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CVS Tests Allowing iPhone Users to Open Locked Product Cabinets Without Calling for Employee

CVS Tests Allowing iPhone Users to Open Locked Product Cabinets Without Calling for Employee

If you’ve ever shopped at CVS and had to wait while an employee shows up to unlock a cabinet so you could get a bottle of detergent, the drug store chain has good news for you, they’ve got an iPhone app to fix that.

Many stores in several cities have begun locking up certain products behind lock and key, due to issues with shoplifting (I’m looking at you, San Francisco and New York City). Unfortunately, locking items up inconveniences shoppers because they have to wait for an employee be summoned to retrieve items for customers.

Now CVS is trying to change all that, with its revamped CVS Health app.

Tilak Mandadi, CVS’ Health’s chief technology officer, told The Wall Street Journal that people “really, really dislike locked cabinets,” which is why the chain is testing a new procedure.

“Experience has been a consistent theme for me all along,” Mandadi told The Wall Street Journal. “How do we optimize customer convenience and take out the stress and guesswork?”

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) installed on their iPhone, have activated Bluetooth, and have connected to in-store Wi-Fi can unlock locked product cabinets with an ‌iPhone‌.

CVS is currently 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 of its retail locations.

The drug store chain has added other features to its new app, including providing personalized barcodes for both prescription lookup and payment.

Customers will also have the ability to track their prescriptions for their entire family and view the cost of the prescription upfront. Customers will also be able to schedule immunizations, including multi-shot scheduling and easy-to-find appointments.

Currently, only members of Aetna and Caremark can utilize this feature (CVS owns both companies). CVS hopes to provide the service to other insurers in the future.

The app also offers users the ability to read articles from Everyday Health or engage in guided meditations from Headspace.

AI-powered search helps consumers locate products, services, and information from across CVS Health and select third-party content providers.

CVS Health app is compatible with any iPhone running iOS 16 or later, as well as the Apple Vision Pro running visionOS 1.0 or later. It is available free, in the App Store.