In-Store Music - Get Me Out Of Here!

I do not currently have a job. Don't panic, I'm not going to start shouting about the economic tragedy that resulted in my being an unemployed graduate - on the contrary, I quit my job so that I could go to England to-- no, nothing, I mean I resigned because I just did, OK?! 

Moving swiftly along. I have been without a job for exactly two days, and I'm so bored that I'm ready to start pulling my hair out strand by strand. (For a full account of my unemployed adventures, follow me on Twitter, but be warned, it is primarily an account of my strange new eating habits.) To occupy myself today, I took a wander down Kloof and Long Streets in central town, in the hopes of finding some interesting clothing items in the little hipster shops. (Not that I was planning on buying anything, this London trip ain't paying for itself.) Standing at the doorway of a promising-looking shop, I suddenly found myself being pulled away by the irresistible gravity of music. Yes - the neighbouring shop was playing something that sounded far more interesting, so off I popped. If you would believe it, this clothing store had drawn me in because of its music! OK fine, it was only Band of Horses, and I didn't end up buying anything, but it does pose an interesting question: does music effect how you shop?

Let's look at another example from later in the day: I was drawn into another shop when I heard the unmistakable sound of dearest Chris Martin, wailing the lyrics to 'Speed of Sound'. Ah yes, it was enough to make my heart beat faster. Fast forward three minutes to the beginning of the next song: it was David Guetta, and I hightailed it out of there faster than you could say "Where dem girls at?".

Music does, of course, set the tone for any kind of shop or public place: a designer boutique is much more likely to play Michael Buble than Rihanna, you're unlikely to hear Usher in your grandma's favourite home industry, and any hipster-shop owner with a brain in their head would leave the freaking David Guetta at the door! Seriously now, play some Foals, Imagine Dragons or Alt-J, and leave the dance vibes to the keeper of the swimsuit store down the street. 

And one last thing: if a customer is shamelessly singing along to a song, they are clearly enjoying it, and you should refrain from changing it. This is not at all aimed at that shop in Canal Walk that cut The Killers' 'Runaways' short and replaced it with Rihanna halfway through my Glee-style enactment. BUT if it was, I'd have only one word for you: rude.