Target tears open Pokémon card boxes to deter scalpers

A viral video shows an apparent Target manager ripping open brand-new boxes of Pokémon trading cards before they were put on shelves. The man tells customers the measure is meant to curb scalpers and says the directive came from corporate, adding it is being handled on a store-by-store basis.

Another Reddit user, SomedayGuy117, posted an image of a box with its seal cut at the counter. Viewers noted the video’s on-camera back-and-forth — one customer protests that the move interferes with The Pokémon Company’s sales yet buys a box anyway — but the clip has drawn broader attention because it would be an unusually extreme step by a major retailer to discourage resale gouging.

Scalpers have been known to camp outside stores overnight to buy boxes for resale, and even with purchasing limits, altercations and thefts tied to Pokémon product demand have become common. In some places, shops have stopped selling the products altogether.

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