CVS Might Let You Open Locked Shelves With Your Phone

A new update to CVS's mobile app includes a feature that allows some customers to access items on locked shelves using their phone -- 'without having to summon an overworked employee to open it first,' reports The Verge. The feature is currently being trialed in a handful of stores, but will be expanded to many more locations later this year if it goes well. From the report: According to The Wall Street Journal, 'app users need to be logged in, on the local store Wi-Fi, and with their device's Bluetooth enabled to activate the feature.' You've also got to be a member of the CVS loyalty program if you want the convenience of grabbing secured merchandise without calling for help. Signing up for that gives CVS plenty of insight into your shopping habits, so keep that in mind as you weigh the convenience of not waiting around.

'People really, really dislike locked cabinets,' Tilak Mandadi, executive vice president of ventures at CVS Health, told the Journal. Walmart has apparently come to the same realization, as the massive US retailer conducted a similar test last year. CVS aims to expand the program to around 15 stores soon and eventually reach national availability if all goes well.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.