CityNews – Have you ever found yourself standing near the door at 7-Eleven only to be annoyed by a series of “BING-bongs”? According to feedback this sound has been a strain on the ears of people in Thailand, and after a recent survey it was discovered that a massive 78% of Thais agree that the company should either get rid of the sound, or change it for something more pleasant.
Communities are divided over the change, however.
Talking to one group of people outside a branch of the convenience store in the Nimmanhaemin area who wish to remain anonymous, about half the group wanted a change in the jingle.
The oldest of the group (pro-change) states, “I have grown up with that sound and it seems fitting that as I have changed as I have gotten older, the 7-Eleven sound should too.”
Another disagrees fearing, “They may lose some of their loyal customers” who will then turn towards competitors such as Tesco or Big-C, she adds.
When the Director of Sounds and Greetings at 7-Eleven, Pingpat Donkasang, was asked about the change he cites an Oxford University study that states once a sound has been heard numerous times a listener filters out that noise. He is concerned that employees and customers have tuned out the doorbell jingle through this process called auditory selective attention, or ASA.
He says 7-Eleven is currently choosing between three new jingles. It will announce the new one next month. He didn’t give much away but did say one of the new sounds might be considered “a kind of hybrid vocal call of a jingjok and a cat’s maew.” When asked about this he told CityNews that, “people are looking for more natural sounds these days as so much of their time is spent in unnatural surroundings. We are bringing nature to the convenience store!”