Target Pauses Sports Cards Sales After Demand For Boxes Leads To Violence

Target says it’s now OUT of the sports card business — for the foreseeable future, at least — this just days after the extreme demand for boxes led to violence at a store near Milwaukee.

The company says it will no longer sell popular baseball, football, basketball, hockey and Pokemon cards in its establishments … claiming it’s all “out of an abundance of caution” for its employees and customers.

It all appears to be a drastic response to a fight that broke out outside of a Target store in Brookfield, WI on May 7.

Cops say several people were involved in a scuffle in the parking lot after an argument over cards … with things escalating so quickly, FOUR people were eventually arrested over it.

Similar events have happened at Targets all over the country … as the demand for cardboard pieces has SOARED during the pandemic.

So, Target says it’s now pulling out of the game to protect everyone involved … issuing a statement this week explaining the sales of cards will stop in-store, though they’ll continue to go forward online.

Target had already implemented several rules and regulations — including limiting the number of boxes per customer — to try to slow down drama … but clearly, it feels this is the next necessary step.

Of course, the trading card company has lost its mind during COVID-19 lockdowns … rare items that were previously selling for 5 or 6 figures are now selling easily for MILLIONS.

Even just unopened small boxes of cards that Target supplied were being flipped for hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.