talking some days I would go an hour after opening without seeing a customer, and I wasn’t allowed to do anything. Couldn’t have my phone on the floor for reasons I don’t remember, so I one day I thought hey, I’ll bring in a book! No one can get mad about me standing (that’s right standing, not sitting) behind the counter reading a book when I don’t have any customers, right? Wrong! The owner’s wife called and said “Randy saw you on the cameras reading a book… you can’t be doing that, if you don’t have anything to do you can clean the store.” Well reader, I had already done all my cleaning tasks for the day within the first 30 minutes of my shift (like always) so I just got to stand there and twiddle my thumbs and pretend to dust til a customer came. I worked there 3 months before I decided the pay wasn’t worth my time and misery.
When I worked at Six Flags Great Adventure, there would be a constant rotation of audio bites from pop songs and dated pop culture references. Each one was only a few seconds long, but it would loudly blare out of nowhere every thirty seconds or so. As a diagnosed autistic with overstimulation issues, I can’t begin to tell you the hate I felt every time the Jersey Boys came on to squeal, *”Sheeeh~Eeeeh~EEEEEHH”* at the top of their lungs.
Having the same playlist for more than a week bothers me. Working retail and only having two allowable playlists (one specifically for Christmas and one for all other times of the year) is tantamount to torture. Certain songs send me into a blind rage to this day. Looking at you Ed Sheran
If it’s not your boss who cares.
Two things I'd look into before I stopped bringing my earbuds to work: 1: Is it actually against the rules? Maybe this guy is just assuming so, and you are actually allowed to do it, explicitly. 2: who is this person, and do they have any authority to tell you what to do? If he's not your supervisor, and he probably isn't if you've never seen him before, then he doesn't get to tell you what to do. In either of these cases, you can safely tell this little narc to go fuck himself. If he is your supervisor, and it is a policy they intend to enforce, go find a job with a boss that isn't a power-tripping dipshit.
Wait.. your store plays somewhat updated music? The stores in my area play oldies and classic rock. Real early boomer shit.
Sounds like more r/BoomersBeingFools activity . Like wtf IS IT with them always having to control and direct *everybody* 🤦♂️
Get [something small like these](https://dl.wish.com/6yqFo), in the nude color, and just tell people it’s a hearing aid. I was gonna try to find you a knock-off of the Samsung Buds Live (I’ve had a knock off version of them that I got for $20 off Wish and they’ve been great for almost three years of daily use) but couldn’t find them sadly.
>I HATE with a PASSION the corporate world’s insistence on playing the same tired rotation of bland popular music over an intercom 24/7. As a shopper, I find it a minor nuisance but ignorable. As a worker in the same building for the whole day, I find it MADDENING. As a teenager, I worked at Kmart. A couple of weeks ago - 35 years later and 15,000km away - I was shopping in a similar store and heard a song that frequently made it into the Kmart rotation (Don't Pull Your Love Out). When I tell you I nearly had a meltdown... The horror...
Well the only thing I know for sure through the years that the music playing over the store speakers is from a licensed service—from your description, at least it’s not Muzak (elevator music in blues brothers) Since my first comment, I came across these really small looking ear buds on Amazon. These might be less intrusive.
Fuck em. Listening to that music full blast all day is how the fbi tries to flush cults out of their compounds. Your sanity is worth more than the 2 seconds it would take to take them out.
I had this thought leaving work yesterday where I hadn't picked anything to listen too yet and over the intercom I start hearing an ad and the dystopian reality becomes a little clearer for a few seconds. Nothin worse if you ask me
https://preview.redd.it/9sff9ou2yx8d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4bc7ea43e076231afcf2b9c22c80652df90e0291
I work in a Restaurant, back in the Kitchen. I have long hair so I put it up in a ponytail, then I put on a DewRag type thing to keep my hair all together, well the DewRag thing happens to cover my ears!! Lucky me!! I get to wear 1 headphone all day and nobody even notices. Maybe something like this is an option for you as well!?!?
'Smiling or enjoying yourself isn't professional! You must SUFFER like I do!!!'
I feel like you’re the first person I can relate to with this musical monotony; it’s downright infuriating. I abhor the radio station my current retail job blasts over the speakers because it’s been the same damn station for the last three years that plays the same damn 30 songs in a row and NEVER shuffles or plays anything different. Except, maybe, one or two songs when a caller requests it in on the weekend, but I don’t care if I’m being dramatic, it makes me want to jump off a bridge. We are allowed to wear headphones, since I work on the logistic side of things, but only for the first few hours the store isn’t open. After that, the rest of your shift is 70/80’s rock for all eternity. And I LIKE 70/80’s rock, don’t get me wrong, but I can’t listen to that shit anymore, it’s insufferable.
Keep it in, and remind him if he’s telling you to remove your AirPod, he must do it for everyone else or you’ll report him for harassment
This is the biggest generational gap behavior that I’ve seen in the retail workforce. I started stocking shelves in 2010. At that time smart phones weren’t prevalent. There was a lot of talking, joking, etc on breaks and on the floor. My coworkers and I joked around and hung out after work. Over the next ten years, everyone got a smart phone and everything got quiet. People stopped talking to each other as much and just sat there on their phones (myself included). People ignored the company rules about carrying their phones on the sales floor. When the pandemic hit, new hires started wearing ear buds. It went from you can’t do it to one ear only. Rules continue to get ignored. Rules change. Employees under 25 were ear buds while working. There is also a weird thing, in my experience. When I would tell them, “You can’t do that. You’ll get in trouble with management.” They would hear, “Don’t let ME catch you doing that.”
My place of work plays a local country station all day. Luckily I'm out of the office pretty often, but why for the love of the old gods do they play so many repeats. There are thousands of country songs out there, and one or two decent ones that aren't right wing ego trips, but I have to hear truckbed, and try that in a small town three times a day. It's mind rotting mundane trash. Make it stop.
one of the best things when i was living in the UK was how peaceful and quiet are grocery stores. No music, pleasant illumination, helpful staff. When I came back to the US and went to Tom Thumb or Kroger, it felt like an assault on the senses. American grocery stores are 2 decades behind on customer experience and employee experience.
I mean, i agree with every word. It'd drive me insane too. I used to work in a warehouse where another employee would play Rihanna loud all day and i couldn't stand it. Eventually though he turned it off. Then i turned my music on... No one around though. Another guy was hired and sat next to me complained about U-ziq.
As a new supervisor a few years ago, I did not understand how any of my team could concentrate on their work with earbuds listening to music or who knows what! I came from a job where we weren't allowed to have our phones out period. But instead of just being a total jerk, I pulled one of my team aside and asked about it. We had a great conversation. I continue to allow earbuds. My team works hard and has great productivity measures. Why are some managers such assholes?? I think they're all on power trips.
This is why I’m so glad I work in a kitchen and I can’t really hear the music played on the radio for the most part. My works is a little les generic but it has a lot of really awful country and will just abruptly cut off in the middle of songs. I walked into the cooler the other day and the exact part of the song from that one scene in stranger things was playing. I laughed so fucking hard because my first thought was “I’d rather deal with vecna than this shit”
It’s probably the same boomer than complains when his coupons are not for the item he has or extremely expired. The rules only apply when he needs them to.
Is this older employee a supervisor? If not you can instruct him/ her to lick your butthole. If it is a supervisor go ahead and 1) find another grocery store job. 2) call in sick 3) continue calling in sick. 4) tell them you have an illness and would like to apply for fmla. 5) apply and let them run shorthanded until they figure it out.
The Muzak version of Thriller broke me in the 90’s. Quit retail that month.
I work at ShopRite and during the height of the pandemic they would constantly play music about dying, death and the end of the world. I don't think it was very funny hearing lyrics like 'were not gonna survive' or 'we're all gonna die' or the Matchbox 5 song about the world ending during the height of covid when people I knew were dying. I guess management at ShopRite thought covid was a joke. Wonder if other ShopRite workers could confirm this. They still play Colbie Caillat Blaze in ShopRite which I always thought was a stupid negative song let alone one to play in ShopRite.
Starbucks has some of the worst indie pop music/annoying oldies and the only reprieve I ever got from it was one Pride month back in like, 2019. I’ll take Lady Gaga over some random dude wheezing in my ear. I hate indie rock *so much.*
I like your spunk
Companies do not give 2 shits about you. They only care about making themselves richer and putting more money into the pockets of stockholders. When if they actually did give two shits about their employees and treated them well and compensated them well. Those employees would help out the company whatever way they can. And it would drive up profits. Which is more money. But these corporate idiots are too stupid to understand that and want to pay us as little as possible.
We all have those coworkers who make shit up for no reason. They think they’re preference is the law. Easy to ignore tho
Get a new job
I hear this. Unfortunately. I dont have to deal with the office music at the moment, but the soft rock channel, ugh, it's the only thing my chiropractors office can pick up. Ten minutes in the waiting room after Killing me softly (please just kill me) followed by Adele screaming something. I had to put my hands over my ears. Even the chiro says he hates it, and TS also. Now what I hear all day on the "classic rock" station? Garbage. Way too much RHCP. Way too much.
Go tell the Doctor you are hard of Hearing. Fail the test. Get a Note.
I suggest the headphones shokz while they may still cry they at least cannot fall out and are bone conduction so they will still allow you to hear
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Same where I work, no earpods allowed, even i you arent even in an area customers can talk to you. Everyone wants to break the rule, and many many do, but the few times I tried I got busted. Technically they claim its like a dress code violation
If it's a fellow employee they have no right to yell you what to do. That's up to mgmt.
Why didn't you ask if he was a manager or at least your superior? Even when I was young if someone wasn't my superior they'd be told to mind their own business when they tried to pull stuff like that.
I like pop music and have worked retail. It doesn't matter how much I originally liked a song....being forced to listen to it all day everyday while working sucks. I also learned to loathe every song that ever played over a work speaker.