A CVS store in Washington, D.C., will close next month due to teenage theft.
The drugstore chain announced the Feb. 29 closure of its Columbia Heights location following rampant ransacking of the store by young thieves, WUSA 9 reported.
Prescriptions from the shuttering store will be transferred to the CVS at 1755 Columbia Road, company officials said, according to the outlet. Workers will be offered comparable roles at other locations.
Columbia Heights CVS plagued by crime closing in February https://t.co/GkVpE90aeG pic.twitter.com/Lp6CXFmfDu
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CVS employees at the closing store told the outlet in Oct. 2023 that thieves target the location on new shipment days, stealing merchandise before can be placed on the shelves. Thieves stole from stores while customers were shopping, leaving a mess behind as they fled. (RELATED: Famous Burger Joint’s Sole Location In Liberal City Closes Over Rampant Crime)
“Older guys, young, any age, come in, they get trash bags full,” one CVS employee told the outlet. “They take anything, everything.”
Despite the store’s zero-tolerance policy against shoplifting, employees are prohibited from chasing, confronting or apprehending offenders themselves, the outlet reported. Employees at CVS must follow procedure by alerting their manager, who will determine how to confront the crime.
“We will have more than 50 CVS locations remaining in Washington, D.C. and will continue to provide the community with outstanding service at these locations,” CVS said, according to the outlet. “We also offer prescription home delivery service to eligible patients through CVS.com and the CVS Pharmacy app to provide additional convenient access to medications.”
Several restaurants and businesses have fled Washington, D.C., in recent months as increasing crime has crushed profits. School-aged thieves have repeatedly left CVS shelves empty for months, as street vendors re-sell items stolen from stores.