by Kevin Coupe
The San Antonio Express News reports that “on an unofficial subreddit dedicated to H-E-B, several posters identifying themselves as current and former employees have said that the 1999 song by German singer Lou Bega was the most annoying that’s played — often — over the grocer’s sound system.
“‘I’m going to pull the fire alarm’ if I hear ‘Mambo No. 5’ again, one employee (with the username PartnerNo5) posted about two weeks ago, receiving several sympathetic comments … A user named elmanutres said the song would always come on at 5:10 a.m., not long after the start of a produce shift. ‘And here I am, just barely functioning, looking at the sea of giant pallets I have to break down under the horrible incandescent light questioning why I’m still here doing this’.”
The story says that “in various threads on the subreddit, current and former employees have expressed irritation at songs such as ‘Zoot Suit Riot’ by the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, ‘Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?’ by Paula Cole, ‘Believe’ by Cher, ‘We Are Family’ by Sister Sledge, ‘Afternoon Delight’ by the Starland Vocal Band, ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ by Mariah Carey and ‘Love Shack’ by the B-52s.
“In a posting from last year, one employee ranted about ‘I Don’t Want To Miss a Thing’ by Aerosmith, ‘which was a song I used to like but hearing the screams by Steven Tyler inside an (H-E-B) makes my ears bleed these days. Literally comes on every hour and I cringe’.”
I actually like “Mambo No. 5,” but I agree that if I had to listen to it endlessly it might make me crazy.
But it probably is fair to say that almost any song, played endlessly, would make me crazy.
I confess that I did not remember “Zoot Suit Riot.” At all. But I can see the appeal to managers, probably feel like a lot of these songs will wake up employees.
“I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing” actually is a song that echoes around our house all the time, largely because Mrs. Content Guy is an “Armageddon” addict – any time she finds it playing, she keeps it on and the song permeates the air here.
Seems to me that this is an easy problem to solve, simply by letting employees curate the music played in their stores (with choices being vetted by management, of course). Maybe have a rotating employee DJ, changed monthly – it could even be a position that is earned, with a little bonus that comes with it.
It is unusual that H-E-B ever gets bad press – this was an Eye-Opening story when I saw it. But you have to “Believe” that H-E-B will do the right thing.
The post Tuesday Eye-Opener: Off-Key at H-E-B appeared first on MNB.
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