The shopping experience at Padre Staples Mall changes almost imperceptibly at 3 p.m. The environmental music shifts from the light rock and classical morning program to a mix that is more upbeat but still light. The tempo picks up to a rock beat in the sleepy hours after closing time, when work crews clean up, said Jim Baxter, the mall's general manager. There's a science to selecting the music for a workplace.
Local companies invest in the image they project by way of their customers' ears.
Just as an establishment would carefully choose office furniture or a location, business owners are using as much care in selecting the sounds that will make a first impression on customers, or shape an environment for getting work done. Places of business where the music has been carefully tailored include restaurants, apartment complexes, grocery stores, doctors' offices, car dealerships and gyms. Music is used to make their customers feel more comfortable, make their workforce more productive or make customers willing to stay on hold just a little longer. A 1991 study by Muzak, the company whose name has become synonymous with programmed music, found that problem-solving improved more than 16 percent in offices with music. Another study by the Gallup Organization for environmental music provider AEI Music found that 86 percent of retail customers say music makes a difference where they shop.