Pokemon cards remain incredibly hot among both younger fans and older collectors, and some stores have a new way to purchase them. Officially licensed Pokemon automated vending machines have started to appear at various retailers around the U.S., and they’ve been stocked with booster packs, Elite Trainer boxes, and more. While these have existed for a while, it seems a lot more have been rolled out recently. Hundreds of the vending machines can now be found at retailers like Frys, Albertsons, Food 4 Less, Smith’s, and more. Unfortunately, these are still limited to just 14 states at the moment. Information was recently updated about these machines on Pokemon’s official website, where readers can find a full list of locations.
As these vending machines have become more common, Pokemon fans have been sharing images of them out in the wild. The designs are pretty sleek, and feature a neon red and white Poke Ball at the top. There are unofficial Pokemon vending machines that can be found in various locations, but those tend to be a little less fancy, offering up loose cards to users, as opposed to new products. An image of one of the vending machines was shared by Bluesky user Mari and can be found in the post below.
Videos by ComicBook.com
One of the biggest problems with Pokemon cards is that there are a lot of knock-offs that circulate. This has been a problem since the TCG first became popular, and continues to persist. Sometimes it can be hard to tell the difference, especially for newcomers as well as parents that might be less familiar with the series. It should be noted that all of these vending machines are owned and operated by The Pokemon Company, and not any of the retailers. That means buyers can rest assured that all of the products found in these machines are officially licensed. That should give buyers a little more confidence!
It will be interesting to see if these machines become more common, and if they end up embraced by additional retail chains around the world. Over the last few years, theft of Pokemon cards has become something of a problem, and selling the product through vending machines will make that a lot more difficult. It also makes it more likely that a location will stock Pokemon products; since the machines are owned and operated by The Pokemon Company, it takes any potential liability out of the retailer’s hands. That’s kind of a win-win situation, and Pokemon fans seem to like them a lot, too. On top of those advantages for retailers and The Pokemon Company, there’s probably less chance of packs getting damaged or wrecked, compared to having them on store shelves. That’s definitely a good thing!
Have you encountered one of these Pokemon vending machines out in the wild yet? Do you like the idea of these being in retail locations? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!