Target has temporarily suspended in-store sales of sports and Pokémon trading cards following a fight at a Wisconsin store between customers, one with a gun.
"The safety of our guests and our team is our top priority," the Minneapolis-based retailer said in a statement. "Out of an abundance of caution, we've decided to temporarily suspend the sale of MLB, NFL, NBA and Pokémon trading cards within our stores, effective May 14."
Customers can still buy the cards online at Target.com.
While Target didn't give a direct reason for the change, last week there were reports of a fight stemming from a disagreement about trading cards at a Target store in Brookfield, Wis., just west of Milwaukee.
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, four men assaulted another 35-year-old man on the morning of May 7 in a Target parking lot after he left the store. The incident "only ended after the victim accessed his gun."
No shots were fired, and the victim, who had a concealed-carry weapons license, suffered minor injuries.
The value of some trading cards soared over the past year, driven in part by speculators who race around to stores on the day that new cards arrive, buy up the entire inventory and then try to resell the most sought-after cards online.
Some individual Pokémon cards, which are sold in stores as parts of small decks priced at a few dollars, are selling for several hundred dollars online.
