Robberies are a constant threat and the establishments can be magnets for sketchy folk. Now, many convenience stores are trying an experimental stratagem to deter unwanted activity and loitering around their stores: blasting classical music.

It’s a tactic that’s been used since the mid-1980s, introduced by a 7-Eleven in Canada looking for a novel way to deter teenagers from congregating in their parking lot. A melodic form of defensive urban design, it’s since been tested out in other physical locations to combat loiterers, panhandlers, and those looking for a place to nap.

The London Underground has dabbled with streaming classical music and Florida police have played Mozart and Bach on the corners of crime-ridden streets. Multiple businesses in San Francisco, California — a city that struggles with a large homeless population — have piped it through outdoor speakers to stop people from using the sidewalks as crash pads, leaving behind blankets and drug detritus in front of their stores.