How did consumers react to 9/11 with their purchasing choices? My memories of 9/11 are vivid, and the majority of them revolve around my job at the time, which was as a manager at a music and DVD retail store. I was a few minutes late to the store because I was riveted to the TV screen as the scene began to unfold in front of the whole world. One of my main duties in my position was to receive the new release shipments and set them up on the shelves for display and sales. Every week the schedule was the same: Friday we received shipment boxes of new releases (that were expressly not to be sold until their release date the following Tuesday under penalty of a $10,000 fine, loss of employment, and suspension of receiving any other products from the offended company), Monday we labeled and sale tagged the items and placed them on shelves after closing time, and Tuesday we opened the store to sell the product. On 9/11, we only had two major releases: Bob Dylan’s Love and Theft and Mariah Carey’s Glitter Soundtrack. Also on the shelf were two more minor albums released on that day: Dream Theater’s Live Scenes from NYC and The Coup’s Party Music. Having seen a number of album covers over the years at my job, I could still be rattled a bit by more explicit covers, and The Coup’s album did just that when I pulled it from the new release box on Friday, September 7 (Dream Theater’s less so much).
Nonetheless, it went on the shelves Monday night after closing, and it weighed on my mind as we opened the store the following morning while the tragedy was unfolding. My co-worker, who was an avid collector of rare album art, waffled back and forth over whether to buy the album as well as the Dream Theater release, and I believe he ended up buying both. After selling one special edition version of Bob Dylan, we were directed by our regional manager to close the store and go home due to concerns that other public places could be in danger of attack.
We opened up again the following day and were required to respond immediately to a recall of the two albums in question. The remaining copies were returned to the distributors and we never saw those covers again. In the intervening weeks, both albums were re-released with new artwork.
As I’ve shared this story over the years, many people were shocked that these album covers proved so unintentionally prophetic, and the coincidence of their release on 9/11 caused many to question if these artists could somehow be linked to the attackers. We started to hear other stories of delayed movie releases and cancelled television show premieres and I wondered where the line between free speech and offensive imagery would land. What one person thought of as benign was deeply offensive to others, and all the while these people were speaking with their money, purchasing in accord with their opinions/consciences. The distribution companies were certainly trying to cater to the demand, and they may have also created demand with subsequent shipments.
The stock we were provided after 9/11 started to change. Suddenly we received stacks of Lee Greenwood’s God Bless the USA, Toby Keith’s Unleashed containing “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue”, Alan Jackson’s Drive containing “Where Were You”, and numerous patriotic collections hastily thrown together by various record companies. Also, the DVD shelves filled with copies of the television specials and telethons that flooded the airwaves in an effort to raise donations for the Red Cross and other charities. We had a special endcap filled with patriotic products, chock full of stars and stripes, and it was well shopped.
All the while I kept wondering how much of this money was going for a good cause and how much was lining the pockets of the publishing entities. Consumers felt helpless and wanted to do something, anything, to feel like they were giving to the cause, showing their patriotism, or easing their sadness and anger. Here stood one of the most horrific tragedies to happen to humanity, and I stood behind the counter selling the musical version of the American flag. I kept selling because I could see that these items were bringing relief to these buyers, and it helped them to feel united and part of a strong, resilient nation. All of this was being done with money. We as a society tend to put our money where our hearts lie, regardless of where that money may end up. I certainly never questioned these purchases aloud for fear that I would be considered unpatriotic. But really, what else could we do? Maybe I was too cynical about this, but all I could think was that no amount of merchandise was ever going to change what happened to all of the deceased, and nothing was going to bring them back to their grieving loved ones. We were a new nation, filled with fear, holding this money, and looking for revenge, release, and redemption.