CAUGHT ON CAMERA: Thief steals thousands worth of merchandise from Hickory Ulta Beauty

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HICKORY, N.C. — A robbery suspect in a ski mask was caught on camera stealing thousands of dollars’ worth of merchandise from an Ulta Beauty store in Hickory.

Surveillance video shows a person casually filling a trash bag with stolen items Tuesday afternoon.

It’s a scene employees are used to by now, because the location at the Hickory Ridge Shopping Center has been hit 12 times in less than a year. And the same style of robbery has been happening at Ulta Beauty stores across the nation.

Police told Channel 9′s Dave Faherty that a customer grabbed their cellphone and took a photo of the suspect’s license plate as he took off. They believe that tag has come back to a rental car in the Carolinas.

>> In the video at the top of the page, Faherty learns more about the customer’s quick thinking immediately after the robbery that is now helping police.

(WATCH BELOW: Retail theft on the rise and shoplifters are becoming more aggressive, CMPD says)

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