Urban Legend Exposed: Does CVS put security tags only on hair products for blacks?

Here is a new twist on a common urban legend about a supposed ignorant business discriminating against a minority group ...


CVS and Black Hair Products

This is a follow up to the e-mail which I sent on Friday. On today, I went to my neighborhood CVS store to personally see for myself if the news reports of this national drug store profiling African-Americans by placing anti-theft devices on only Black hair care products were valid. After arriving at this store, I looked at both expensive and none expensive White hair products and I found NO anti-theft devices. I then looked on the boxes of both expensive and not expensive Black hair care products. What I found was shocking! ONLY Black hair care products had anti-theft devices on them. I immediately went to the store management and asked why did only the Black hair products have these devices? The store manager looked like a 'deer caught in the headlights of an approaching car.' He said White hair products also had the anti-theft devices. I asked him to walk please walk to the aisle with me and show me the White hair care products which had these anti-theft devices and he refused escort me to the aisle and show me and he was not able to tell me of any White hair care products which had the anti-theft devices on them! I immediately turned in my CVS cards and respectfully told this manger I would NEVER shop in this store and that I would inform all of my family, friends and Internet friends of this. I am now keeping my promise to inform each of you of this dirty, hidden, secret ploy of this national drug store CVS. I hope each of you inform your friends, family and Internet contacts and stay clear of this national store.

The most interesting thing is that the Urban Legends Reference Pages currently classify this urban legend as "True", citing several television undercover expose. The source that I believe is Diversity Inc which goes to bat for every possible minority groups. Its own investigation conclude that the story is no more than a sensational hoax, similar to the one involving Tommy Hilfiger and his racist comments supposedly made on "The Oprah Winfrey Show". The reasonable explanation is the a shoplifter is difficult to profile, thus it makes no business sense to target any specific groups.

I'm keeping my CVS Extra Care Card!