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NYPD: Man Steals Thousands Of Dollars' Worth Of Essie Nail Polish From Duane Reade Stores

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The NYPD said a man has stolen thousands of dollars' worth of nail polish.

CBS2's Raegan Medgie reported the thief is only stealing Essie nail polish from Duane Reade stores in Midtown Manhattan.

Police said the spree started in early January at a Duane Reade on 48th Street when employees noticed about 200 bottles of Essie nail polish gone. The thief then struck again in February, stealing more than 300 bottles.

Earlier this month, police said the man stole 350 bottles of nail polish from a Duane Reade on Sixth Avenue, and then two weeks ago, the suspect went back to the 48th street store in Midtown and stole about 200 more.

"I was shocked about it," Josephine Allen, of the Essie flagship store, said.

One bottle of Essie nail polish costs about $8.50 at Duane Reade. Police said the suspect has about $9,000 worth of nail polish, meaning he has more than 1,000 bottles on hand.

"This formula was designed 35 years ago for a reason," Essie Weingarten, the founder of Essie, said. "I'm a girl and I know what girls want, they want something they're going to put on. It's shiny and it stays on for a week to 10 days."

In a case like this, police use a computerized database to search websites like Craigslist for anyone selling a large volume of something unusual.

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