Target policies against Pokémon scalpers quietly roll out at some stores

There are reportedly new purchase policies for Pokémon merch

Target launched another Pokémon collection over the weekend, and the drop has been as hot as you'd expect. Everything from Pokemon-themed windbreakers to Pokémon kickballs are sold out, both online and in-store. As a part of that drop, workers say that the company is instituting a new policy regarding product purchase limits. Employees further allege that, at some stores, management is starting to enforce an already existing reseller rule.

On social media, Target customers are sharing flyers they are purportedly encountering at stores. These notices say that Target is limiting people to one purchase per Pokémon product. The specifics of which products are included are murky. The official page for the new collection explicitly says that the retailer will only allow the purchase of one item per person, "to give more fans a chance to shop." Though not outright stated, the measure appears to be in response to the ongoing reseller problem where scalpers clear out Pokémon products from stores to sell at an upcharge.

But some flyers shared by customers specify that similar limits are also being enforced for trading cards, not just new Pokémon merch. In one Facebook post where a surprised customer shared a flier, the comments are full of people saying they, too, encountered similar notices at their stores. There are also people who say that their individual stores have already been enforcing this rule.

Based on previous policy enforcement, it appears that Target is allowing individual stores to access how to handle their communities. Just last week, footage of a Target worker slashing open Pokémon card boxes to prevent resale went viral. The action was not a company mandate, but workers alleged that the company expressed support for any stores adopting the practice. Similarly, while there are many claims online of Target customers encountering the more strict one-product limit, there are also Pokémon fans who say their specific store is still sticking to the per-person limit.

Another viral flier purportedly from a Target store goes even further, and claims that the company "no longer sells to resellers" and that "purchases must be for personal use." The policy is reportedly being enforced to ensure "all guests have a fair opportunity to purchase products."

Current employees in the comments sections of such posts have confirmed that their stores are disallowing sales to scalpers. While some employees say that the rule is new, a number of employees say that this has actually always been the company's internal policy. The difference now appears to be how publicly Target is enforcing the rule.

Target did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Pokémon fans welcome these policies, but still express concern about efficacy. The question is, how will Target determine who is a reseller and who isn't?

On Reddit, one Target worker who says their store limits purchases wrote, "I don’t see how we would be able to deny someone the ability to purchase even when we know who they are because Target as a corporation will do whatever to avoid a bad review."

"I don’t see it lasting long if it is ever implemented," they continued.

Resellers can circumvent Target's limits; scalpers often bring family members, so each can buy more units. Some resellers also pay other people, like college students, to purchase Pokémon products for them.

In general, there's a concerted effort across brands to try and mitigate the Pokémon reseller issue, which has led to violence, crime, and bad press. The Pokémon Company is currently considering ID requirements for purchases at official stores. Reports also suggest that The Pokémon Company has banned the sale of graded cards that increase a card's value. Similarly, local card game events are enforcing rules that are specifically aimed at scalpers.