Maine Supermarket Chain Changes Up Music Choices

For many, a trip to the grocery store can be less than enjoyable sometimes. There's the searching aisles endlessly for what you need, the sticker shock at the end of the trip, and of course the frustration of forgetting to bring inside, yet again, the pile of reusable bags you have stashed in the trunk of your vehicle.

But one thing that might make your trip into any of the many Hannaford stores across the state more enjoyable is the knowledge that when you visit to pick up your weekly supplies, you'll be treated to some cool tunes.

Gone are the days of boring supermarket muzak.

And you can thank Hannaford employees for the long-overdue music change-up.

Hogan Road Hannaford Store Manager, Vic Wood, said those who spend all day working in the stores wanted a little more musical variety.

"We do associate surveys every fall. You know, we like to hear what the associates have to say. And based on what they say, we try to make changes to make it a better place to work. One of the things that was talked about was that the associates were tired of the same old muzak all the time. "

Wood said management at Hannaford heard the employees' feedback and tweaked the tunes in all of their stores across the state accordingly.

"So they gave us different choices and we can change it up daily or hourly or however we want to do it. It's a wide variety that goes from classic rock to country to all different kinds of choices."

Wood says most folks have really liked that the stores have switched up the music a bit, with very few exceptions.

"Of course, sometimes maybe the music that is one in the early morning, when some of our older shoppers are shopping, they don't particularly dig some of the newer music, so we try to be conscious of that. But overall, the feedback has been very positive."

The SunJournal says the change occurred about a year ago when Hannafords went from a single satellite "soft hits" station to many more options.

"Now, the chain’s 187 stores, including 66 in Maine, each have access to 10 channels playing hard-edged rock, upbeat contemporary pop, classic hits, country, hip-hop and more.

Working and shopping at Hannaford is no longer the musical equivalent of being stuck in a giant elevator."

As a shopper, I have certainly noticed that the chore of getting groceries seems less tedious, and way more fun, thanks to the updated music selections. It's like the fun of guessing what came next on the mix tapes we used to exchange when we were kids while double-checking the ingredients in that can of soup.

Thank you, Hannaford associates for stepping up and asking for the change. And thank you, Hannaford, for listening and making grocery shopping a little more enjoyable with the addition of some fun music.