My recent experience was at my local co-op, which is relatively small and located outside of town, offering good parking. This makes it attractive to the elderly who prefer a quieter environment to the hustle and bustle of typical supermarkets. I was in a rush and hadn't made a list, so I needed to concentrate. They were playing shrill music through poor-quality, echoey speakers that were located through the centre of the store, which was where it was loudest.  The final of the three pieces of music was a Soft Cell song that was so loud and shrill I had to stop for a second to consider whether this was normal and I was the problem.  I thought there must be a way for me to block this sound from piercing into my brain so that it is ok to inflict this on people, but of course, I couldn't, so I considered abandoning my trolley and leaving, but I didn't have the time to go elsewhere.  I noticed all the other elderly customers had the most pained look on their faces.  The only one who looked like she was enjoying it was a lady in the biscuit aisle who was bopping away to it....seriously! I became angry and asked for the manager when I got to the tills, where it seemed slightly quieter because it was away from the speakers.  He was about to explain something about the staff, I interrupted, as I knew he was going to say that it was for the benefit and entertainment of the staff. I told him that if I wanted to go to a disco, I would visit the local nightclub.  Music in shops appeals to the lowest common denominator, which of course, is where society will end up.  Shops are ignorant in believing this keeps people in their store, spending.  I will never enter that store again, and I think that it is against my human rights to have to suffer this torture.   So distressed was I by the experience, I called my mother when I got home and via Alexa, I played the awful squealing music to her, and I immediately became panicked, tearful and could not breathe.  Why does society feel the need to fill every space with noise and visual distractions from devices like phones and Facebook clips?  No wonder there is a substantial mental health issue. I am not autistic, but so help me, anyone who shops there who is.