Wednesday 23 November 2016

Make It Stop


I've just come back from doing the weekly shop.  Look, I know everyone moans about Christmas stuff in the shops as soon as August Bank Holiday is over, etc etc etc, but can I just have a mini-moan about the bloody music in supermarkets, too?

This morning in Morrissons, on November 23rd, it was Christmas CD time.  When I went in it was only that comparatively inoffensive one by Greg Lake, from the little known and very short CD, 'Christmas Songs That Won't Make You Pray For A Power Cut', or I might have walked straight out again and done my shopping via Waitrose Online, but I just struck lucky.  By the time my trolley was half full, it was Wham!'s Last Christmas.

I know why they do it.  It's all about subliminal messaging, is it not?  If you are made to feel that the season is already upon us, you will think
  • Oh no, I haven't bought all my stuff yet; must buy, buy, buy
  • Oh good, it's all Christmassy and lovely; must buy, buy, buy
But there are many among us who just think make it stop.  I know I am not the only one.  Like the awful upselling, I wonder how counter-productive it is, especially as more and more people, it seems, are starting to see the whole season as nothing but a celebration of the retail trade, and are downsizing Christmas more and more each year.

And why isn't Kate Bush's lovely December Will Be Magic Again on any of the Christmas CDs?  Perhaps it's on the same one as Greg Lake's song.  The one that no-one ever plays.



23 comments:

  1. I can recommend Sainsbury. They never have music.

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  2. Hi Terry - couldn't agree more ... and I so nearly walk out. It is puerile ... cheers and now have a good cup of tea or a coffee - it's way too far away from the yard arm! Cheers Hilary

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    1. Every time I say, I really WILL start shopping online, Hilary!

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  3. Oh yes - bloody music with a sub-text saying 'you are a mean so-and-so if you don't spent a mint' - grrrrrrrrrrrrr!

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  4. Should be banned until two weeks before Christmas!

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  5. Ha ha, I lasted an hour in town yesterday before the tinsel and turkey brigade drove me away! Unfortunately, my fourteen-year old daughter has festive fever and I've been subjected to Michael Buble drifting out from under her bedroom door for the past week!!!!!!

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  6. I know! I know! I didn't know Kate Bush's December will be Magic though. Thanks for sharing it.

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  7. Waitrose are fairly quiet..and their Basic range is comparable in price to other supermarkets.

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    1. No Waitrose round here, but I do use them for online sometimes. They do some good stuff I can't find elsewhere :)

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  8. I actually would like to hibernate until January every year. My friend bought me a Bah Humbug hat. I wear it shopping - together with earplugs. Surprisingly no one comes near me. get round the stores in record time!! Love Kate Bush.

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  9. I had to work in a supermarket at Christmas once. We might have had two CDs. Torture.

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    1. Oh dear. So, after a while, when Toto's 'Africa' was playing, you'd be thinking, right, 6 minutes until I have to sit through Bonnie Tyler's 'It's a Heartache' for the 67th time, right??

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  10. I like it! (Please don't hurt me!)

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    1. Au contraire, it's good to see that someone actually does; otherwise I'd have thought they were doing it out of sadism ;)

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  11. I couldn't agree more. Wouldn't it be nice if Christmas music only played for the week or two before Christmas?

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    1. Yes, then it would actually mean something, instead of being a background irritation :)

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  12. Christmas tree up on Christmas Eve and down on Boxing Day! Bah humbug!

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