CVS Lets You Do It Yourself

The CVS on Mass. Ave. got a bit of a makeover this week with three new self-service machines and a new look upstairs.

Most notably, the counters in front of the stairs have been removed and replaced with three automated self-service machines, one of which was still being installed earlier today. The machines, which include scanners and bagging stations, allow shoppers to take care of transactions by themselves. They're fairly intuitive and are similar to those found in other grocery stores.

Meanwhile upstairs, aisles now open in the direction of the pharmacy rather than the stairs. Also, many items have been rearranged. For example, the laundry detergent is now where dietary supplements used to be. Greeting cards are now upstairs as well, and their former home downstairs is still under construction.

Employees—who referred comment to their managers who were not at the store—were at the self-service machines helping patrons who, while surprised by the changes, appeared to be taking them in stride.

Photo by Naveen N. Srivatsa/The Harvard Crimson