I don’t know if it’s just a Delhi thing, but every other store I go to seems to be tuned in to the mid-nineties-suckfest radio channel. Worst offenders are:

• ALL the coffee shops (Barista, Coffee Day, Costa)
• The new swanky retail chains (Shoppers’ Stop, 24×7, Pantaloons)
• Fast food joints (McDonald’s, KFC, Yo China)

All are playing one hit wonders from 10 years back. Last week I was dining in Ruby Tuesday and they were playing Ice Ice Baby.

It’s got to be one of these explanations:

1. These are the only songs the store managers know because they stopped listening to new music once they got out of college.
2. New songs are not allowed to be played publically by the record companies.
3. Retail Experts believe since most of the customers are in the 30-40 age group, they can identify these songs, because (as with point 1), they stopped listening to new music once they got out of college. And these songs bring back good nostalgic memories.
4. Nobody really cares as long as there’s a continuous stream of sound.

Some solutions:

1. All music released before 1980 is cool to play.
2. All music released after 2000 is cool to play.
3. All music released in the 80s should be destroyed.
4. All music released in the 90s should be saved, but not played.
5. All music released in the 60s and 70s is super cool, and should be played more often.

More Moral Police: 1

This is a problem that’s getting more and more silly. It’s quite obvious we’re being overwhelmed with security guards everywhere. They’re in our ATMs opening the door for us, in our malls telling us where to park, in our BRTs handling traffic, and in our retail stores – rifling through our packs and asking for receipts.

Recently came across this article (Customer Confidential) through Digg and the author sort of proposes a course of action. Although I don’t see the point of getting all pissed up at the guards who are just doing the job. It’s the retail managers that are to blame.

Guard photo by TheBigDurian on Flickr. Image used with permission.