Working retail is its own special kind of hell, even in the idyllic world of Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Players have discovered that Nook’s Cranny will change its usual theme to classical music in its last 10 minutes before closing, a technique some stores use to subconsciously compel customers to leave the store.
The Nooklings are good kids, and they’ll buy just about anything—weeds, trash, you name it—but not even they like you enough to stay open past closing. If you’ve got the audacity to shop within forty-five minutes of closing, then not even being the loveliest customer in the history of capitalism will keep a retail worker from wanting to throw you out.
Hence, classical music. The Cranny’s usual theme being so upbeat also ties into this; while classical music is meant to mellow customers out and prime them to feel like they want to go home, stores usually play more energetic songs during the working hours to wake customers up and compel them to make more impulse purchases. Whether or not this works is up for debate and rigorous scientific testing, but it’s definitely a fun thing to include in Animal Crossing.
Ironically, it seems to be having the opposite effect on players; rather than grabbing their final purchases of the day and leaving, players who’ve noticed this detail are staying all the way through to closing just to enjoy this fun little Easter Egg. Some players have even made it part of their daily routine to check back in at Nook's Cranny to vibe with the Nooklings before getting back to their usual antics.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is chock-full of details like this. For example, some players have noticed that the wall fan furniture piece has its own wind physics. When you put one up in your house and have, say, a clothing rack somewhere within the fan’s range, the clothes hanging off the rack will begin to flutter. It's clear to see that a lot of love went into developing this game, and the player-base is returning it tenfold with every new detail they find!