CVS replaces toilet paper with photo of product amid rise in thefts

People are flooding to social media in shock after a Washington DC branch of CVS Pharmacy replaced toilet roll with photographs of the products.

While some people have such an abundance of loo roll they've been using it in their fridge as well as their bathroom, others have been left to resort to stealing the product.

If you've been living under a rock the past year and didn't realise we're still in the midst of a cost of living crisis, then perhaps these images will really drill in the severity of the situation.

Photographs taken at a CVS Pharmacy in Washington DC have revealed the shelves stripped of toilet roll and replaced with framed photographs of the products.

Instagram account @washingtonianprobs shared two images sent in by a member of the public and the image shows shelves stocked with framed photographs of different brands of toilet roll, opposed to the real deal.

A sign on the shelf reads: "PRESS BUTTON. If you need assistance an associate will be here shortly."

The caption adds: "Apparently the CVS on H Street is also having to put their toilet paper in the back to stop it from being stolen.

"Instead they have photos of what’s in stock."

Instagram/ @washingtonianprobs

Social media users have flocked to the post in shock and to weigh in on the t-issue.

One Instagram user said: "I know this ain’t supposed to be funny…but cmon man."

"The family portraits of tissue is sending meeeee," another added.

A third commented: "Why’d they put it up in frames like that."

And a fourth resolved: "This is the richest country in the world but we have people who have to resort to shoplifting for bare necessities.

"I don’t see a damn thing funny about this issue #poverty."

Instagram/ @washingtonianprobs

The CVS Pharmacy's decision to keep toilet roll away from shelves follows the news of robberies in DC being up by 68 percent this year compared to 2022, as per Fox Business.

According to Wtop News this includes the theft of toilet roll too, with people 'familiar with the situation' claiming homeless people have been stealing the product from the store.

Owner of a wellness studio in Maryland, Ben Atanga, told the outlet: "First, I want to say this: this is not just an H street or a D.C. problem. This is something that’s going on all over the country, right?

"The economy is going up, cost of living is going up.

"If people are stealing … items, necessities, you know, I think maybe we should take a look at that.

"Maybe those are things that we don’t increase or maybe as a community we provide that … 'Hey look, you can come pick up toiletries and stuff like that, so that you can take care of yourself'.

"H Street has always had a huge homeless population."

UNILAD has contacted CVS Pharmacy for comment.