Those Loud Cash Registers

Cash registers are getting louder.  I'm not talking about the melodic, soothing sound of classic cash registers.  I'm referring to the really loud beep that cash electronic cash registers make when each item is scanned.

CVS' scanners are loud, but the scanners at Whole Foods are almost painful.  No, they are painful.  I have to take a few steps back when the checker starts to ring up my purchases.

I understand the need for checkout clerks to know when an item has been successfully scanned, but the volume of these beeps is growing increasingly loud.  And the beep seems to dive right for the inner ear.

I wonder if retail stores know how annoying these beeps are.  Now they do.