Avenue A's Key Food 1980s playlist, explained (sort of)

Interview by Stacie Joy

EVG photo on loan from Fotomuseum Winterthur 

Following our post yesterday about the 1980s-heavy playlist at Key Food on Avenue A (and the introduction on the EVG Key Food Playlist on Spotify), an anonymous (and highly placed) Key source agreed to talk, with one caveat:

"This is some proprietary information that is highly sensitive and could be commercially very damaging should it be disclosed…"

With that, right to the Q&A. 

Who is the Key '80s music lover who selects the deep-cut hits? 

It's genuinely a mystery. There are a few options with this service, but we decided not to mess with a good thing. 

Are you paying for a service for these amazing music selections? You mentioned they used to be on CDs, but now it's a system, correct? 

It's a satellite radio service — there's a satellite on our roof. We used to get a new CD sent to the store once a month.

The Paso Muzak Series 3000 Integrated Professional Amplifier T3130BGM 

Do you ever veto a song choice? 

We do not and cannot interfere with the song selection process — it is sacred. 

Aside from the December holiday season, are there ever non-1980s (or early) hits at The Key? 

Why mess with a good thing? 

Do you/does the '80s music lover have a selection of favorite Key hits? 

Here is a non-exhaustive list: 

• "Waiting for a Star to Fall" — Boy Meets Girl 

• "Call Me" — Blondie 

• "Hold On Loosely" — 38 Special 

• "(I Just) Died in Your Arms" — Cutting Crew

• "Surrender" — Cheap Trick 

• "Rock the Casbah" — The Clash 

• And any Dire Straits song 

When did the 1980s playlist start in Key history? Was it the actual 1980s, and nothing ever changed? 

We took over the store in 1993, and that's when it became a Key Food, so it had to be after that. 

Do you get feedback from customers and/or staffers about the music selection?

Aside from EV Grieve, not frequently. [Editor's note: AHHAHAHAHA.] 

Do you ever turn a song up really loud and dance down the produce aisle singing along? 

Only when no one is watching. The volume is connected to the intercom, so it would blast the intercom announcements if we did. 

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So the source of the playlist remains unclear ... but the 1980s hits continue, uninterrupted.

Previously on EV Grieve:

• Don't Disturb This Groove: We made a 13-hour Key Food playlist on Spotify

Don't Disturb This Groove: We made a 13-hour Key Food playlist on Spotify

By EVG and Stacie Joy

Read part 2 here: Avenue A's Key Food 1980s playlist, explained (sort of)

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If you've spent any time in the Key Food on Avenue A and Fourth Street, then you already know: the grocery's soundtrack — emanating from the ceiling speakers — leans heavily toward pop and alternative songs from the 1980s, with some early 1990s to break things up.

Not just a few familiar tracks in rotation — we're talking a steady stream of synths, power ballads and the occasional deep cut that has you lingering in the aisles longer than planned. 

After a few reader notes (and several in-store listening sessions through the years), we decided to take this more seriously. 

So… we made a playlist. 

The EVG Loves Key Food playlist on Spotify is now live, currently 183 songs strong (about 13 hours) — all inspired by what's been playing over the store's speakers. 

A quick note: just because a song made the playlist doesn't necessarily mean we like it. (In fact, many of these songs kinda suck, but we don't discriminate when it comes to the soundtrack of our shopping lives.)

You can find everything from the expected to the "wait, really?" — the kind of mix that makes a routine grocery run feel like a slightly surreal trip through, say, 1987. 

Just ask Brooks Headley, owner of Superiority Burger and a Key Food soundtrack superfan. 

Headley, who creates epic, Shazam-defying playlists for his vegetarian diner at 119 Avenue A, is always running to Key Food to grab things like three out-of-season tomatoes, ripe bananas, every pack of Arnold potato buns, and a case of broccoli. ("It's an integral part of R&D for new dishes," he says.) 

Brooks, the floor is yours:

I have always been struck by the music! It’s so special. I am even apprehensive to be quoted about it. I love it so much! And don’t want to ever change. It's this pastiche of 80s music with an emphasis on deep cuts. I have been known to extend my shopping to finish out, say, "Talk of the Town" by Pretenders, or more recently, "Woman in Love" by Barbra Streisand, which had me belting out the words. 

I feel the best place for shazaming is near the tofu and tempeh at the end of aisle 1 near all the weirdo probiotic drinks (fuck Erewhon coming to NYC! All hail Key!) The crowd rules, neighborhood folks. Grocery stores are quiet despite being full of people. No one's talking, just silently cruising through. I swear to God I once heard the version of "Our Lips Are Sealed" by Fun Boy Three, but I didn’t take a video for proof, so did it even happen? 

And now, 13 hours of the Key Food soundtrack ...

   

We'll keep adding to the playlist as new-to-Key tracks surface, as we did the other evening with "I'll Be You" by the Replacements, the lead single from the band's sixth studio album, Don't Tell a Soul, in 1989. 

Coming tomorrow: A long-awaited revelation — just who is programming this music for Key? Answer HERE.

Sunday's parting text message

H/T Melissa on Third...

An early close for Key Food

Photos by Stacie Joy 

To some surprise, the 24/7 Key Food closed early today (3 p.m. per a reader) here on Avenue A and Fourth Street...

We can't recall the last time we've seen it close like this for weather-related purposes. 

In any event, we were here around 10 this morning and nearly had the place to ourselves, so it makes sense to let the workers head out early for the trip home.

Good lord willin' they'll be back open in the morning.

The secret life of Key Food’s holiday decorations

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

As you've likely noticed, Key Food on Avenue A is officially in full holiday mode, including 24/7 Christmas music  … and this year, we somehow got a peek at how the magic actually happens. Or at least where it's stored.

Key is always one of the more festive stores around, with a surprising number of inflatable characters who look like they've been caffeinated since October. 

Enter manager Richie, who led us into the area where Key keeps its decorations year-round — in repurposed Dole Banana boxes, naturally.

Stacked neatly and labeled with a Sharpie, these humble crates house everything from St. Patrick's Day to Thanksgiving decorations — a full calendar year of festivities packed into fruit boxes.

We also caught an employee in mid-artistry, hand-lettering one of the store's signs. Watching those block letters take shape: part calligraphy, part performance art, all Key Food.

So enjoy the holiday cheer...there's plenty to go around...

P.S. 

We did have permission from the office to take the photos!

Monday's parting shot

DrGecko shared this curbside discard with us today... as seen on Second Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue... exactly 18 months after its last sidewalk appearance on this block. 

Could someone please deliver this to the American Wing at the Met?

Key Food painting gets scooped up — by a member of the Key Food family

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

Price check complete! 

Local artist Steve Cosentino's oil painting of the Key Food on Avenue A and Fourth Street has already found a buyer — a Key Food administrator who saw our Aug. 30 post and immediately reached out to the artist. 

The painting will eventually hang uptown at the Met in the buyer's home (he's letting his wife pick the matting and frame).

We're a little bummed it won't be displayed at the store itself, so we could enjoy it while listening to, say,  Mike + the Mechanics and Richard Marx on the Key PA. 

But we're glad that it's staying in the Key family.

Cosentino said plenty of neighbors stopped by while he worked to say how much they love the Key. 

He also revealed that he will be painting a few more East Village cornerscapes in the future.

Saturday's opening shot (aka TOO SOON)

Photo by Stacie Joy 

From Wednesday, when we spotted Richie putting out the Halloween candy at Key Food on Avenue A. Can we at least finish summer first?

P.S.

Yes, we do recall when the [RIP] Kmart on Astor Place put out the fake Christmas trees in September. 

Local artist completes Key Food oil painting (and already sold)

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

Local artist Steve Cosentino finished up his Key Food oil painting today on the southwest corner of Avenue A and Fourth Street. (First noted here.) 

He'll add some fine detail like lettering and his signature back in his home studio in Peter Cooper Village. The piece should be done in a few days, then it will need about a week or two to cure and completely dry before its new owner can pick it up. (Oh yes, someone has already purchased this! — and it wasn't us.)

To be continued (we hope!). 

You can find more of Steve's work here.

Key Food gets the fine art treatment on Avenue A

Photos by Stacie Joy 

We met local artist Steve Cosentino today at the southwest corner of Avenue A and Fourth Street, working on an oil painting of Key Food, often referred to as the Palace of Versailles of the East Village.

 

This is a work in progress. The light changed, so he started packing up for the day... and will be back soon to finish the painting.

Monday's parting shots

Photos by Stacie Joy 

Eagle-eyed shoppers at Key Food on Avenue A may have noticed what can only be described as a seismic signage upgrade. 

Back around Memorial Day, when the city carried a careless hum, the skies stretched impossibly wide, and hope hung heavy in the air like something we could almost touch, we reported that management had inexplicably decided to retire the store's iconic "CAKES FOR ALL OCCASIONS" sign. No explanation was ever offered. 

The disappearance coincided with a dessert shakeup: the once cake-heavy section was quietly restructured with the arrival of plastic cups of parfaits and boxes of mini éclairs — desserts seemingly designed for people afraid of commitment. Cakes, it seemed, were no longer for any occasion. 

Now, in the latest twist, a bold, multi-font proclamation has been unveiled, "Desserts for All Occasions," showing éclairs that are NOT mini and a parfait with fruit that only exists on an influencer's Instagram. 

It's progress of a sort. Broader. Less committal. Where cake once held the line, now a thousand desserts may step forward.

Key Food new self-checkouts month in review (plus first look at the new dessert signage)

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

On May 15, Key Food officially unveiled its new self-checkout stations — seven brand-new Toshiba SCO Traveler machines have been in service these past two-plus weeks. 

Here's a recap of what has happened here this month. As we've noted, the grocery at Avenue A and Fourth Street retired a row of its self-checkout terminals. In its place: a staffed register, which will make four for Key.  

And I happened to be there when the new machines got the hook-up...

Because dreams do really come true, I had the great honor of being the first customer to scan an item (a banana, no less — and yes, there was drama).

 
According to a high-level, highly anonymous Key source, the new machines are "smaller, faster, and more efficient" and come equipped with cameras that recognize produce by sight. The future has arrived — and it knows your tomatoes.

Two of the seven scanners accept cash and offer cash back, and all are topped with light-up signs that indicate availability or flash for assistance. And yes, that familiar, no-nonsense voice still demands that you "place the last scanned item on the scale." Some things never change. 

There is a new option to select the number of paper bags you need, although you will still need to obtain the bags from a staff member.

Around the same time, the store's floor got a much-needed patch-up, smoothing the path for carts and casual striders alike.

Meanwhile, a new price-check scanner was installed near the Pringles (still on sale), ready to resolve all your label-induced uncertainties.

Speaking of labels — fresh signage is underway. The iconic "CAKES FOR ALL OCCASIONS" sign is being retired in favor of the more inclusive and dessert-forward "Desserts For Every Occasion," a nod to the rise of puddings and parfaits in the section. (Yes, "occassions" was misspelled on the prototype. Yes, they're fixing it.)

We also got a sneak peek at some of the rejected signage options — including one dismissed as "too bubblegum" — and learned that a classic serif font ultimately won the vote. No Comic Sans here. 

The sushi case is also due for a typographic refresh, and store manager Richie was spotted mid-P-Touch session, labeling the new self-checkout lanes with the concentration of a seasoned typesetter.

Meanwhile, the new cash drawers were filled with ones, fives, and an aesthetically pleasing coin assortment.

If you're wondering what beats carried us through this transformation: Tom Tom Club's "Genius of Love," followed by Europe's "The Final Countdown," capped off with the Eurythmics' "Would I Lie to You?" A fitting trio for a store that's balancing nostalgia with a leap into the checkout future.

Monday's opening shots

Photos by Stacie Joy 

An observance of Memorial Day, and likely the Fourth of July, at Key Food on Avenue A...

We do not know what might remain of the Key Holiday Decorating Budget for the remainder of the year.

Also, we still need to post the updates on the new self-checkout scanners and "cakes for all occasions" signage, whose place is being kept warm by the Heritage American flag bunting.

Updated: Checking in on the Key Food checkout situation

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

As noted this past week, Key Food at Avenue A and Fourth Street retired a row of its self-checkout terminals.

In its place: a good old-fashioned staffed register, which will make four for the grocery. 

The move is part of a broader effort by store management to ease congestion and improve the checkout experience. The new models — arranged in a single pass-through lane — aim to speed up transactions and tighten security, potentially reducing the familiar bagging-area standoffs that not even a surprise Mike + the Mechanics track can fix.

Store manager Richie added that the full point-of-sale overhaul should be completed by the end of May.

And the new human-operated register will be up and running "soon."

One question remains: will the CAKES FOR ALL OCCASIONS signage return to the relocated cake station, now with random puddings and parfaits?

Richie wasn't sure. I made a case for its reinstatement. 

Updated 5/11 

The new checkout is now in service...

Lane change underway at Key Food

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Workers yesterday removed one of the self-checkout lanes at Key Food on Avenue A and Fourth Street...

Coming in its place: A good old-fashioned staffed register, expected to be installed by the end of the day. 

As we first noted on April 22, Key management wants to enhance the checkout experience. 

"We felt that another standard lane would help reduce some of the backup we've seen at the staffed registers," a high-level Key Foods source previously told us.

What else can you expect here? The rest of the aging self-checkout terminals will soon be getting the boot. The new models will be arranged in a single pass-through lane with upgraded technology to speed up the process and enhance security. 

The move should also provide more streamlined access to the mysteriously popular canisters of Keebler Export Sodas that line the wall along the checkout area.

Key Food moved things around. We took notes.

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

Lost in Key Food on Avenue A? You may not be alone!

As we mentioned on April 22, Key was going to rearrange a few things ahead of a checkout aisle upgrade. 

First stop: the cake aisle — or rather, the former cake aisle (top photo). Gone are the "cakes for all occasions" signs (graduations! backyard parties! cake-worthy Tuesdays!). 

In their place? Soup. And packaged sides of an ambiguous nature. Think shelf-stable mystery mash.

Looking for sushi? It's no longer near the front. The nigiri's been quietly relocated to a smaller case near the deli. (Slim pickings if you wander in post-8:30 p.m.) 

What took its place? An expanded cake-and-dessert section, now featuring puddings and parfaits — but oddly, no signage about what occasions they're for.

And the cheese? Oh, the cheese. It's been divided like a dairy diaspora. Most of it now lives in dueling cases at the back of the store, flanking a surprise pasta island. Except feta, which has defected to hang with the olives and hummus where the original cheese section once stood.

Meanwhile, at the deli, the rotisserie chicken corner is thriving, now offering seasoned options like adobo and Italian herb, as well as Murray's organic birds for the purists.

As for the signage — look closely, and you might notice a new font gracing the iconic yellow Key Food signs. When asked, store manager Richie, who usually makes them, shared that this round came courtesy of "one of the scanner cashiers." A bold typographic pivot.

Despite the store's reshuffle, shoppers remained unfazed on Wednesday night during our first reorg visit. The aisles were calm, with a low-key energy. Phil Collins on the store's sound system.

Perhaps in the East Village, a little chaos is just part of the charm.