There are millions of people who love Mariah Carey‘s seasonal anthem “All I Want for Christmas is You,” but for as many times as they may catch it on the radio or at the store and happily hum along, arguably nobody hears it as often as retail employees, bartenders and other frontline workers.
And they’ve apparently had enough.
The Wall Street Journal spoke with several who would do just about anything to avoid hearing it, including a Chicago deli worker who stands under an industrial fan for the duration of the song. A retail worker in London says they hole up in the speaker-free stockroom to avoid the tune. “As soon as I hear the intro, I say, ‘Oh God,’ Kiyah Coleman tells the paper.
Those who can have taken proactive measures, like Laura Garrison, the general manager of Dallas’ Stoneleigh P. The song is banned in the restaurant before December, enforceable by an automatic skip via remote. “We hear those little [intro] twinkles and it’s done,” she says.
After December 1, a sign on the jukebox notes that the song is only allowed once a night.
For the record, they’re not alone. There are countless memes about the ubiquitous holiday hit, and several — granted, small — Change.org petitions to get radio stations and streaming services to nix it.
And while 12% of the respondents on a recent survey say it’s overplayed, Billboard numbers don’t lie: The song tops the charts every year at this time of year.