# How do grocery store bell ringers do it without their heads exploding? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 1, 2011, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-grocery-store-bell-ringers-do-it-without-their-heads-exploding/604637 "2011-12-01T00:54:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-grocery-store-bell-ringers-do-it-without-their-heads-exploding/604637/1 "2011-12-01T00:54:49Z")
I went to the grocery store today, and out front was the ubiquitous Christmas bell ringer. Ding-a-ling-a-ling! Over and over. Constantly. By the time I made it from my car to the door I was ready to strangle somebody to make it stop. How does the poor person ringing the bell manage to not go insane after the first 1o minutes on the job?? Or is there a really high turnover rate for that job? I just don’t see how you could do it! It’s so annoying! ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-grocery-store-bell-ringers-do-it-without-their-heads-exploding/604637/2 "2011-12-01T01:05:14Z")
When I did it, it was a volunteer gig with a one-hour turnover rate. Kinda fun, but cold- ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-grocery-store-bell-ringers-do-it-without-their-heads-exploding/604637/3 "2011-12-01T01:13:12Z")
It probably becomes white noise to them. ---
**Author:** ![brittekland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@brittekland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brittekland)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-grocery-store-bell-ringers-do-it-without-their-heads-exploding/604637/4 "2011-12-01T01:15:58Z")
Devotion ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-grocery-store-bell-ringers-do-it-without-their-heads-exploding/604637/5 "2011-12-01T01:26:46Z")
iPod. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-grocery-store-bell-ringers-do-it-without-their-heads-exploding/604637/6 "2011-12-01T01:44:27Z")
I was raising funds for my hub’s military unit outside of Walmart in the frozen tundra. The bell ringers were right beside us for 3+ hours in sub-zero weather and in a very short period of time we no longer “heard” the bells. We were sort of “competing” with the bell ringers for loose change. We were working both doors and the guy at one side was very cool so we shared some of our donations with the Salvation Army. Fun times! ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-grocery-store-bell-ringers-do-it-without-their-heads-exploding/604637/7 "2011-12-01T01:45:02Z")
The Salvation Army has been running an add lately. They need bell ringers and will pay $7.50 per hour. I don’t think they’ve been swamped with applicants. ---
**Author:** ![diggerwam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/919ad9/32.png) [@diggerwam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggerwam)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-grocery-store-bell-ringers-do-it-without-their-heads-exploding/604637/8 "2011-12-01T02:00:29Z")
I rang for ten hours last year. Two hours at a time. I felt really good about. Made me feel like I was accomplishing something. I really needed that last year. I wasn’t in the cold. I was in the foyer on grocery store. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Onimous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea5d25/32.png) [@Ann\_Onimous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Onimous)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-grocery-store-bell-ringers-do-it-without-their-heads-exploding/604637/9 "2011-12-01T02:07:11Z")
We rang for an hour last night. Our entire 5 octave handbell choir. It was a blast and a workout at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-grocery-store-bell-ringers-do-it-without-their-heads-exploding/604637/10 "2011-12-01T02:17:43Z")
> [@Ann\_Onimous](#): > > We rang for an hour last night. Our entire 5 octave handbell choir. It was a blast and a workout at the same time. That’s a bit of a different experience from a one-note over and over grocery store bell ringer. ---
**Author:** ![akennett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee59a6/32.png) [@akennett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/akennett)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-grocery-store-bell-ringers-do-it-without-their-heads-exploding/604637/11 "2011-12-01T03:26:52Z")
They drown out the ringing of the bells with the hatred in the hearts. Bigotry overcomes everything. ---
**Author:** ![FlyByNight512](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/82dd89/32.png) [@FlyByNight512](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyByNight512)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-grocery-store-bell-ringers-do-it-without-their-heads-exploding/604637/12 "2011-12-01T04:01:57Z")
Earmuffs. With plugs underneath. You don’t need to be able to hear to say thank you when someone puts money in the kettle! > [@Ann\_Onimous](#): > > We rang for an hour last night. Our entire 5 octave handbell choir. It was a blast and a workout at the same time. That is awesome. I would’ve stopped to listen. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Azeotrope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/0ea827/32.png) [@Azeotrope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Azeotrope)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-grocery-store-bell-ringers-do-it-without-their-heads-exploding/604637/13 "2011-12-01T18:21:49Z")
I remember hearing an anecdote ages ago about a bell ringer who was told by the management of wherever she was that the noise was unacceptable, so she took a table tennis paddle and wrote DING on one side and DONG on the other and waved it up and down. Personally, background noises drive me batty so I know I’d be hearing dingalingadingalinga in my sleep for days after one shift. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-grocery-store-bell-ringers-do-it-without-their-heads-exploding/604637/14 "2011-12-01T18:26:02Z")
> [@akennett](#): > > They drown out the ringing of the bells with the hatred in the hearts. Bigotry overcomes everything. I was just going to say they have no souls but that works, too. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-grocery-store-bell-ringers-do-it-without-their-heads-exploding/604637/15 "2011-12-01T19:16:12Z")
> [@ugly ripe tomato](#): > > I remember hearing an anecdote ages ago about a bell ringer who was told by the management of wherever she was that the noise was unacceptable, so she took a table tennis paddle and wrote DING on one side and DONG on the other and waved it up and down. The beauty of that is that she could change the D’s to P’s when she returned the paddle to its intended purpose. ---
**Author:** ![Azeotrope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/0ea827/32.png) [@Azeotrope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Azeotrope)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-grocery-store-bell-ringers-do-it-without-their-heads-exploding/604637/16 "2011-12-01T19:31:47Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > The beauty of that is that she could change the D’s to P’s when she returned the paddle to its intended purpose. I LOLed 😃 ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-grocery-store-bell-ringers-do-it-without-their-heads-exploding/604637/17 "2011-12-01T19:42:38Z")
Like tapping your fingernails on a table or clicking a pen, it’s not annoying when you’re the one doing it.