A BELOVED CVS location has closed without explanation but shoppers have placed the blame on rampant theft.
The closure means that yet another CVS in the Washington DC area has shut its doors for good.
The location on Kennedy Street has been expected to close for about a month and officially shuttered on Tuesday.
It’s unclear if shoplifting was the direct cause of the closure, however, theft has been a factor in many stores shutting down in the area.
Shoppers were upset about the pharmacy closing its doors but weren’t surprised.
“It’s definitely a letdown because we had a lot of senior residents that live in the community and this was very convenient for them to come in and get their medication,” Jackie Strange, who used to work at the CVS, told DC News Now.
“We do see the same people come in and take stuff and then even if they do get caught we will see them the next day come in and take some more stuff,” she said.
Strange added that thieves aren’t afraid of the consequences and keep stealing from the store.
A spokesperson for CVS told the outlet that 14 CVS locations have closed as part of a 2021 initiative.
Three other pharmacies inside Target stores have also closed, the spokesperson said.
However, the reasons for the closures include “population shifts, consumer buying patterns, and the store’s density,” said the spokesperson.
The spokesperson didn’t mention thefts, however, a representative for the company said shoplifting has played a role in store closures.
The representative gave a victim impact statement at the sentencing hearing for a man who repeatedly stole items from a Southeast CVS.
“Thefts committed by repeat offenders… have caused several stores within the district to close,” the rep said, according to a press release from the US Attorney’s Office in DC.
“This not only deprives community members of access to necessities like prescriptions, but it also deprives the hardworking staff members of their jobs as more and more CVS locations close.”
RETAIL RAGE
To combat shoplifting, other CVS locations have used several anti-theft measures that havecome under fire from customers, many of whom claim it makes the shopping experience more difficult.
One shopper aired his grievances on Facebook after waiting in a long line.
“Standing in line at CVS, working here is officially the sh**tiest job in America,” wrote Joseph Coker.
Anti-theft measures rolled out by retailers
Retailers across the US and Canada have rolled out strategies designed to combat theft. The U.S. Sun has compiled a list of measures that have been implemented at stores.
- Locking items in cabinets.
- Security pegs.
- Security cameras.
- Signs warning about the impact of theft.
- Receipt scanners.
- Receipt checks.
- Carts with locking technology
“Intercom announcing every 30 seconds where a customer ‘needs assistance’ because they have any item over 10 dollars locked up like it’s gold. Pathetic.”
Another shopper claimed that the store is forcing shoppers to press several buttons to get their items, pointing out the anti-theft glass.
Shoppers now have to flag a worker to open the glass to get their items instead of choosing the products how they please.
“My god, they have started locking up EVERYTHING down here too,” the customer wrote.
“It’s wild how many buttons you have to push to get s**t now. Some stores deodorant is locked up, ‘the homeless are stealing it’ God forbid they smell decent.”
However, stores such as CVS and Walmart have defended the anti-theft measures.
The U.S. Sun has reached out to CVS for comment.