QUINCY, Mass. — A controversial toilet paper promotion at a Quincy CVS store wasn’t authorized by the corporate office, a company spokesperson told Boston 25 News.
Signs hung inside the Quincy Shore Drive location on Sunday read, “Sign up for Carepass and get a FREE roll of toilet paper. In store only, see associate for details. New members only!”
CVS CarePass is a paid membership program.
Toilet paper has been flying off store shelves in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak leaving many people puzzled. Coronavirus is a respiratory infection and none of the symptoms match up with any issue toilet paper is used to deal with.
A CVS spokesperson told Boston 25 News the company wasn’t aware of the promotion until we inquired about the signage Monday afternoon.
“It was not an authorized company promotion and we had the store remove the sign immediately,” the spokesperson added. “We apologize to our customers for the posting of this unapproved sign and we are addressing this matter with the store’s employees.”
Social media posts about the promotion got mixed reaction.
A Quincy resident who shopped at the store Sunday posted a picture of the promotional signage on Instagram with the comment, “Desperate times call for desperate corporate incentives #COVID 19.”
A post about the promotion on a local Quincy Facebook group sparked a debate among members.
One woman commented, “…it seems like an incredibly unfair thing to do to people in the community. Using such a serious issue as their own marketing tool. Very irresponsible.”
Another woman replied, “I honestly don’t get the controversy. If you don’t want to sign up to get free toilet paper then go somewhere else and pay for it and move on with your life.”
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