A CVS branch in Washington, D.C., was forced to clean out its shelves of toilet paper and replace them with framed photos of the products amid rising thefts in the nation’s capital, according to a report.
If customers need to purchase toilet paper or paper towels, they must ring a buzzer placed on empty shelves to call a store employee to retrieve them from a back room, according to an Instagram post by the Washingtonian Problems account.
The unusual display at the store began after homeless people began stealing products from the shelves of the pharmacy, located on H Street NE, without paying, people familiar with the situation told local outlet WTOP.
Reports of theft in DC increased 68% in 2023 compared to last year, Fox Business reported.
There have been more than 3,000 robberies so far in 2023, a substantial increase from 1,791 at this point in 2022, Metropolitan Police Department data shows.
The region has also been hit by a significant increase in violent robberies, WTOP reported.
Retail stores in major cities across the country have seen an increase in thefts, leading many major stores to lock up their products or even close their doors entirely. Instagram/washingtonianprobs
Customer Ben Atanga, owner of a wellness studio in Maryland, said theft of essential items is a nationwide problem.
“First, I want to say this: this is not just an H Street or DC problem; It’s something that’s happening all over the country, right?” Atanga told the outlet as he entered the store. “The economy is going up, the cost of living is going up… If people are stealing… items, necessities, you know, I think maybe we should take a look at that.
“Maybe those are things we don’t increase or maybe as a community we provide that… ‘Hey look, you can come pick up toiletries and stuff like that, so you can take care of yourself.’ H Street has always had a huge homeless population,” she added.
The store’s unusual display began after homeless people began stealing products from the pharmacy shelves. Instagram/washingtonianprobs
Retail stores in major cities across the country have seen an increase in thefts, leading many major stores to lock up their products or even close their doors entirely.
New York City has seen the steepest rise in theft in recent years, with a 64% increase in reported incidents of retail theft during the four-year period between mid-2019 and June of this year, according to the Criminal Justice Council. Los Angeles saw a 61% increase during the same time period.
The NYPD confirmed that there have been more than 93,000 incidents of petty theft so far this year, which is up 29% compared to the same period two years ago, but a drop of 5% compared to 2022.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles saw a 109% increase in reported retail theft incidents in the first six months of 2023, the highest in the country, according to the report.
A recent report from the National Retail Federation, a trade group representing American retailers, said chains had lost $112 billion due to a wave of organized theft rings in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Houston. last year, up from $93.9 billion last year. 2021.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn