A sticky-fingered mob of shoplifting teens has almost entirely cleaned out a Washington DC area CVS outlet — leaving the retailer’s shelves almost entirely bare.
Startling images from inside the chain pharmacy in DC’s Columbia Heights neighborhood show row after row of empty shelves, thanks to about 45 youngsters you have been targeting the store, Fox affiliate WTTG-TV reported.
“When you walk into this CVS, you’d think the store is closing because there’s barely anything on the shelves,” WTTG reporter Sierra Fox said.
“In fact, the only items in stock are the ones that are locked up. I did ask an employee what gets stolen the most, and they just laughed and said, ‘Everything,'” she added.
According to store employees, the rowdy mob of minors routinely raid the store for chips, drinks and other items — and claim street vendors also pay the teens to pocket items for the store that they later sell at a profit on the sidewalk.
Meanwhile, the Columbia Heights store only has one security guard to keep an eye on the merchandise.
“It makes me not want to shop there, to be honest,” customer Ilana Miller told the outlet.
“I just go in there and get my prescription and then when I need other things I go elsewhere because there’s nothing there to get,” she said.
Constant shoplifting and flash mobs of thieves have put a dent in profits of some of the nation’s largest retailers, including CVS, Rite Aid and Target — with the big box retailer recently announcing it was shutting down an East Harlem outlet and eight other stores due to heavy losses.
“A lot of people can’t actually afford things in CVS,” DC resident Gerald Darling told WTTG.
“I’m not saying stealing has to be the solution to that,” he added. “However, I don’t know, maybe if the city could provide more accessible resources to unhoused or under-income folks who can provide them ahir care, bodily care, hygiene care — that could be an option.”
