Rows and rows of empty shelves at the CVS store in Columbia Heights have gone viral. The phenomenon even made national headlines in conservative media last week, in part because it plays into a popular right-wing talking point about the rise of crime in cities.

There’s good reason to be skeptical of such reporting — such as when Newsmax and Fox News ran segments in 2021 based on social media posts with the hashtag #BareShelvesBiden paired with photos that turned out to be both dated and taken in other countries. But theft at this CVS does appear to be contributing to the empty shelves, though  the cause and scale isn’t yet known — and is likely more complicated than many news reports suggest. According to one worker at the CVS, who declined to give their name for fear of workplace retaliation, dozens of people steal from the location every day, many of them children.

Last Thursday, around 3:30 p.m., approximately 20 kids came into the store over a span of 30 minutes and stole mostly food and beverages. The CVS worker told DCist/WAMU that they had reshelved part of the store with an overnight shipment. But by late afternoon, the store was mostly cleared again, except for the hair dye and greeting card aisles, as well as locked items.

The worker and a contracted security officer mostly avoided eye contact with the young people who shoplifted. It was only when one kid picked up the bag of chips they’d dropped to dispose of it in the trash that the security guard thanked him. He told DCist/WAMU that most children who steal just make a mess.

Some coverage by conservative media suggests the theft is organized, including by “gangs” of children being paid to steal. But so far there’s little evidence that’s the case. The CVS worker suspects that if adults are stealing to resell it’s often because they’re struggling with housing insecurity or substance misuse. James Boteler, the commander of the third district where the CVS store is located, says most of the theft is done by neighborhood locals, pointing to the fact that there are several middle and high schools in the area. He believes it’s likely that word has just gotten around about CVS’s lax security policy.

On Thursday, a kid exclaimed when their friend came out of the store with an entire tray of Reese’s Pieces. When the friend explained that CVS didn’t care, the kid ran inside before emerging a few minutes later with treats. 

Meanwhile, many people in the neighborhood cannot get the items they need and have to seek alternatives like walking a half-mile to the Adams Morgan location where shelves are fully stocked.

It’s unclear whether the phenomenon is widespread. While property crime is up across the city, according to MPD, there isn’t publicly available data on retail theft. Objective evidence of accelerating retail crime across the country is hard to come by.

The CVS employee and the security officer said company policy is not to engage with shoplifters. The security officer said he’ll only do so if someone attempts to go over the sales or pharmacy counter or if they become violent, which he said has not happened.

“I’m not trying to get stabbed over a bag of Doritos,” the security guard tells DCist/WAMU, adding that this CVS has the most theft of the five locations he’s worked at.

Retail expert Luca Signorelli of management consulting company AlixPartners says this security approach is standard.

Amy Thibault, a company spokesperson, wouldn’t comment on whether this is company policy, nor would she confirm whether the 14th street store is being regularly re-stocked or if gaps in shipments are contributing to the empty shelves. She did say the company has no plans to close any store in D.C.

She also says the company is engaging with the city’s Metropolitan Police Department and the D.C. Office Of Attorney General “to identify and dismantle several major shoplifting rings” and “to combat retail theft,” respectively.

Boteler of the third district says retailers should immediately call 911 to report a theft. An MPD spokesperson says there were zero police reports of theft at the CVS in the last week. But he also says that solutions such as stationing law enforcement outside the CVS or having the Office of the Attorney General prosecute every petty theft by minors aren’t practical.

A spokesperson for D.C.’s Office of the Attorney General, which is responsible for prosecuting juveniles for criminal offenses, says they are “actively exploring” new strategies to combat retail theft but declined to elaborate.

Dieter Lehmann Morales, who chairs the local Advisory Neighborhood Commission, says there’s a desire amongst elected officials to engage the young shoplifters without involving law enforcement. He’s also a 10th grade teacher at nearby Columbia Heights Educational Campus and says the city needs to invest in more after-school programs. He also suggested sending violence interrupters or community volunteers to the CVS to reach out to the kids.  

“Adults around them are not getting in their way or correcting their behavior, [so] they are going to roll with that and take advantage of that,” Morales says. “It starts with showing the students we care.”

CVS has been largely silent about crime at their District stores, particularly compared to other large retailers such as Giant, which has said theft is making operations unsustainable.

CVS did not talk about theft during a recent earnings call, which Signorelli says typically means it’s not having a large impact on profits. In August, CVS Health Corporation reported a 10% increase in total revenue compared to the prior year totalling $174.2 billion.