grocery store music

as i write this, i am on hold with the District of Columbia Office of Tax and Revenue. talk about a fun-loving, happy-go-lucky bunch. they told me my estimated wait time was five minutes. yeah, right. does anybody really believe that? i may never return to civilization.

my question is: why do customer service centers always, always, always play the same cd of easy listening jazz, saxophone with piano synthesized in the background, kenny g on muzak while you are on hold?* it's the exact same music they play in the grocery store and as the background music between scenes on late 80s/early 90s sitcoms. does anybody actually listen to that stuff in real life? so why do they think we want to listen to it while we're waiting for somebody to put down their candy bar, turn down the tv, and pick up the phone to answer whatever question is so important that we've given up trying to figure it out on our own and have actually dared to call customer service? i mean, we've already endured fifteen minutes of pressing three, pressing the pound sign, and pressing three again. or even better, trying to speak clearly enough that the computer system understands what you are saying. the least they could do is play music that doesn't make you want to scratch your eyeballs out. especially when they shuffle you from person to person for another fifteen minutes, putting you on hold again each time.





* the one exception to this is customer service at navy federal credit union. they play john phillip sousa marches. you call them and you get a rousing chorus of "the stars and stripes forever".