Lemma: if you think in a grocery store, it's bad for profits. You can comparison shop, check
unit prices, etc. The more you think, the less your emotions come into play.
Theorem: the music in grocery stores -- which is remarkably similar across all chains across the whole US -- is specifically chosen to prevent you from thinking.
Observation: It's almost all the sort of Whitney Houston/Celine Dion "power ballads" that involve wailing like a decapitated banshee at the end, hitting notes not normally found in nature. This makes your skull resonate. By the time you've heard your third one, your brain is bruised and can no longer function rationally.
Hypothesis: if you wore earplugs to the supermarket, you could save ten dollars a week or more.
OK biz-school weenies who have taken marketing courses: fess up. Is this all true?