A fight that involved Pokémon fans at a Costco store over the early release of the Pokémon TCG Blooming Waters Premium Collection set has recently come into the public view. While it was scheduled to be released on February 7, 2025, the set has hit the shelves of some Costco stores way in advance, which is a reason for chaos among collectors.
Pokémon TCG Blooming Waters is a new set of cards released for the collection in the Pokémon Trading Card Game, bringing Water-type Pokémon into one thematic release. The rarest cards included within these collections make collectors and players very enthusiastic about getting these cards, as is the norm with any rare releases.
Videos from the scene show customers pushing to get boxes and even trying to snatch them from each other's hands. In one instance, where a man held onto another shopper, and receiving an elbow to the face, clung to the box.
The set is $59.99, but it has also been reselling for as high as $120–$150 on the post-market. This kind of resale is frustrating for collectors who just want to buy the product at retail.
This incident highlights the growing excitement around Pokémon collectible cards and the need for careful control over product releases to avoid similar situations in the future.
One of the participants, a witness to what happened and wearing a green jacket, wrote that he was the one who got elbowed on Reddit: "I'm the guy in the green jacket who got elbowed. I had those two boxes in my hands when he came up and yanked them from me. You can see in other videos referenced in this thread leading up to the incident that I had my two boxes in hand long before this dude came and snatched them from me.I don't even collect, definitely not scalping. Just went in there to grab a couple of boxes to give to my 6-year-old kids. Left with one smashed box and an elbow to the face. At least the packs inside are fine, so at least I have something for my son. Of course, the Costco employees did nothing to help me. I have filed a police report for theft and assault, but I am sure nothing will come of that either."
This story only punctuates the hype surrounding the release of the card and a fact that lots of people come for a product to not resell it, but in order to use it personally or as a present.
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