Pokémon Cards Removed From Stores Over Violence And ‘Inappropriate Behaviour’

The ever-rising interest in and value of Pokémon trading cards has seen all manner of striking headlines emerge of late - from a YouTuber spending two million dollars on cardboard to scalpers bulk-buying promotional McDonald's Happy Meals. And now comes news that, due to rising tension surrounding the release of new Pokémon Trading Card Game packs, some stores simply will not stock them, at all.

The Guardian reports that US retailer Target will not stock Pokémon cards, following altercations between customers, which even escalated into a gun being pulled in a Target car park in Wisconsin. And looking elsewhere online, it appears that Walmart is following suit, too, at least in select stores.

Putting aside all this drama for a moment, please enjoy our mini-documentary on the 25th anniversary of the Pokémon Trading Card Game

The Guardian quotes a witness to the incident, at the Brookfield Target, who spoke to Fox: "It's just kind of sad for the kids. It just sounds kind of ridiculous that adults got into a fight in the parking lot about trading cards." Yes, it is.

Police stated that on May 7, a 35-year-old man drew a gun after being assaulted by four other men, aged between 23 and 35, in the car park, in relation to a TGC purchase. No shots were fired, but both the Target and another local store, Trader Joe's, were locked down for over an hour. In response, Target issued a statement to the website Bleeding Cool, covering not only Pokémon cards, but others too:

"The safety of our guests and our team is our top priority. Out of an abundance of caution, we've decided to temporarily suspend the sale of MLB, NFL, NBA and Pokémon trading cards within our stores, effective May 14. Guests can continue to shop these cards online at Target.com."

Twitter user Alan Johnson, director of influencer relations at Warner Bros. Games, posted that Walmart has also restricted the sale of Pokémon cards in response to both demand and the results of customers not always getting what they want.

As snapped by Total Toy Recon, the Walmart message - seemingly to staff at one specific store - reads:

"The trading card categories have been removed from the sales floor, and sales of these items have been suspended due to inappropriate customer behaviour and increased demand. Please do not stock these items until further direction from management has been given."

This Walmart news is, actually, a little old - but Target's move to stop selling Pokémon cards, and others, is a fresh change in policy, brought about by so much nonsense around the collectibles. Imagine ever having to draw a gun to defend yourself against grown-ass-men trying to steal your... cards depicting cute monsters? Something's gone horribly, horribly wrong with this game, hasn't it.

Topics: Pokemon