Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Dear CVS: stop locking up condoms  

4 comments
Amplify has launched a great campaign to get CVS stores to stop locking their condoms behind glass cases. CVS claims to do this to prevent people from stealing condoms, and incidentally condoms are locked up much more often in communities of color than predominantly white communities.

The study looked at stores in Detroit, Los Angeles, Houston, Philadelphia, New York City and Miami between September 2007 and January 2008. In some cities, the percentage of CVS stores with locked condoms was more than three times higher in communities of color than in areas that are predominately white.

The cities listed also have some of the highest numbers of AIDS cases in the country.

CVS says they lock up condoms "based on whether shoplifting is to such a degree that they're becoming unavailable for customers to purchase." However, competitors Rite Aid and Walgreens both have policies against locking up condoms.

Be sure to sign Amplify's petition to CVS that asks them to unlock condom cases.

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4 comments: to “ Dear CVS: stop locking up condoms


  • August 14, 2009 at 11:43 AM  

    CVS also locks up yeast infection medication, pregnancy tests, and other sex related merchandise like lube which further makes it embarrassing especially for women to buy medicine we need. Are the dick enhancers locked up? No, they're placed right at the counter with all of the tabloid mags and chewing gum. Oh this is Michelle by the way. :)


  • March 1, 2010 at 10:15 PM  

    I agree, CVS should stop locking up condoms. As a female teenager, i can assume that it is slightly embarrassing to walk into a store with the intent to buy condoms. If i was doing so, I would want to make that trip as quick as possible, avoiding talking to more people than necessary to avoid judgement. CVS, you're just making this experience worse. If condoms at the CVS i frequently go to were locked up and i needed condoms, i would go elsewhere. CVS, you're just losing yourself business. or discouraging people from using condoms at all. man up CVS and make your condoms easily accessible.


  • April 15, 2010 at 7:36 PM  

    I could understand that condoms are often stolen, and that may be a good argument for locking them up. At the same time, I could imagine a teenager not ending up buying the condoms because they had to ask for them. It would be embarrassing, and being safe about sex shouldn't be embarrassing at all. They should be out in the open so that no one has to feel awkward about protecting themselves. And if some get stolen (not that I agree that it would be okay!), at least they are practicing safe sex.


  • March 29, 2012 at 4:42 PM  

    free those condom!