Sneaker Stores Implement New Rules To Stop Thieves

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Selling sneakers is a huge business -- but with all that potential profit comes new ways for thieves to steal.

CBS2's Cindy Hsu reports employees in the sneaker business are on alert.

There are some serious sneaker heads who are spending thousands on the latest and greatest. But others are stealing them. So some stores have to change the way they do business.

At Sneaker Spot in Bushwick, employees are on the look out for thieves going for pricey kicks.

"One of those most popular stolen sneakers is those right here -- we call them foamposite," said Arnodo Morel of the Sneaker Spot.

They cost $420.

Store owner Faheem Khan says crooks are now trying something new.

"We have a lot of issue with the stolen sneakers, especially one foot," Khan said.

That's right ... thieves are stealing them one shoe at a time. They grab one shoe from one store, then they grab the other one from another store, Hsu reports.

Sneaker Spot displays only left foot shoes so the thieves will then find another store, sometimes right down the block that displays a right foot shoe -- and grab the match from there.

So a lot of stores in the area have quite a collection of what the thieves leave behind. Very often just one shoe. But sometimes thieves get away with both. To cut down on the theft, many stores are now only allowing customers to try on one shoe at a time.

Khan says this is just the latest twist in the whole sneaker game and he and his employees are ready.

"Guys in the street -- they'll steal from the stores and have their own stand outside in the streets selling sneakers," said sneaker head Rafael Camacho.

The love of sneakers just keeps growing. An art exhibit on sneakers opened this month at the Brooklyn Museum. This weekend, there's a "Sneaker Con" at the Javits Center.