Would you put up with this?

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One of my pet peeves is having to listen to other people's music. As soon as someone starts playing music, even if it's really quiet, it's like my brain zeroes in on it and it becomes impossible for me to focus. Well, one of the managers on my shift has decided that it'd be a good idea to hook his phone up to a stereo system and blast his personal playlist all through the office. As you can probably guess, my productivity took a nosedive. We have a whiteboard where people can ask questions and leave suggestions, and I've written on there more than once that some people can't work with music playing, so could we please limit it to using headphones? Every time I do, though, other people will scribble over my question saying how much they love the music. Again, if they want to listen to music, why can't they do it so that everyone else doesn't have to listen with them?

If this was you, would you put up with it?

I have top of the line NC headphones and I use my own music as an anchor for focus. I find electronica serves this purpose well for me.

So in this case I'd likely be ok.

You're describing a typical wrong planet sort of issue.. neurotypicals following rules that work for them.

Is the work of a kind where headphones can work for you? If someone's of a mind to step up and say no, that's a circumstance which calls for an accommodation request.

On really bad days I'll put in headphones and play white noise, but that just pisses me off evwn more because I'm having to go out of my way to not hear somebody else's noise when it should be the other way around

I play my own music just as loud as they do until the Big Boss tells us all to turn it down.

Instead of griping about where you work (and I totally get you - I could never work for Walmart) can you put the same energy into searching for another job?

Yeah, I know there's little to pick from where you live. But you hate that place in so many ways! It seems to be having a really bad effect on your world view.

Your options are to look for a different employer, or a transfer within Walmart. Good luck.

I applied for a transfer to a different department I think I'd do better in, but haven't heard back from them yet. The problem with finding a new job is that, as bad as everything is here, nobody pays better than they do. I might still settle for a lower paying job if it meant less stress, but I already have trouble paying rent with what I'm making now.

Personally, if it was the only job I had and I couldn't get another one, I'd find a way to deal. You can't always control what other pepole do, all you can do is control yourself. I've gotten mad at my mom moving my shoes- cause she doesn't like where they are.

First suggestion is to ask them to stop. Please quiet down- PLEASE use headphones. They may say they don't have any, and you should leave it at that. Or maybe they're headphones don't work. Or it's not the same as listening to things out load. Second- you could try writing PLEASE NO MORE MUSIC WITHOUT HEADPHONES in permeant marker on the white board- HUGE letters- so nobody can erase it. (and you erase whatever else they write)

If that doesn't work, then I suppose you'd just have to join them. Play whatever music allows you to cancel out what they are doing- as LOUD as possible. Or a song that annoys them. I'd personally pick "It's a Small World." but you can pick whatever you want, whatever song doesn't annoy you.

In the meantime, make sure you get your work done whenever it's quiet and keep being nice to the boss. If you're a good employee and the boss likes you enough, they probably won't fire you. It's retail. They need you. And keep looking for another job. Even if you have to relocate somewhere else.

Good luck.

The stupid thing is, now everyone is fighting about what to play. Country! No, gangster rap! Heavy metal! I brought my Justin Bieber CD, guys! And manager doing it just ignores all of them and keeps playing whatever he feels like and patting himself on the back for making a more relaxed work place.