CVS Tests Letting iPhone Users Unlock Product Cabinets Without an Employee

CVS is testing a new feature that is designed to allow iPhone and Android users to unlock product cabinets to retrieve an item without the need to summon an employee, reports The Wall Street Journal (via The Verge).

iphone 16 pro pro max
Many stores like CVS use locked cabinets for items that are often shoplifted, cutting down on retail theft. Locking items up, though, inconveniences shoppers because an employee has to be summoned to retrieve items for customers. CVS Health's chief technology officer Tilak Mandadi told The Wall Street Journal that people "really, really dislike locked cabinets," which is why the chain is testing a new procedure.

CVS shoppers who have the CVS app (with CVS account), activate Bluetooth, and connect to in-store Wi-Fi can unlock locked product cabinets with an ‌iPhone‌.

CVS is testing the smartphone-based product unlocking in three of its retail locations, but it will soon be expanded to 10 to 15 stores. If the trial is successful, CVS plans to roll it out to all retail locations.

Tag: CVS

Popular Stories

airpods 4 blue

Apple Finally Explains How to Install New Firmware on Your AirPods

Monday January 27, 2025 11:17 am PST by
Apple regularly releases new firmware for the AirPods, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max, but the company has historically provided limited information on how to initiate an update. That changed today, and Apple updated its AirPods firmware support page with more specific instructions. Prior to today, here's what Apple said on the subject: Firmware updates are delivered automatically while your...
iOS 18

iOS 18.3 Available as Soon as Today With These New Features

Monday January 27, 2025 6:35 am PST by
Update: Apple has released iOS 18.3. In its press release unveiling a new Black Unity Sport Loop for the Apple Watch today, Apple confirmed that iOS 18.3 is "upcoming." According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple Stores are being instructed to update the software on demo devices today, so iOS 18.3 should be released either today or within the next few days. Below, we recap everything new...
tvOS 18 Thumb 3

Apple Releases tvOS 18.3

Monday January 27, 2025 10:00 am PST by
Apple today released tvOS 18.3, the newest version of the tvOS 18 operating system that came out in September. tvOS 18.3 comes more than a month after Apple released tvOS 18.2, and it is available for the Apple TV 4K and the Apple TV HD models. tvOS 18.3 can be downloaded using the Settings app on the ‌Apple TV‌. Open up Settings and go to System > Software Update to get the new software....
Generic iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Beta Coming Soon With These New Features for Your iPhone

Friday January 24, 2025 8:16 am PST by
iOS 18.3 is expected to be widely released next week, and that means the first iOS 18.4 beta for iPhones should be just around the corner. Apple has previously implied that iOS 18.4 will be released in April, as that is when it promised to make Apple Intelligence available in even more languages. Below, we outline what to expect from iOS 18.4 so far. Apple Intelligence for Siri Siri ...
iOS 18

5 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.3

Friday January 24, 2025 1:55 am PST by
Apple is set to release iOS 18.3 next week, bringing further refinements to Apple Intelligence features, a couple of neat new capabilities to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 devices, and bug fixes. While not quite as packed with new features as Apple's preceding iOS 18 point releases, iOS 18.3 still introduces capabilities that aim to make your iPhone smarter and more intuitive. Below, we've...
iPhone 17 Pro Dual Tone Horizontal 1

iPhone 17 Pro Launching This Year With These 8 New Features

Tuesday January 28, 2025 11:48 am PST by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. iPhone 17 Pro concept based on rumors Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of January 2025: More aluminum: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models ...
iOS 18

Apple Releases iOS 18.3 With Visual Intelligence and Notification Summary Improvements

Monday January 27, 2025 10:04 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3, the third major updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 software that came out last year. iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3 come six weeks after Apple released iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Apple has also released iPadOS 17.7.4 for...

Top Rated Comments

thadoggfather Avatar
1 day ago at 10:48 am
Or we could just enforce punishment for theft for a change.



Attachment Image
Score: 52 Votes (Like | Disagree)
brofkand Avatar
1 day ago at 11:00 am
I don't shop places where crap I need to buy is locked behind glass cabinets. Haven't been inside a CVS in years. I will not be treated like a criminal when I've done nothing wrong.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dguisinger Avatar
1 day ago at 10:55 am
I feel like there are simpler alternatives.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Blackstick Avatar
1 day ago at 10:57 am
Just hire a receipt checker at the door. Theft will drop. Criminals are opportunists first, most are not masterminds.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
totallywoke Avatar
1 day ago at 11:07 am

This ^

Costco has figured this out a long long time ago
Costco locks up high value items. To purchase, you have to grab paper tag or scan item to phone. Pay for item. Then retrieve item from employee from the locked cages
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
alexandr Avatar
1 day ago at 10:58 am

Because criminals do not carry iPhones…. If I can borrow a line from Nietzsche, we are dying at the hands of our own construction.
It clearly states that this would require you to be logged in to CVS app.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)