Skip to playerSkip to main content
  • 4 days ago
It's not unusual to have an advertising jingle in your head but for people in the Darwin CBD there's no escape from one particularly annoying tune. Woolworths has been blasting the supermarket giant's 'fresh food people' jingle on loop outside its store in a bid to deter loitering and reduce anti-social behaviour.

Category

📺
TV
Transcript
00:05A recognisable and repetitive tune.
00:08The music is on all the time.
00:11These inconspicuous speakers installed outside Darwin CBD's biggest supermarket earlier this month,
00:18now blasting Woolworth's fresh food people jingle on a loop.
00:23Very irritating. Early in the morning as well.
00:26Yeah, on repeat all the time. Tomorrow, next day, every day.
00:29Woolworth says the speakers are an attempt to deter crime,
00:33following complaints from community and staff about aggression and antisocial behaviour.
00:38We introduced a music speaker system that discourages loitering helping to increase safety,
00:44a spokesperson told the ABC in a statement.
00:47Do you ever notice, you know, people loitering or antisocial behaviour at the front of this supermarket ever?
00:52Oh yeah, absolutely. All the time.
00:54Do you reckon them playing the 20 second Woolworth's jingle will stop people loitering?
00:58Not at all. No way.
01:01Woolworth says it's had 24 instances of violent or aggressive behaviour towards staff this year.
01:08The question is whether the jingle is going to make people feel safer or just annoyed.
01:14Suits me just fine. I love it.
01:16Doesn't drive you nuts?
01:17No.
01:18Architecture expert Mark Olwany said while the tactic might drive people away in the short term,
01:24it's unlikely to last.
01:25In some instances it may be called loitering, but for the individuals in that space it is not loitering.
01:33They're there because there's a need that that space is fulfilling.
01:37A catchy crime prevention tactic or a strategy with a short shelf life?
01:42Thank you very much for listening.
01:45Thank you very much for those who are devant us.
Comments

Recommended