Leaving the labyrinth of stocked aisles at Market Basket empty-handed is often out of the question for regulars of the popular grocery store.
And now, the masterminds at the company have drummed up a product that — if it were real — customers might have trouble ignoring in the checkout line: a Taylor Swift-inspired album cover complete with a grocery-themed track list.
On Monday, the Massachusetts-based supermarket chain put down the cans of soup and waded into meme territory by joining in on the online jokes surrounding the release of the pop star’s latest album, “Midnights.”
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The faux album cover features a tongue-in-cheek track list in the same font and shades of blue used by Swift and, similar to the exclusive vinyl covers showing her staring off into the distance, an employee donning the company’s signature maroon uniform while looking longingly down a food aisle.
With both a “Side A” and “Side B” on the cover of their mock album, which was shared on social media this week, Market Basket came up with potential hits that mirrored song titles on “Midnights.” Track names included “Lowell Haze” (“Lavender Haze”), “Maroon Jackets” (“Maroon”), and “Antipasto” (“Anti-Hero”).
Other parodies on the company’s reimagined record were titled, “Sawdust on the Floor” (”Snow On The Beach” feat. Lana Del Rey), “More For Your Dollar, Kid” (“You’re On Your Own, Kid”), and “Sweet Jelly Donuts” (“Sweet Nothing”).
“If Market Basket were to drop an original album which song would you be most excited to listen to?” the supermarket chain tweeted, asking shoppers to weigh in.
If Market Basket were to drop an original album which song would you be most excited to listen to? pic.twitter.com/0ENqKA2BEH
— Market Basket (@MarketBasket) October 24, 2022
Midnights, the stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life, will be out October 21. Meet me at midnight.
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) August 29, 2022
Pre-order now: https://t.co/jjqUNkphuG pic.twitter.com/Fh96zK8vro
Swift released “Midnights” — and a few hours later, “Midnights (3am Edition)” — last Friday. She described the album as a collection of “the stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life.”
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The record has already broken several streaming records and spurred a number of memes online, including from TV shows like “Only Murders in the Building” and even the US Department of Energy.
Market Basket officials were quick to admit that they took a page directly from Swift’s book when creating the meme.
A spokeswoman for the company said customers seemed to enjoy the humorous post, with many replying on social media with their favorite tunes from the lookalike record.
“We have had a lot of fun with this,” Justine Griffin said in a statement. “Of course we are all Taylor Swift fans! We like them all but did notice that ‘Sawdust on the Floor’ seems to be a fan favorite.”
Customers praised the effort, saying their rendition is “what happens when our local supermarket chain has a brilliantly conceived and executed social media moment.”
“I’d love to hear @taylorswift13 sing ‘Lowell Haze’ and ‘Meet Me At The Checkout’ to get the concept, and as for ‘More For Your Dollar, Kid’ — total banger,” one person tweeted.
Others said they felt targeted by the corporate account, shared how the songs related to their own experiences working or shopping at the store, and applauded the New England-Taylor Swift crossover.
“This would be a Grammy winning hit-filled album. ‘Sawdust on the Floor’ and ‘Parking Lot Christmas Trees’ are sure to certify as platinum singles,” someone wrote on Facebook.
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“We can’t argue with that!” Market Basket replied.
This isn’t the first time that Market Basket has served up jokes with a musical twist. On April Fools’ Day, the company said they created a fake CD so customers could “bring the rockin’ MB tunes home” and “forever own a selection of the hit songs we play in our stores.”
While the mixtape started out as a gag for the jokey holiday, shoppers enjoyed it so much that Market Basket was inspired to put all of the top requested songs onto an actual Spotify playlist.
Maybe this “Wicked Playlist” will have the same effect.
Shannon Larson can be reached at shannon.larson@globe.com. Follow her @shannonlarson98.