For a lot of CVS prospects, making a fast cease to seize a bottle of seasonal allergy meds or razor blades has been something however fast. That is as a result of the pharmacy chain has saved lots of the most-wanted merchandise it sells locked behind plastic circumstances, necessitating the necessity to ring for a retailer affiliate and wait till they arrive and unlock your items.

Whereas it has been annoying and irritating for patrons, its goal is to battle “shrink” (shoplifting), the corporate and different main pharmacy chains who’ve utilized the tactic notice that additionally it is negatively affecting gross sales. Chatting with The New York Times, provide chain advisor Brittain Ladd, put it merely: “If you lock up your merchandise you lock out your prospects.”

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So CVS is increasing a pilot program to ease the ache level of buying over-the-counter medication: a brand new operate of their CVS Health app that lets prospects unlock the cabinets themselves.

CVS Well being spokeswoman Tara Burke mentioned that this performance of their CVS Well being app has been examined efficiently in a pilot program at three shops in New York Metropolis, and can roll out to 10 shops on the West Coast this yr.

“Prospects just like the comfort of with the ability to open the circumstances and never having to attend for a CVS colleague to assist if one is not instantly accessible,” Burke mentioned.

The operate shall be accessible to registered loyalty members, experiences The Occasions, and customers “should be logged in to the app and on the shop’s Wi-Fi community with Bluetooth enabled to realize entry to the secured merchandise.”