DC Crime Causes Store To Replace Products With Photos

Amid skyrocketing retail theft in Washington, D.C., one CVS store has begun hiding products like toilet paper in the back room — replacing them with photos of the products on the shelves to prevent theft.

Fox Business reports that retail theft in Washington, D.C., has increased 68% over 2022, with over 3,000 robberies thus far in 2023. At this point in 2022, only 1,791 robberies had taken place.

According to local news outlet WTOP, CVS on H Street NE in Washington, D.C., has begun replacing products like toilet paper with framed photos of the product on the shelves in response to a rise in theft at their store, especially among the homeless population. An annual Point-in-Time count released in May showed that the nation’s capital has roughly 4,922 homeless people, an 11.6% increase from 2022.

Speaking with WTOP, one tourist compared the problem to similar issues Europe is facing, stating: “It seems to be a case that people don’t care about laws or respect that anymore. In the United Kingdom, we are seeing shops closing down because they’re losing so much money from people shoplifting, which is obviously having an impact on the economy in general.”

Sources who spoke with WTOP revealed that homeless people had been stealing toilet paper and other products from the CVS store, which led to the decision to remove the products from the shelves. Paying customers must now press a button for assistance if they want to get these products — a new concept that has become more common across the U.S., particularly in Democrat-run cities.

This is not the only CVS in Washington, D.C., facing a spike in crime — as a recent report from WUSA9 explained that a Columbia Heights CVS has been ransacked by thieves nearly every day. Several sources told the TV station that many thieves take boxes worth of stolen goods from the store daily, with many specifically targeting the location when it gets new shipments and stealing the products before they even make it to the shelves.

“I think it’s enforcement and the infractions are not tough,” a woman who recently bought a home near the CVS told WUSA9. “A lot of times, it’s just a slap on the hand.” She also said she was reconsidering moving to the area, saying, “It’s getting worse. People get killed in front of the Metro, stores are robbed every single day. You can’t even find food.”

The stolen products are reportedly being resold by illegal street vendors around the city.