Update: Sears Says 'We Got No Mosquitos'
Sears says there's no Mosquito device at any of their locations. The person who picked up the phone at the Sears our reader complained about said there's no high-pitched whining or buzz noises going on by the entrances or inside, intentional or otherwise. She had read the buzz about the complaint "on Twitter" and sent several "young associates" to check it out and they found nothing out of the ordinary, besides, of course, the plastic humanoids frozen for all eternity, forced to display an ever-changing array of affordable and sensible garments. A commenter says he thinks the real culprit is a cheapo CRT monitor:
I've actually noticed this a lot visiting stores like Sears over the years.. I'll walk in the doors only to be greeted by a high-pitched, ear-peircing whine. In my case, though, it's never one of the anti-teen 'mosquito' devices.. it's a CRT monitor.
Sometimes it's hooked-up to some ancient store computer for inventory lookups. These days, it's usually one of those cheap, B&W televisions mounted by the entrance to show CCTV footage.. a subtle reminder saying "We have you on tape. Please don't steal"
As someone who's particularly sensitive to high-frequency tones, I can confirm that these cheapo CRT monitors can be as 'down right debilitating' as reader Jonathan described. I would guess that this is what he heard, and I believe searsholdings when they say it's not a mosquito device.
(Photo: frankieleon)
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Comments:
It's too bad that there isn't someone else that could go to that store and independently verify if this is the case.
How young were their associates? 20-somethings who were blaring music on their iPods when they went to check it out?
@AndrewC: It's not at all the same noise. The name "mosquito" refers to the annoying nature of the noise not its tone. Take it from someone who can hear it loud and clear. It's horrid and, as far as I can recall, experienced in no other way.
yes they claim there ARE no mosquitos
so they had them there before but after the power of the internet hit them they quickly removed them and then said there aren't any
@AndrewC: Indeed. People think I'm lying when I say that I can hear when a certain light next door to us is turned on. But I've been right every single time.
@AppleAlex: These are hardwired units that require electricity. Not THAT easy to go pulling one out.
Now if they could only come up with a sound to attract sale associates. I used to live near a Sears that had so few people working on Sundays that I wondered if I could have just carried my stuff out the door without paying and nobody would have been there to stop me.
@MaytagRepairman: Too bad sears associates aren't on commission, otherwise a recording of counting bills would bring them running.
@AppleAlex: um... I'm not entirely sure where you're getting this from... If I say there ARE no clowns in my apartment, does that mean I quickly got rid of them before you found out?
@davere: I have the same sense on certain TV's. I can hear a distinct difference in internal changes.
I doubt any big box store is doing anything intentional to drive away potential customers, no matter what their age is, in this economic climate. Bored teens in Sears can still go bug their parents to buy them stuff.
@AndrewC: I'm for this theory, as well. I doubt that a Sears store would be stupid enough to put up something that would not only drive away potential customers, but pose a health risk (headaches).
@supercereal: Perhaps not, but it beats the he said/she said between the guy that says he had internal breakdown and Sears.
/serious much?
My ears are very sensitive to very high frequency sounds and some ultrasonic alarm systems DO produce a very, very irritating and bothersome noise. It's not intentional.
I was in a highly classified class in the military and complained about the sound. The instructors tested me and I proved that I could detect when they had it on or off, so they kept it off when I was in that room.
I have heard it around a few store entrances as well and I avoid those stores. (Base Exchange at March AFB was one, now closed)
@jayphat: I always thought it was just kind of a normal buzz thing everyone could hear and never thought anything of it. This is kind of like a creepy new phenomenon for me.
@davere:
A lot of old CRTs make that noise, or similar. When I was in middle school, I asked a bunch of people if they could hear it (happened to have a monitor that did it handy), and about 1 out of 5 could.
@dosdelon: I'm a 40-something that suffers from tinnitus and most buzzing sounds that other people hear go unnoticed by me. My husband and I test drove a car once and he kept saying "can't you hear that humming noise it's making?" and I had no idea what he was talking about. Sucks to ruin your hearing when you're young so turn down those iPods, kiddies.
@framitz: I'm jealous. I can't even hear when people speak in low voices because the ringing in my ears is louder than they are. I'm gonna go cry now.
I shop at the one in the article earlier at granite run mall, at the one enterence is this very high pitched sound, and only one of five friends hear it to. It's been there since i was a toddler.
The Sears in question is a tenent in a mall?.
If so, Sears is a tenent of the mall. There are very few Sears stores which Sears owns the physical unit. When Sears does own the physical unit, then the unit is typically a free standing facility such that Sears can control all functions of ownership without restriction.
In general mall terms, tenents are not allowed to negatively impact other tenents. In fact, tenents are seldom allowed to do anything in what are defined as the common areas of a mall.
IF, big IF, IF there was/is a noise deterrent installed near the entrance way of the Sears store most likely it was installed by the mall ownership rather than an individual tenent.
There have been claims of mall owners installing such devices. There are also claims of abusive mall security forces etc.
Not Sears fault if the mall owner is aggressive towards potential customers (though, if I was the Sears manager, I would be screaming to corporate about the conduct of the mall ownership).
@thereij: Ive been there, i know what hes talking about. The one back entrance has this really high pitched noise that has bothered me since i can remember. I dont think its intentional tho, only a couple other people i know hear it. but it is quite powerful and can really hurt.
@TechnoDestructo: Yeah, I can definitely hear CRT's that are on, even from the next room. It's annoying when you can't go turn it off...ugh.
Couldn't of sent off a few people to check before posting an easily popular incorrect story eh?
This is interesting... odd that I could hear it pretty deep into the store (further than I'd expect and LCD TV to generate)
However, if for some reason, I'm back there, I'll try to find the source of the sound..
This got a Civil Rights tag? Bwahahahaha.
@StanTheManDean: Simon Malls owns the Granite Run Mall according to the mall website .
There is an article in which Simon says it does not use the Mosquito in it's north eastern malls .
[wbztv.com]
And some pictures at the Mosquito website : [www.mosquitogroup.com]
@outlulz: Sears sells both children's and teen clothing; a store that installed devices designed to repel youngsters would be shooting itself in the foot.
@framitz: they didn't give you some sweet gig after finding that you can hear that? Or some terrible gig..."Framitz, it turns out that IED's make the same sound as that ultrasonic alarm you've been complaining about, off to the middle east"
Something similar happened at a Target I worked at. I was working at the register and heard this sharp, high-pitched sound which was really getting to me. The customers couldn't hear it but I was sure it was there.
I started walking up and down the cash lanes until I finally found the culprit. A phone was half an inch off the reciever and was creating a feedback sound (which apparently I was the only one able to hear from across the store)
Actually I'm thinking it might be the anti-theft scanner doodads placed at the entrances. I recall often hearing a high-pitched squeal coming from these at many stores.
"...the plastic humanoids frozen for all eternity..."
That's not plastic! It's carbonite! /snark
FYI - these Mosquito devices are used by the Risk Management industry in a technique called Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED). I was at a seminar and a police officer mentioned that these are used very commonly outside of 7/11s to prevent loitering.
guys should go to more overly loud rock shows...
that will debilitate your high frequency sensitivities!
@floraposte: Now that would make more sense. Unless you mean holding clowns hostage. That I can't fathom. Eeeeeeeee.
I have a CFL bulb that hums like dinged glass . And there can't be too much of a circut in the bulb . I've heard many of the noises described in various locations but what could it actually be - something like a transformer ?
I wonder at that mall does the property manager or the stores provide their own securtiy . Perhaps a security company installed a misquito because they didn't see the memo from Simon Malls .
@AndrewC: Depressingly, I can only hear those frequencies about 19 minutes before I am hit by a migraine. Pretty SUCKY superpower in my case.
Once that devil is fully embedded in my skull, all light has distinct absolute sound. Light in my boss' office? a high octave and offkey minor screeeeeeeeeeech. The lights behind the instruments in my dashboard? very low, Issac Hayes-low foghorny rattle. The f-ing sun itself? Those 1st pitch tones of a large building's fire alarm.
@framitz: As irritating as that ability can be, I'd still have to say you're "lucky" to hear that high of a pitch in adulthood. I used to be able to hear that tone from ultrasonic alarm systems until I reached my early teens, but I no longer can.
For the curious, this website ([www.ultrasonic-ringtones.com]) isn't quite scientific, but you can do a quick-and-dirty check of how high your frequency hearing range goes, provided your speakers or earphones can reproduce the tones.
It's the alarm system. I remember when Sears built their fist big box store here, I couldn't walk in the store my ears hurt so bad. Most people couldn't hear it and the manager thought I was crazy until, with out looking up, i found every transmitter in the store. Today, my hearing is so bad, that it's not an issue.
Fluorescent lights can occasionally vibrate at about the same frequency as a Mosquito. I've had a similar problem at our mall - one light kept me out of an entire wing of the building.