Rite Aid stores across America, from New York to Los Angeles, have come up with a highly creative method for stopping vagrants and panhandlers from loitering around their shops, and it is by blasting Barry Manilow songs loudly outside for all the world to hear.
The New York Post has reported that the drugstore has recently decided to test how well this new approach works, with residents of nearby Rite Aids forced to suffer through Manilow's music on repeat.
Lisa Masters, a musician who lives near a Long Beach branch of the shop, explained that at first she was confused when she opened her windows and heard "Mandy" blasting outside.
"I thought some older man had died and left a Barry's Most Depressing Hits CD on repeat. I felt trapped in an episode of The Twilight Zone."
"His attitude was, 'Would we rather have panhandlers or Manilow?'"
"We are in the early stages of exploring this approach and have not made any decision about the potential rollout of this to additional stores."
