Condom Lockdowns at Philly CVS Stores

For most people, buying condoms is akin to a man having to walk in a drugstore and buy tampons for his wife or daughter. Even for committed, married couples, there might be a hint of shame in buying a product that screams, “I’ll be having sex tonight, in case you were wondering!” It is bad enough to have to walk down the aisle, past the sanitary napkins, lubricating gels, yeast infection treatments and pregnancy tests to snatch up a jumbo box of condoms, but what happens when the condoms are kept under lock and key or behind the counter forcing a customer to ask before buying?

One consumer advocate, Joanna Bouldin, is questioning some pharmacies who tend to lock up these types of products, especially in poorer neighborhoods where they are sorely needed. Bouldin, who represents Change to Win, a labor organization in Washington, states, “Philadelphia is facing a massive HIV infection crisis, at five times the national average. This disease is particularly ravaging to people of color. For any company to put barriers up preventing people making wise choices…well, we feel it is a dangerous and unwise practice.” Her latest campaign is against CVS and what she feels is the company’s discriminatory practice of keeping condoms under lock and key in lower-income neighborhoods.

Bouldin and her organization feel that CVS is practicing a policy of selective condom control; whereas condoms are easily accessible on the shelves in stores located in mid-to-high income areas, they are locked up in stores located in poorer neighborhoods. Local health officials agree that practicing this selective control will prove detrimental in attempts to stop the spread of HIV and other STDs. Ron Powers, a director at the Mazzoni Center, states, “People sometimes place a level of shame on themselves and sex. Heterosexuals and homosexuals are dealing with a lot of conflicting social attitudes and statements toward their sexualities. Placing a physical barrier between the consumer and the product does further create an obstacle to safe-sex.”

One local high school student, Javier Alvarez, agrees, “I don’t like to ask someone to give them to me. It makes me feel guilty and dirty. Sometimes the salespeople… are your parents or grandparents age. I feel weird. I guess sometimes it’s easier to just risk it.” Gary Bell, the executive director of BEBASHI (Blacks Educating Blacks About Sexual Health Issues), states, “The practice of locking up condoms in low-income neighborhoods, especially communities of color is both short-sighted and dangerous. We recognize the right of the retailer to determine how to showcase their merchandise, but they also have a responsibility to be ’good neighbors’ within the communities.”

Approximately 20% of the CVS stores located around Philadelphia kept their condoms under lock and key; most of these stores were located in neighborhoods comprised of lower-income families. Mike DeAngelis, a spokesman for CVS, backed up the company’s policy by saying that many of their stores lock up the condoms to keep them from being shoplifted. “CVS stores sell condoms that are unlocked and accessible. In stores where condoms have been heavily shoplifted, products are kept in a locked display to ensure there is stock available for customers to purchase. Decisions to do this are based on the theft experience of the store, not the location of that store. However, even in stores that do have a locked condom display, we also maintain a selection of condoms that are not locked and are available for customers to purchase without asking for assistance from store employees.” Other pharmacies, like Walgreens, have stopped locking up condoms at any of their stores. Tiffani Washington, a spokesperson for Walgreens states, “We believe it’s in the public’s best interest to allow these products to be conveniently accessible.”