Target will enforce new rules for the Pokemon 30th anniversary TCG set release on September 16, with store-by-store limits on lines and purchases. BritBrattv, a Pokémon restock influencer, first reported that some stores may not let lines form until a few hours before opening. The changes put shoppers on notice before the release day arrives.
BritBrattv and Target
BritBrattv said some Target stores may not allow customers to claim spots with empty lawn chairs. Some locations may also keep lines from forming until Target officially closes on September 15, while others may hold shoppers back until a few hours before opening on September 16.
The reported rules go beyond ordinary crowd control. Many Target locations have set up elaborate Pokémon product displays near the electronics section in the back of the store throughout September, and leaked documentation says those displays will not be limited to 30th Anniversary items. The same materials say recent products such as the Target-exclusive Pokémon Owala bottles may also be included.
Target store rules
Some stores will use added security personnel to manage long lines and direct parking lot traffic. Some Target stores also reportedly will not let every customer in line enter at once when the store opens. One Target store flyer showed a limit of one item type per customer, instead of the retailer's typical limit of two.
That makes Target's approach different from the usual release-day scramble around Pokémon products in the United States. The stricter measures were not officially announced by Target in the material, even as retail employees at the chain are said to be corroborating the reports in comments to a social media post.
September 16 release day
For shoppers, the practical takeaway is simple: arrive expecting local rules, not a single chainwide process. Some Target stores may allow no early line at all, and some may cap quantities more tightly than usual, so the rules shoppers face could depend on which Target in the United States they visit on September 16.
Which specific Target stores will enforce each rule on September 16 is still the open issue. Until the release day arrives, the only reliable assumption is that the line, the entry process, and the purchase limit may all be handled differently from one store to the next.
