Cops Seek Suspects in $2,178 Facial Cream Heist at Duane Reade
Surveillance images of suspects released by NYPD.
Two people stole some very high-end facial cream from Duane Reade at 1889 Broadway (63rd street) on April 24, according to police.
The creams were from brands like Strivectin and Foreo, according to NYPD. Those brands sell extremely expensive stuff — one 4.5 ounce tube of Strivectin SD Advanced Intensive Cincentrate costs $139, for instance.
If you have info, call 1-800-577-TIPS.
The thefts come as the local precinct has been urging Duane Reade’s corporate parent Walgreens to beef up security at Upper West Side stores. Since our initial story about the issue, other media outlets have begun covering the issue. Walgreens told NBC that it is beginning to work more closely with the police now.
“We recently began providing voluntary weekly updates to the NYPD about where we are concentrating our uniformed or plainclothed security officers and welcome input from police on how we can best deploy resources.”
Boy, has Kathy Griffin fallen on hard times!
HA!
Who cares? DR will just “write it off.” As WSR previously reported, DR expects $7M in theft losses in Manhattan per year. And they sill wont spend $ for security in their UWS locations.
…and putting our safety at risk.
I guess that we don’t figure in the cost-benefit analysis.
Armed security guards can make things more dangerous. Recently a local cop was shot at a pharmacy because a robber fought the armed security guard and took the security guard’s gun.
Look up Melvin Santiago. Hopefully none of our cops have to die, especially when we have clear photos of the criminals and community/family/friends can finger them.
Probably something in between shooting and relying on family to “finger” the perps would be appropriate.
@jr, you know that if dr “write it off” it still means they had goods they paid for walk out of the store for zero, which means they have lost money?
You got it!
Someone’s paying for that stolen merc, and you can bet it ain’t coming out of the DR exec’s pocket.
We’re paying.
“we’re” only paying if We shop there. Don’t! DR has expressed contempt for the community by not investing in adequate security. Shop elsewhere. I am.
I love that they’re white, after WSR published the images of black men and their arrest (but not conviction) records provided by the 20th pct top cop, who also claimed recent thefts were perpetrated by outsiders to the neighborhood. I hope these two live around the corner from the precinct house.
they look like meth heads from suffolk county or upstate new york. they live around here like I live in Paris.
Good work! You should be a profiler!
Actually not far off the mark.
NYPD, the stores themselves and others know there are several sorts of persons driving this wave of shoplifting.
First are dope addicts. They take what can be easily fenced/sold to pay for their habit. No one needs 40 or whatever Essie bottles of Essie nail polish. But can easily resell them for pennies on dollar in “the hood”, or elsewhere.
Long before the internet there was and still is a culture of people who will buy things that “fell off a truck”, for the right price.
The other group are those fencing highly sought after items. Infant formula, Tide laundry detergent, certain cosmetics, etc…
Here you see more organized efforts including often “organized crime”.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/05/02/magazine/money-issue-baby-formula-crime-ring.html
Ebay and other online places have been and still are common venues to sell all sorts of stolen/shoplifted goods. Everything from cosmetics/toiletries to designer clothing.
Meth heads are generally after two things; stuff they can easily fence (for money), and cold or other medications containing pseudoephedrine. From that substance they can produce meth. Which is why now most stores keep such things either behind counter or under lock and key.
Several years ago once watched someone walk out of a DR with a basket overflowing with cold medicines. Went inside and told the manger (who I knew) and we looked at the security footage. The guy cleaned out several shelves of cold medicines.
Just for the record eBay is flooded with Strivectin SD Advanced, much of it selling for no where near $135.
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=vintage+appliance&LH_PrefLoc=2&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313.TR3.TRC1.A0.H0.X.TRS0&_nkw=+Strivectin+SD+Advanced+&_sacat=0
I rarely agree with you UWSHebrew, but you hit the nail on the head with this one!
Exactly. Possibly also New Jersey.
can we run a betting pool?
There goes the neighborhood.
Well, she does have nice skin.
Arrest them, lock them up, and throw away the key, don’t blame the victim! There is far too much victim blaming going on and I hope that the #metoo movement among other things will convince people that it’s entirely unacceptable.
Am I the only person on the UWS not thieving from DR? I need to get in on this before all the stock has gone.
The UWS is one of the few neighborhoods going backwards. The streets are filthy (check out Bway/70-71st where dozens of bicycles are attached to scaffolding-abandoned?).Homeless men roam around or just lie on the sidewalk and rusty trashcans are overflowing.The streets are littered with either garbage or papers.I noticed Helen Rosenthal looking for ideas to use some money allocated for UWS. How about cleaning up our streets? How about some new trash cans? Trader Joe moved in and brought lines and garbage and now Walgreens has taken over Duane Reade and turned it into an invitation for gangs to descend on us and steal steal steal. Walgreens is a low-end operation -no security but nothing much on their shelves now anyway. It’s depressing as hell to come home to this neighborhood after work. The Village, the east side. Etc somehow manage to maintain a clean environment. Even east 86th st.has improved. I want to move. I’m tired of looking at this. Maybe it’s the influx of tourists at these cheap hotels. Or the really low-end stores like Marshalls. Whatever it is, neither Helen nor Linda Rosenthal seems to be able to help. And so backwards we go. Just take a walk on Amsterdam/broadway from @68th to 78th…you’ll see.
I cannot understand why there are dozens and dozens of bikes on the Bday 70-71 stretch either its insane but yes I agree the neighborhood has gotten very dirty and more and more pan handlers appear to pop up each day.
Regarding homeless people in the area (compared to East Side) one reason may be is that there are several food programs near 72nd Street.
As for garbage on the streets, spilling over from trash cans, sadly there seem to be quite a few affluent millennials and tourists who think it is ok to just pile up the Starbucks cups on already full trash cans….
Bye bye! Enjoy the East Side! But don’t forget to take some DR inventory with you before you catch the crosstown bus.
@cjberk, just say the word and I’ll trade you my crappy 86th-108th Street stretch for your crappy 68th-78th Street stretch any day of the week!
I absolutely agree with you.
Cjberk… Agree completely. I too have made comparison regarding our neighborhood and others and wonder why ours is so much dirtier. And complained to Rosenthal x2. Got nowhere. I have even stopped by Linda Rosenthal’s office since it’s on 72 street which is filthy. How does she not notice? I guess elected officials in cleaner neighborhoods either care more or have more clout.
Hi bz: this week I’ll stop in to Linda Rosenthal’s office. I usually email but nothing seems to work. Just fyi, I finally got a garbage filled “learning annex” newspaper box removed from 72nd &WEA by sending her a picture. It took months. Something is wrong with our neighborhood -what is the answer?
Are you serious? There oughta be a law!
Laws, we got
Probably readers of the WSR who read how easy it is to rob Duane Reade’s around here and went for it. If Duane Reade doesn’t care, good for them and their entrepreneurial spirit.
You’d think Bruce Springsteen would give Patti
some spending money…
Seriously, Strivectin is for stretch marks(and wrinkles). If the man and woman were together, maybe they just had a baby and the woman really wanted that cream.
Walgreen’s needs to realize they are losing customers – I am not the only one – who will not patronize UWS Duane Reades as long as these stores refuse to provide security. They attract thieves who prey on the whole neighborhood….unacceptable.
So DR chains the laundry detergent to avoid theft but the Strivectin is there for the taking?
Smoke that cigarette!
No amount of fancy cream
will fix damaged skin.
A haiku
These drug stores have been locking up items on the shelf more and more which has made me given up shopping in them altogether. I’d rather buy simple stuff like Tylenol from amazon.
I have seen multiple robberies take place in the Duane Reade cosmetics section on 88th and broadway, two of which occurred while I was in line directly facing the registers.
Despite multiple people informing the cashiers that the store was literally being robbed in front of their eyes, no action was taken.
It was quite a surreal experience to see someone come in with a bag, dump skincare products into the bag, and walk out the door, in front of at least 10 people watching.
Surreal and a threat to our collective safety.
this makes me think of that other story about the Captain wanting Duane Reade to hire private security: THEY CLEARLY NEED IT lol smh i think i will write corporate a letter as i use this location for my pharmacy
not to mention, i also feel a little shafted if i go into DR stores and pay when clearly i can just take what i want & walk out!
You got it!
Someone’s paying for that stolen merc, and you can bet it ain’t coming out of the DR exec’s pocket.
We’re paying.
We are not paying if we don’t shop there. Easy choice! Go elsewhere.
You have concluded correctly. I am growing tired of some corporate behavior.