Walmart is finally cracking down on the trading card chaos that has plagued stores nationwide, announcing a strict purchase limit on highly sought-after items like Pokémon packs. This is a massive win for actual collectors, honestly, because scalpers have been running wild for far too long. The retail giant appears to have caved to intense customer frustration after a particularly damning viral video exposed just how much “pure greed” was driving the market.
Effective today, you won’t be able to just grab an entire shelf of shiny cardboard anymore. According to an alleged internal memo shared across Reddit and found by Daily Dot, customers may only purchase a maximum of five packs or boxes of Trading Cards per visit. The memo, reportedly sourced from the company’s employee portal, OneWalmart, claims that the point-of-sale and online systems have been updated to automatically enforce this new policy.
While the internal note didn’t specifically name the problem child that forced the change, the timing leaves little doubt about the catalyst. Just weeks ago, in late October, a TikTok video filmed by user Mike Romano (@mromano2003) went completely viral, quickly racking up over 12.6 million views. The video, taken at a Las Vegas location, showed one person loading up on what looked like dozens, if not hundreds, of Pokémon card tins.
Walmart is stopping the greedy buyers
Romano captured the moment perfectly, stating, “This is what they’re selling to one person. This guy right here. One person.” He titled the clip, “This is what pure GREED looks like!!” It’s completely understandable why that video caused such a massive wave of outrage across the internet. Genuine fans and parents trying to buy a fun gift for their kids have been facing empty shelves for months, all because professional resellers are cleaning out the stock simply to flip it for inflated prices online.
Walmart’s official reasoning for implementing the limit is multifaceted. The memo attributes the change to a combination of unprecedented demand, serious reselling concerns, ongoing product shortages, and perhaps most importantly, safety. We’ve all seen the news reports about the fights and arguments breaking out over these cards.
The memo noted, “We’ve seen incidents and disputes and crowding over these cards. By setting a purchase limit, we aim to reduce conflicts.” It’s awful that it got to the point where the company had to step in just to keep the aisles safe, but I’m glad they’re prioritizing the shopping experience.
For the most part, the internet is breathing a collective sigh of relief. This move is long overdue, especially since the resale market has become so toxic. The general sentiment is summed up perfectly by one commenter who simply stated, “Good. Scalpers suck.”
Even Walmart employees chimed in on Reddit to express their relief that they won’t have to manage these conflicts themselves anymore. However, not everyone is convinced this will solve the problem entirely. Some cynics suggest that the company is really “just doing it to save face tbh,” rather than truly trying to help the collectors.
