Several Stores Refusing To Stock Pokémon TCG Prismatic Evolutions Set For "Safety" Reasons
Certain local game stores are allegedly refusing to stock the new Pokémon Trading Card Gameset, Prismatic Evolutions, citing concerns about the safety of their employees and property. The new set, Prismatic Evolutions, is mainly focused on Stellar Tera ex versions of the various Eeveelutions. It's scheduled for release on January 17, 2025, making it the first set in the newly-declared "year of Eevee." It's already met with abnormally high demand, with some stores being informed that they would only receive a fraction of the packs they ordered for the premium set.
And, according to Reddit user alyxR3W1ND, certain game stores have already decided that Prismatic Evoutions is more trouble than it's worth. The user shared a screenshot of an Instagram post from Retro Emporium, an LGS in Kent, WA, featuring an announcement that it was refusing to carry Prismatic Evolutions. The caption refers to "overly aggressive(and entitled) behavior coming from collectors/resellers," stating that "cardboard" isn't worth the risk to the store and the people who work there. The original post claims this isn't the only store to have done so; apparently, another local game store (without a social media presence) made the same decision.
Safety Is Key, & Apparently The Pokémon TCG Prismatic Evolution Set Poses A Risk
Why Game Stores Might Be Refusing To Stock Pokémon Cards
This decision may be controversial, but within the comments on the Instagram post itself, locals are largely supportive of Retro Emporium's decision not to stock Prismatic Evolutions. Although disappointed, most commenters praise the staff of Retro Emporium for putting their safety first.
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For anyone who's seen recent footage of Pokémon collectors frantically stuffing their carts with box sets, the decision isn't totally surprising. With certain Pokémon cards worth upwards of $5 million, it's become a highly profitable hobby, and some resellers are willing to go to great lengths for a shot at a piece of the pie. Many fans lament the effect that resellers have had on a once-innocent hobby, with users like Dannypan choosing to sit the set out independently.
There have also been several reports of game and comic stores experiencing robberies in which large sums of Pokémon cards are stolen, presumably for resale online. Most recently, Metro Entertainment, a comic book store in Santa Barbara, CA, suffered a $10,000 loss, according to local news station KEYT. While unconfirmed comments on the original Reddit post by Mel0dyShadow claim Retro Emporium has experienced similar thefts, there's no evidence this is actually true. Still, even the knowledge that crimes like these are becoming more common could justify skipping the Prismatic Evolutions set.
Their exact reasoning isn't totally clear, but Retro Emporium's choice is totally understandable. The safety of its employees is paramount, and if reckless, entitled behavior by resellers puts that at risk, then it's perfectly justified in skipping a Pokémon TCGset.
Sources: alyxR3W1ND/Reddit, Retro Emporium/Instagram, Dannypan/Reddit, KEYT, Mel0dyShadow/Reddit
The Pokémon Trading Card Game is a strategic card game where players build decks of Pokémon, Trainer, and Energy cards. Players take turns using attacks, abilities, and strategies to knock out their opponent's Pokémon, aiming to collect Prize cards. The first to collect all their Prize cards wins.
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