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Coles rolls out bizarre new security measure at Prahran supermarket Prahran Coles plays opera music in-store It is used to deter thieves READ MORE: Shock reason major supermarket chain considers closing stores By CAITLIN POWELL - NEWS REPORTER Published: 20:04 GMT, 28 October 2025 | Updated: 20:04 GMT, 28 October 2025 Coles has begun to play opera music at one of its supermarkets in an attempt to deter thieves, as Victoria grapples with a rise in retail theft. The store on Chapel Street in Prahran, Melbourne, has received approval from Stonnington Council to blast Beethoven, Puccini or Pavarotti onto the street. Different genres of music are known to affect people's moods, with classical music linked to dopamine which can be soothing to listeners. However, younger people may find the sound irritating. 'Our customers and team members have responded very positively to this initiative, with many noting a relaxing and more welcoming environment in our store,' a Coles spokesman told The Age. It comes as the Prahran Coles claims to be 'one of Victoria's most targeted supermarkets'. When an Age reporter shadowed staff at the branch for four hours, they saw seven incidents, including thefts of stashed chocolate bars and groceries. The supermarket giant is not the first to adopt this method to dissuade, with Swan Hill Rural City Council in Victoria piping Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries into public toilets. Prahran Coles has claimed to be 'one of Victoria's most targeted supermarkets' 'Since the music has been playing, which is now in the order of three to four weeks, we have seen a dramatic reduction [in antisocial behaviour],' council's infrastructure director Leah Johnston told ABC News. In 2015, classical music was used by staff at Blacktown Station in western Sydney over the concourse speakers to stop loitering at the ticket gates. Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows Victoria was the worst state for retail crime, which reached a 21-year high in 2023. There were 595,660 victims of personal and retail theft recorded by police, which was up six per cent from the previous year. In Victoria, there were 169,673 victims of personal and retail theft in 2024 - a rise of 29 per cent from the previous year. Some US 7-Eleven stores have blared classical music to deter homeless people from loitering outside because they claim people 'find opera annoying'. The sonic deterrent has been used by stores in California since at least 2019. A group of 7-Eleven stores in Canada is credited with being the first to use the method to discourage antisocial behaviour in 1985, when they played Mozart and Beethoven to disperse crowds of teenagers in their parking lots. It is using opera music played in-store to deter thieves from stealing groceries (pictured, a shopper and security guard caught in a confrontation at Prahran's Coles supermarket in 2023) It is not clear whether classical music in particular annoys loiterers, or whether its volume keeps them away. But studies on the London Underground have shown that violence in stations was reduced by a third when classical music was played. Daily Mail contacted Coles and Stonnington Council for comment. Share or comment on this article: Coles rolls out bizarre new security measure at Prahran supermarket Add comment
