There's A Reason You Never Hear Music Playing At Costco

You're strolling through the aisles of Costco, browsing the shopping list you made on the bulk retailer's must-have app, and keeping your eyes peeled for new favorite items. While much of shopping experience is similar to other big-box stores, there's a major difference that can go unnoticed: at Costco, there's no soundtrack to your perusing. Unlike Sam's Club, Costco doesn't play music in any of its stores, letting you relax with your own thoughts (or the latest episode of your favorite podcast in your earbuds). While Costco hasn't released information on why its store speakers are silent, some Redditors have speculated that the company would rather not pay music licensing fees.

Costco isn't the only discount store that forgoes music in favor of passing savings on to customers. Take a listen next time you're strolling through Aldi's aisle of dreams — you'll notice that you're left in silence with your thoughts (you'll be able to hear internal monologue debate whether you really need that new kitchen gadget loud and clear). Naturally, large discount stores like Costco want to cut costs wherever possible, ultimately making in-store music a luxury. It's worth exploring how keeping music out of people's ears while they're looking for the latest must-have items from Costco helps the chain save big (and pass those savings on to shoppers).

Apparently, playing music in a big-box store can get fairly expensive, between all the licensing fees and potential copyright issues. While Costco hasn't explicitly stated that it nixes music to save money, it stands to reason that a no-frills warehouse store wouldn't want to pass the increased costs onto customers for a musical shopping experience. Some self-proclaimed Costco employees online have even noted they aren't allowed to listen to personal music devices in ancillary departments at any time of day because customers might hear it, which could lead to licensing issues for the store. According to a Reddit thread that included a supposed Costco memo, this policy may have come about after a musician became incensed upon overhearing their song while shopping. While some alleged employees online say their stores don't even have a building-wide speaker system, others say their locations play music around the holiday season, but are otherwise silent.

Saving cash by keeping stores fairly quiet may be part of the reason why Costco is able to offer such low prices. If you aren't someone who appreciates shopping in silence, toss your earbuds into your pocket so you can enjoy some tunes while you look for your new favorite Costco find. Giving up a few things when shopping at Costco, like the luxury of listening to your favorite tunes while you're choosing which of the chain's bulk party appetizers you're going to throw into your cart — can be well worth the money you save by ditching the frills in favor of keeping your wallet happy.