It's Getting Sirius

I gave up and bought a pair of Sirius radio receivers yesterday. While I waxed on about the beauty of holiday music yesterday, I have my own limitations. For instance, an employee attempted to play the entire Christmas with the Chipmunks CD at my store the other day while there were living, breathing customers with credit cards present. Another clerk ratted her out to me. And this other clerk has been repeatedly caught blaring Euro-noise metal which is almost as effective as chipmunk tunes for encourage store patrons to proceed to the nearest exit empty-handed.

I blame myself. I have been allowing employees to use their own judgment in choosing the music for their shifts.

I should have nipped this in the bud months ago when I caught the chipmunk clerk playing Christian soft rock within earshot of my beloved stoner customer base. I said nothing, but found a copy of the Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil" and cranked it up. But I didn't forbid the God CDs. Or the relentless Jack Johnson album she is happy to play twelve times daily.

The other employee is not particularly fond of humanity. Therefore, angry industrial noise and hate-em-all metal are the logical choices in her universe.

But my store is neither a church or a nihilist brew pub. And because sales are generally down this holiday season, I can't afford to continue to humor my sensitive staff with their idiosyncratic musical tastes.

After all, just because I might enjoy the musical stylings of Mindless Self-Indulgence or a particular Loggins and Messina tune doesn't mean that I am going to force them on my customers at work.

From now on, it's either: Garage Rock (channel 25); First Wave Classic Alternative (channel 22); The Vault (channel 16); Pure Jazz (channel 72); or Blues (channel 74).

Circle/Slash Jack Johnson, German electronica and Jesus music.

NTD