The Ramones Rock Your Local Walgreens

My Facebook friend E Curtis Johnson posted this status update over the weekend.  "It's 8 p.m. on a Saturday and I'm buying antacids in a Walgreens. The sound system is playing the Ramones, 'I Want To Be Sedated.' Either I'm really old or this is a very hip Walgreens."

It's not just him.  Recently, I went grocery shopping and heard Joan Jett's "I Love Rock and Roll" playing in the store.  I was rockin' out in the produce aisle. Maybe we are getting old, but it's nice to see retailers playing something other than elevator "muzak". Even worse is the trend for supermarkets and retail outlets to play depressing pop anthems from the 90's.

Believe it or not, there is a link between the music that is played in stores and consumer shopping habits. According to a Business Insider article titled "8 Amazing Effects That Background Music Has on Sales", shoppers tend to move through the store faster when loud music is playing.  Slow music encourages shoppers to spend more time, and money, in the store.

We're not sure what effect the Ramones may have on a middle aged man buying a pack of Rolaids at the local Walgreen's.  Maybe they're hoping a mosh pit will break out near the first aid aisle.