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NYC Store Owners Combat Thieves Making Off With Display Shoes

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Thieves in New York City are being very sneaky these days.

High-priced sneakers have apparently been disappearing off display shelves across city stores thanks to a new trend.

Crooks have been stealing the right sneaker from one store display and the left from another to make a pair, 1010 WINS' Juliet Papa reported.

1010 WINS' Juliet Papa reports

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Store owners have been taking extreme measures to prevent thieves from walking off with the kicks, including chaining the shoes to the walls and hooking them up to alarms.

"I put alarms on every single shoe, even flip flops," Salisou Mohammed, manager at Michael K's Sporting Goods on lower Broadway in SoHo, said.

Mohammed takes extra precautions, saying thieves have sometimes cut the security tags attached to the laces and put the shoe in a backpack.

Now, any time anyone walks into his store with a backpack or shopping bag they get checked out.

The manager of Propel, also on lower Broadway, said some sneakers literally sneak out the door.

"We had some guy who tried both shoes on and he walked out of the store with both shoes on," the manager said.

The most sought out shoes are Air Jordans and Nikes, Papa reported.

What more can be done to prevent the thefts? Let us know below...

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