7-Eleven Finds Classical Music Is Kryptonite to Vagrants

Sukhi Sandhu, who owns the franchise in Modesto, said his customers tell him they feel safer since he started blasting symphonies and occasional operas over outdoor speakers.

"Once the music started, the riffraff left," said Manuel Souza, who's homeless and jokingly referred to himself as part of the riffraff. The loud music makes it hard "to hang out and gossip and joke around" near the store, Souza told the Modesto Bee last week from under a tree down the block.

The classical music is part of a 7-Eleven program that encourages non-confrontational methods to reduce loitering, Sandhu said. It eliminates any risks faced by clerks when asking panhandlers to leave, he said.

Another method employed at some stores is a device that emits a high-pitched screech similar to a mosquito buzzing in your ear. Clerks turn the device on and off as needed. Classical music is more effective, Sandhu said, and he plans to introduce it at other stores he owns in central California.