Columbia Heights CVS known for empty shelves to close: ‘This is the only one that we have,' shopper says

The CVS in Columbia Heights, D.C. is closing on Feb. 29 after it repeatedly had its shelves picked clean by shoplifters.

CVS did not give a specific reason when they announced the 14th Street NW store closure, but shoppers told News4 they have a theory.

“It is a loss but there was nothing done really to protect the store," a CVS shopper said. “You know, kids would run in and just grab stuff and run out, and people would just watch them go.”

The shelves have been mostly empty for months, the result of what the industry calls retail theft, commonly known as shoplifting.

The thefts occurred while the area around the store was under security systems that flashed blue and announced the “property is being monitored by video surveillance 24/7.”

After economists CVS for overexpansion, the company announced in 2021 that it would close three hundred stores by the end of 2024.

In a statement, CVS cited closure decisions that include “local market dynamics, population shifts, a community’s store density, and ensuring there are other geographic access points to meet the needs of the community.”

A shopper who depends on the store for prescriptions and other needs was upset by news of the closure.

“I think it’s really terrible because this is the only one that we have to get the medicine and stuff in this immediate area,” a shopper said.

CVS said it will transfer the prescriptions from this store to one a few blocks away on Columbia Road.

Retail theft remains a problem at businesses across the country and at stores in the D.C. area. In May of last year, six CVS stores in D.C. were robbed in 10 days with thieves taking toiletries, detergent and other items.

In July, a Virginia law made it a Class 3 felony to conspire to steal merchandise over $5,000. The law was later repealed when the House subcommittee voted to send it to the Virginia State Crime Commission for further study.