Gotta catch 'em all

The days of going to Target or Walmart to causally buy Pokemon cards are over. I heard that Pokemon had become popular but never experienced it first hand until recently. I stopped buying cards back in 2015 when the big boys lost interest but recently bought some when I went to Japan in 2025. I just got random Japanese Pokemon cards that looked "cool" for the kids and thought, I actually like these cards. I want some cool cards too. And that's how I got into Pokemon.

But this is the absolute worst time to get into this hobby. It's nearly impossible to buy Pokemon cards. The shelves of major retail stores are always empty. Sure, you can go to a local card shop or trading card show but it's marked up way too much.

And now the Pokemon 30th celebration set just released, which I really want, but so does everyone else. 😞

At 7:50 a.m. I arrived at Target and that line stretched to the back of the store.

The losers who camped out had bought all of the good items but at least I got something.

I decided to test my luck after working in Channelview, TX. Here I am in line at Best Buy around 10:50 a.m.

And I got the absolute last box at that store. What luck.

These are the people I see camping in line... you're either one or the other. (Picture made by ChatGPT)