Target's Pokémon 30th Anniversary Event Leaves Parents Angry and Confused

Target just held a special Pokémon trading card game 30th Anniversary event on Sept. 27 and — this may be shocking to hear — things went poorly. It was yet another case of too many people wanting Pokémon cards, but with a twist. This time, Pokémon fans who are also parents went into the event expecting preferential treatment. And when they didn't get it, parents left the event feeling frustrated and confused.

The 30th Anniversary TCG drop event was supposed to give the first 100 or so attendees a voucher for two Pokémon tins. The retailer also handed out goodie bags that included a Mewtwo promo card, a booklet outlining Pokémon's history, and a "draw your own Pokémon" kit.

One parent with a six-year-old child said they visited Target 30 minutes before the event officially started. They apparently found a line of over 200 people already waiting for the event to start. "This is sad," the parent wrote on Reddit. "People need to feel ashamed ... adults need to get over themselves and stop ruining everything."

Another parent on Facebook said their child left the event in tears after being unable to purchase any cards at the event. "Target should be ashamed of themselves," they wrote.

The sentiment was pervasive across Pokémon TCG communities this weekend, where many shared pictures or videos of participants in an attempt to shame them.

The reaction makes sense: Who wants to tell a child they're not getting the thing they were excited about? The problem is that much of the anger surrounding the event is based on a major misunderstanding.

Why did Target's Pokémon event blow up?

As Polygon reported earlier in September, Target never called the occasion a "family event." On the retailer's official website, Target only invited people to celebrate 30 years of Pokémon at the store. In the lead-up to the actual announcement, however, insiders shared images of internal Target communications that referred to the event as a family day. Those screenshots were never meant for the public, and were written before plans for the event were finalized. Expecting preferential treatment for something that was never promised was bound to create an issue.

Another aspect contributing to this snafu was undoubtedly a lack of proper planning. Kids, especially teenagers, can and do line up hours in advance of a Target drop. Going to the nearest Target store without inquiring about specifics ahead of time or showing up just before the event began was never going to turn out well. Some TCG restocking groups also generated images that falsely labeled it as a "family event," and parents mistook it as official Target marketing.

Snagging a product was going to be difficult for everyone, but minimal research could have prevented some of these headaches. Every Target store works a little differently, so longtime fans know that they can't fully rely on Target's website. Some locations, for example, decided to give out tickets for the Pokémon tins when the store opened, not when the event started. Other locations didn't receive the promo card, or did not participate in giveaways. These are all quirks that could have ruined a child's day if a parent didn't properly assess the situation, even if the event was age-restricted.

To wit: I visited a Target store on Sunday 40 minutes after the event began and was able to purchase all the items in the 30th Anniversary TCG collection. It wasn't luck; I knew which Target in my area had the least foot traffic, and I called to make sure I knew what to expect. Despite arriving so late, I was merely the 35th person in line.

Hopefully, the Target incident will at least make it more likely that Best Buy's upcoming 30th Anniversary Pokémon TCG event won't be filled with stories of crying children.