California woman goes to CVS. Then she notices something off about the Head & Shoulders shampoo

A California woman went to her local CVS Pharmacy. Then she noticed there was something off about the Head & Shoulders shampoo offered to customers. 

TikToker Elysa (@ellepachex) noticed a difference in CVS while she was grabbing her son some shampoo. When she walked through the store, she found bottles of Head & Shoulders marketed toward women sitting behind anti-theft cases. In order to get a bottle, she would need assistance from someone in the store. 

Then, she walked over to get her son a bottle of Old Spice Head & Shoulders. She immediately noticed that there were no limitations. She wouldn’t need a store representative to help her, and she could grab anything she wanted from the shelf.

“ Why are the women’s locked up, but the men’s aren’t?” she asked in a video with over 48,900 views.

Why Did CVS Lock Up Head & Shoulders?

Stores like CVS Pharmacy frequently lock up products as a means of preventing theft. There’s evidence to conclude that individual locations make decisions as to what to lock up and when. A store like Walmart, for instance, might notice they’re losing baby formula inventory. Individuals could be taking baby formula out of the store, or Walmart might genuinely lose product due to inaccurate measurement. That location may lock up an entire section or shelving unit to prevent additional reduction of inventory. 

As one commenter explained, “Sometimes it’s just one or [two] items that are high theft within a section of the planogram, but everything gets locked up.” 

This has a negative effect on consumers. It can block out entire shelves of products and require assistance getting basic goods. Other competitors like Walgreens have admitted that anti-theft devices are detrimental to sales. However, many stores still employ anti-theft devices in-store. 

Racial Discrimination and Pink Taxes 

Many viewers pointed out that the issue went further than just picking and choosing what products to lock up. There have actually been racial and sexual discrimination suits filed because of stores disproportionately targeting products for people of color and women. 

In 2018, a woman named Essie Grundy filed suit after noticing that cosmetics created for Black women were the only ones locked up in a local Walmart. Two years later, Walmart would repeal policies aiming anti-theft devices at products primarily marketed toward Black women. 

Many stores across the United States continue to target products aimed toward women for risk prevention, which may constitute a level of discrimination. There hasn’t been a comparable case like Grundy’s that specifically discusses sexual discrimination, however. 

Additionally, viewers pointed out that there may be a “pink tax” causing a price difference between the two products. A bottle of Head & Shoulders that’s specifically marketed toward women costs around $5 more than a generic bottle on Amazon. A pink tax can inadvertently make it more likely for products marketed toward women to get locked up, as they’re considered higher value. 

@ellepachex Things that make you go hmmmm @CVS Pharmacy ♬ original sound – Elysa

CVS Statement

In a statement to The Mary Sue, a media representative for CVS Health stated, “Theft is a challenge for all retailers. We know keeping products locked up can be inconvenient, but it’s important that we keep products in stock and available for our customers to purchase.  Product theft rates vary depending on store location and other factors, and our product protection decisions are data driven. We utilize a variety of different measures to deter or prevent theft and locking a product is a measure of last resort. We have a firm nondiscrimination policy that applies to all aspects of our business, and our product protection measures are not based on the sex, gender, race, ethnicity, or any other characteristics of our customers.”

The Mary Sue reached out to Elsya via TikTok direct message for more information.

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