If I had heard something like those, I would likely have assumed that these were album tracks by these performers, if I could even identify them (which I almost certainly could not!).
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Department Store Playlist on Radio?
- Thread starter Route 222
- Start date
Got any examples of these? I would be curious to know what you are referring to here.
I can't recall ever having heard "Sweet Home Alabama" or "Hotel California" at any store! But of course, someone played "Sweet Home" at least twice on the jukebox at the bowling alley while I was there once!
Yes, Walmart has their own 'Walmart Radio' service. I'm guessing it's off some satellite feed? They play a lot of recent pop music but also play some '70s and '80s stuff. I think Safeway was running the 'In-Store Broadcasting Network' last time I was in there; Rosauers here in Yakima was playing the usual adult contemporary, not sure if it was FM-1 or not. Sometimes I wish FM-1 had its own stream for the general public since their playlist is huge. They were on an SCA subcarrier in St. Louis many years ago, and a user here on R-D posted about 2 1/2 hours of FM1 from 2002, in glorious mono.
Sonic has their own network as well that plays a mix of music from the 50's to more current in rock, pop, country, and R&B.
At one time I had seen a list of Muzak channels that were specifically made for different businesses, but I haven't been able to find it now. If I find it I'll post it later.
At one time I had seen a list of Muzak channels that were specifically made for different businesses, but I haven't been able to find it now. If I find it I'll post it later.
Back when I worked at Wal-Mart (Christmas rush, 1987), they had Christmas muzak playing, all of it instrumental. Of course, since I was there all day at the time, I noticed a lot of repetition that the average customer probably would not have noticed.
But the best part is that now, stores like Wal-Mart typically do not use that loudspeaker pager system anymore. If employees need to speak to each other, they usually use their own personal pagers, cell-phones, walkie talkies, whatever. It was somewhat annoying, from the customer's point of view, to hear employees constantly paging each other over the loudspeaker. Technology has improved on that.
We were just at Sonic last night. Sonic has their own "radio station" complete with djs, even taking requests. But last night when we were there, they had the volume turned significantly down, to the point that I almost could not hear it. We wanted to eat outside, but you know how it is with fickle middle/west TN weather. A little cool, so we ate in the car. As for Sonic radio taking requests, I don't know how, or even if, they could get to a request before the customer had to leave. As you said, quite a variety there. I don't know if it is even possible to listen to Sonic radio anywhere else, or if it is more of a closed-circuit, satellite feed.
Food Lion used to have FM-1, according to what I was told here. It was actually better than anything on radio. Then they switched to something very contemporary and I was grateful the volume was low. Sometimes I can't hear any music in the store I go to most except in maybe one section of the store.
Bojangles has a good mix of soft, older songs. That's a fast food chain known for spicy chicken. I like their regular chicken which isn't spicy.
Bojangles has a good mix of soft, older songs. That's a fast food chain known for spicy chicken. I like their regular chicken which isn't spicy.
One if not more of the Bojangles in Knoxville TN plays contemporary Christian.
That's something I wouldn't want to hear. Some Arby's play that.
I don't know about Wal-Mart, but Mood Media (and others) provide custom programming for stores. I worked at a Verizon dealership inside a Wal-Mart store around 2003. In the early morning there'd be a DJ saying things like "this is going out to the hard working folks at store #1329 in Shreveport".
Some stores are definitely going to make me leave quickly.
I was tired after a lot of walking and I spent more time than I would have wanted in a WalMart. I never go in those stores but I was at the beach and had never seen this one, and I had no other alternatives for sitting down and resting in a residential neighborhood. They had a DJ and classic hits from an era that sounds too much like today's music to really be "classic" for any reason other than being old. Definitely not something that would make me return.
On the other hand, when the method of paying my power bill changed, I had to go to another WalMart. No music as I recall, and that's a good thing because paying my power bill took a long time. Going to city hall used to be very quick but the system was shut down because of some virus or something. If you want to pay in person rather than pay over the phone (which has a cost) or mail, the power company closed their locations years ago and without that payment method, Western Union is the only way (and there is a cost).
Chick Fil A does that as well in my area. I guess it depends on the owner. Hobby Lobby has a mix of traditional and contemporary Christian instrumental music. It used to come from CDs, but it might be from a satellite feed now.
Food Rite, a local grocery chain in West TN, has had a mix of AC and 80's and 90's CCM that I've never head anywhere else. It's actually kind of odd because the CCM is from the period when it was almost non-existent in Christian radio in the area and was still opposed by a lot of churches and radio stations. I asked a manager about where they got their music and he wasn't really sure. But to me it sounds like something like Pandora or Spotify where a business can have more selection over the music mix they want. Does something like that exist?
Why am I not surprised at that???
The Arby's nearest to me just carries NASH-FM. They used to have Hippie Radio playing in there. I think that I have heard Mix 92.9 (when they were playing Christmas music!) in there, as well.
I guess going the cheapest possible route and piping local radio into the dining room is a standard practice at Arby's. The one nearest to me (North Haven, CT) uses KC101 (WKCI Hamden) as its background music -- CHR, played way too loud. I love Arby's brisket and (when available) pork belly sandwiches, but I usually use the drive-thru. This is the only restaurant or store in my area whose music actually discourages me from going inside.
Along that line I've heard some Chick Fil A restaurants play K-LOVE.
Ours play Contemporary Christian but not K-Love. There's a restaurant called Cook Out that was playing Sirius/XMs CCM service "The Message" when I was there
Wasn't there a website or YouTube Channel that actually had the list of K-Mart music cassettes where you could click and listen to the tracks from a certain era?
Walmart has Walmart Radio now. They did a nationwide search of Walmart employees. Scott (DJ Bo) had done radio in my area of NW PA. He was terminated and took a job as on the road store prep for Walmart. He and another gentleman were selected for Walmart Radio. I hear his voice alot in my area Walmarts.
They also do online videos for stores across the country highlighting forthcoming promotions and news from corporate headquarters. I think they also have a complete entertainment experience at the home offices with concerts etc.
Short answer: As a shopper in a retail establishment you don't have control of the tuner
or the on/off button. A radio programmer's job is to keep you listening as long as possible.
I used to really like the music at Bottom Dollar supermarkets before they went out of business.
It was like a grooveyard of 70's jukebox favorites. Sometimes I did choose to shop there and not
elsewhere because of that.
or the on/off button. A radio programmer's job is to keep you listening as long as possible.
I used to really like the music at Bottom Dollar supermarkets before they went out of business.
It was like a grooveyard of 70's jukebox favorites. Sometimes I did choose to shop there and not
elsewhere because of that.
Yes there is! And albeit it's a 'strange collection' I think it's a piece of department store history that I'm glad the ex-employee was able to run off with. So much great Muzak and old soft rock music on these cassettes, especially the 1992 tapes. In fact, it's too bad I didn't stop by the local Yakima store before they shut down, I wonder if they threw them out or kept them in a long-lost drawer. There are some weekly cassettes that are missing ;-)
https://archive.org/details/attentionkmartshoppers
https://archive.org/details/attentionkmartshoppers
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