Target Stores Temporarily Suspending Sales Of Trading Cards Over Safety Concerns
Target announced they will temporarily stop selling trading cards in their stores after a Wisconsin Target had to go into lockdown on May 7 as a fight in the parking lot of the retailer occurred over sports trading cards.
The incident, as described by WISN TV, included a 35 year old man who was physically assaulted by four men between the ages of 23 and 35 as he left the store over some trading cards the victim purchased in the Target.
Following the incident, Target released a statement explained that they had recently implemented a limit on the number of sports and Pokémon trading cards a customer can buy per visit "Given the significant interest in trading cards" as demand has skyrocketed recently. That policy has now been updated to fully suspending sales.
This week, the Minnesota-based retailer announced they would temporarily stop selling trading cards, of both the sports and Pokémon variety, in stores until further notice. A representative from Target told CNN "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." While they won't be available in stores right now, the retailer will still offer trading cards via their website and app.
As WISC TV explains, the value of trading cards has skyrocketed during the pandemic both among sports trading cards and Pokémon cards. They offer some examples of a Charizard Pokémon card that recently sold for $360,000 and a Michael Jordan rookie card that sold for over $700,000.
Target has not announced how long the suspension of in-store sales will last. Other retailers have not announced similar suspensions at the time of this post's publication.