Will your favourite supermarket skip Christmas music this year?
New research indicates that stores that play repetitive Christmas music throughout the holiday period may be subjecting their staff to higher stress levels. Psychologists have indicated that not only can repetitive music lead to feelings of being trapped, but that constant Christmas music can also remind people of all the Christmas tasks they still have to do. Christmas can be a wonderful, festive time to spend with family, but it can also be a time of enormous stress – financial and otherwise. Coupled with overtime shifts or temp work, Christmas can be one of the most hectic times of year.
Christmas music overdrive or skipping the season
Some supermarkets have decided to up the ante, playing more Christmas music in store than ever before and from an earlier date leading up to the Christmas period. But others have opted not to play any at all, preferring instead to use gentle classical music or entirely different song choices. The hope is that the staff continue to feel refreshed and calm throughout the shift, even during some of the busiest shopping periods of the year.
Music has long been recognised as having a powerful impact on the brain and mood. BBC news recently published an article that highlighted the effect of music on shopping behaviours, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-36424854, claiming in particular that it can even influence the experience of the taste of edible products. However, that has not stopped a number of stores from abandoning music completely, believing that it distracts staff members and has a stressful impact on customers.
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Call the professionals
For stores who still intend to use music, many are now using the help of professional services or systems. In store music services such as https://moodmedia.co.uk, for example, can be specifically tailored to cultivate your chosen atmosphere. The content is highly customisable and regularly updated so that it never feels stale or repetitive. Services that are bespoke are especially successful as they respect the atmosphere and mood that each individual business is trying to create.
Whether by increasing the use of Christmas music or by removing it all together, every store is making an effort to please their customers. Whatever your taste, you are bound to find somewhere to shop that will help you to feel festive, relaxed, and ready to enjoy the season.
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