WASHINGTON — Customers visiting the Columbia Heights CVS are walking out in disbelief after discovering the store is nearly empty. Items that people rely on being able to get on short notice -- food, diapers, makeup --are all completely missing from the shelves.
Employees tell WUSA9 the store was ransacked on Monday and again Tuesday, in broad daylight. Staff say thieves target the store on new shipment days and steal merchandise before it even makes it onto the store shelves.
Anthony Crews said medicines he uses the location to pick up vital medicines.
“I get medication there and it’s going to be awful if I have to go anywhere else to get my medication," he said. "This is the closest place I can go."
According to The Metropolitan Police Department Crime Cards, there have been 17 thefts within 500 feet of the Columbia Heights CVS. The store has a security guard, however, they are trained to protect people, not items.
“Older guys, young, any age, come in, they get trash bags full," a CVS employee who wanted to remain anonymous told WUSA9. "They take anything, everything!”
Staff say the thieves almost always purposely leave a mess behind. Many times, customers are caught in the store as it's happening.
"They are throwing popcorn, peanuts all over," Crews said. "It just looks horrible."
Hannah Weatherford just bought a house in the Columbia Heights neighborhood. She told WUSA9 she sees crime daily.
“I’m reconsidering selling and moving," she said. "It's getting worse. People get killed in front of the Metro, stores are robbed every single day. You can’t even find food."
Back in May, thieves were caught on camera ransacking a CVS in Bethesda. Thieves could be seen pulling makeup and other items off shelves, filling trash bags and walking right out past employees and other customers who watched.
In many cases, products stolen by organized retail theft rings end up being sold online or even on street corners.
Some employees at the Columbia Heights location suspect items from their store end up across the street sold on the sidewalk for less.
“I think it’s enforcement and the infractions are not tough," Weatherford said. "A lot of times, it’s just a slap on the hand."
The most recent theft incident reported happened Wednesday morning. An employee told WUSA9 they saw three pregnant women walk out with boxes of diapers.
When WUSA9 crews walked in Wednesday to assess the damage, they witnessed a man stealing shaving cream and razors.
"The safety of our colleagues, customers and patients is our top priority and we’re committed to ensuring we have the products they need in our stores," Amy Thibault, communications director for CVS, wrote in a statement to WUSA9. "In recent weeks, we’ve worked closely with the DC Metro Police to identify and dismantle several major shoplifting rings and will continue to do so. In addition, we’re supporting new initiatives to combat retail theft in partnership with the DC Attorney General's Office."
WUSA9 asked the DC AG if they could share details of those new initiatives and they said they were still being developed.
