CVS App Can Unlock Cabinets

CVS is testing a feature for customers to unlock cabinets instead of an employee.

January 30, 2025

Customers at some CVS stores will no longer have to push a button and wait for a clerk to unlock one of the glass cabinets to access the products, reported the New York Times. A new app feature will allow them to open the cabinets themselves, the company said on Tuesday.

“That feature of the new CVS Health app has been available in three stores in New York City as part of a pilot program that began in August, said Tara Burke, a CVS Health spokeswoman. She said there are plans to roll out the ‘smart locks’ at approximately 10 stores on the West Coast early this year,” wrote the Times.

According to CVS, the new app would act as a digital landing spot for personal health care, with features that include organizing medical appointments and vaccinations, paying for prescription refills with a bar code and searching for products using an AI-powered function.

“The app’s unlocking function is available to registered loyalty members. They must be logged in to the app and on the store’s Wi-Fi network with Bluetooth enabled to gain access to the secured merchandise,” reported the Times.

CVS competitor Walgreens had a better-than-expected fiscal first quarter and gave Wall Street hope for the drugstore chain’s plan to revive its struggling business, reported the Associated Press.

NACS Daily reported in October that Walgreens was set to close about 1,200 locations over the next three years. According to the Associated Press, Walgreens closed 70 stores in its fiscal first quarter and planned to shutter around 500 by the end of fiscal year.