{"id":224128,"date":"2025-09-30T23:57:34","date_gmt":"2025-09-30T23:57:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/target-will-no-longer-sell-pokemon-cards-in-store-due-to-safety-concerns\/"},"modified":"2025-09-30T23:57:34","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T23:57:34","slug":"target-will-no-longer-sell-pokemon-cards-in-store-due-to-safety-concerns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/target-will-no-longer-sell-pokemon-cards-in-store-due-to-safety-concerns\/","title":{"rendered":"Target Will No Longer Sell Pok\u00e9mon Cards In-Store Due To Safety Concerns"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

If you\u2019re reading this, chances are you\u2019re a Pok\u00e9mon fan which means you\u2019re probably aware that the trading cards have become an absurdly hot commodity in recent months. The pandemic has caused card values to\u00a0skyrocket, so retail stores (and McDonald\u2019s<\/a>) have struggled to keep the cards in stock. Some businesses have limited the number of packs customers can buy, others have removed them from shelves to lock behind registers. Target in particular has faced increasingly aggressive customers, and instances of violence have forced the company to stop selling them in stores for the foreseeable future.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The policy goes into effect this Friday, May 14. It will also apply to NBA, MLB, and NFL cards, which are in high demand as well. You\u2019ll still be able to buy cards online through Target\u2019s website, but the in-store ban comes on the heels of various reports of violence breaking out amongst customers trying to buy packs.\u00a0I\u2019ve heard personal anecdotes of people being robbed for their cards outside of stores and fights unfolding in the long lines that form at locations receiving fresh inventory. Various retail outlets in general have suffered attempts of theft\u00a0with multiple reports of break-ins<\/a>\u00a0including one particularly daring heist<\/a> in Tokyo. Not to mention the numerous accounts of store employees being harassed by disgruntled collectors.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The straw that broke the camel\u2019s back for Target specifically seems to be a\u00a0recent incident<\/a> at a Wisconsin location where a 35-year old man pulled a gun after he was assaulted by four attackers. No shots were fired, but the altercation was reportedly triggered by an argument over sports cards.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In a statement made to Polygon<\/a><\/em>, a Target spokesperson says the decision to ban in-store sales of Pok\u00e9mon cards was indeed safety related and that the well-being of the company’s\u00a0employees and customers\u00a0are its \u201ctop priority\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A few factors have resulted in this latest Pok\u00e9mon card frenzy. The biggest is that the pandemic has slowed down the production and distribution of physical cards, creating a scarcity in stores. Rare cards, especially from older editions, are netting thousands of dollars in online auctions right now. Thus, fans have spent the last several months flocking to stores or unearthing old collections to try and make a quick buck, which has severely strained the card grading industry. Celebrities<\/a> and influencers<\/a> purchasing ultra-rare cards and packs, in some cases to open in\u00a0front of an audience, have also fueled the fire of collecting.\u00a0<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re an enthusiast who only wants to bolster your collection or worse, have kids that just want to indulge in their favorite hobby, you have a seemingly growing number of jerks to thank for things going down like this. One would imagine this will be\u00a0a temporary ban until the frenzy dies down. If you’re curious,\u00a0Magic: The Gathering and Yu-Gi-Oh seem somewhat unaffected by the craze (at least based on the Targets I’ve visited recently).\u00a0But you’re planning to hunt for Pok\u00e9mon cards at other stores, all I can say is to be safe and try to maintain some civility until things return to normal.\u00a0Please?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re reading this, chances are you\u2019re a Pok\u00e9mon fan which means you\u2019re probably aware that the trading cards have become an absurdly hot commodity in recent months. The pandemic has caused card values to\u00a0skyrocket, so retail stores (and McDonald\u2019s) have struggled to keep the cards in stock. Some businesses have limited the number of packs customers can buy, others have removed them from shelves to lock behind registers. Target in particular has faced increasingly aggressive customers, and instances of violence have forced the company to stop selling them in stores for the foreseeable future.\u00a0 The policy goes into effect this Friday, May 14. It will also apply to NBA, MLB, and NFL cards, which are in high demand as well. You\u2019ll still be able…<\/p>\n

Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":224129,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-224128","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-game-informer"],"yoast_head":"\nTarget Will No Longer Sell Pok\u00e9mon Cards In-Store Due To Safety Concerns | Arcader News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If you\u2019re reading this, chances are you\u2019re a Pok\u00e9mon fan which means you\u2019re probably aware that the trading cards have become an absurdly hot commodity in\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/target-will-no-longer-sell-pokemon-cards-in-store-due-to-safety-concerns\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" 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