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Amherst official tweets at CVS: 'I don't think your college-aged customers need this'

Downtown Amherst, Massachusetts, in a file photo.
AlexiusHoratius
/
Creative Commons
Downtown Amherst, Massachusetts, in a file photo.

Amherst, Massachusetts, Town Manager Paul Bockelman posted a tweet Wednesday night aimed at a CVS pharmacy on University Drive, just down the road from UMass Amherst. The tweet urged CVS to take down a display of drinks and cups.

The tweet said "I don't think your college-aged customers need this borg-ish serving suggestion!"

Bockelman also tweeted a photograph of the CVS display of red plastic cups and big bottles of electrolytes, similar to Gatorade and often used in "borgs."

A "borg" is a TikTok-inspired mix of alcohol, water and flavoring.

Last month, before St. Patrick's Day, dozens of people were taken by ambulance to the hospital after taking part in a "borg drinking challenge" during Blarney Blowout, a major partying event in the college town.

Bockelman said, in the past, Blarney Blowout led to arrests due to student rowdiness, but this time it became a medical emergency.

"Borgs are the difference and that's something that we have to to take seriously," he said.

Bockelman got the response he was looking for from CVS.

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In an email, Mary Gattuso from CVS said the display has been taken down and replaced with beverages and snacks.

Bockelman tweeted, "Thanks!"

Nancy Eve Cohen is a senior reporter focusing on Berkshire County. Earlier in her career she was NPR’s Midwest editor in Washington, D.C., managing editor of the Northeast Environmental Hub and recorded sound for TV networks on global assignments, including the war in Sarajevo and an interview with Fidel Castro.
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