Supermarket tunes

Is it just me or are supermarkets getting more in-yer-face when it comes to self-promotion? My local superstore is Tesco (for the benefit of all non-UK residents Tesco is the biggest supermarket retailer in the country) and on every aisle there's at least one little LCD screen looming above from the top shelf. Their seemingly soft low-volume non-threatning jingles playing alongside promotional spots for the latest Pot noodles just drives me nuts hours - sometimes even days after my last visit!

They stick to your brain like shit to a blanket its unbelievable! Talk about product placement! Subliminal doesn't even begin to describe how obscenely ingenious these marketing people are. Who needs cold callers while you're in the shower when you got annoying jingles to remind you of an omnipresent supermarket chain subtley encroaching on your buying habits if not your nearest national heritage site.

I'm no anarchist, not by a long shot (I'm far too lazy for that) but this thing we call 'Globalization' really is sucking the soul out of communities by killing off smaller businesses and services e.g. local pharamacies, coffee shops, grocery stores etc. Maybe this the trade off for the global population explosion we've been experiencing over the past century or so and its only natural that the powers that be come up with a solution to satisfy the masses. Except as far as I can see the masses who need to benefit the most from globalization are the biggest losers and in juxtaposition these very people are the biggest contributers to lining the pockets of fat cat company bosses who in turn lobby the most powerful governments in the world to partake in some of the most heinous acts against humanity and the planet.

Yes that Big Mac really does come from rather unsavoury cow parts and the cattle graze on increasingly large areas of once-virgin Amazonian rainforest, all so you can get a normal hamburger for 99p and get another totally free and rest assured that your favourite fastfood joint is 'giving back to the community'. Mmmm I'm Lovin' it!

Well thats one extra thing to think about when you're waiting in line for your latte at your 'friendly neighbourhood' Starbucks whilst listening to the latest Bob Dylan album playing in the background.

I know where I'll be shopping next week, thats right Tesco because they wield the power of economies of scale and I, like my fellow beings in this rat race love getting my £1.20 loaf of bread for 70p at 7pm. Having said that I haven't bought Marks and Spencer stuff for years and have sworn off Burger King and McDonalds not only because I hate their hypocrytic work ethics and everthing they stand for but I'm trying my best not to have a corornary at the age of 22.

Ok so the moral of my rightfully placed angst-ridden observation is: Think about how you caught yourself humming a completely ridiculous tune in front of the computer at work or at home.