Some attendees described the opening day of the Pokémon Center at the World Championships in Hawaii as a “miserable experience.”
Pokémon Worlds officially kicks off on Aug. 16, but thousands of attendees have already arrived in Honolulu. The Pokémon Center, which will sell exclusive merchandise, opened its doors for the first time on Aug. 14.
Unfortunately, it seems to have been a disaster. One fan on social media shared that they went into the Pokemon Center at 2pm, but “they were already out” of some of the most desirable merchandise—including lanyards, skateboards, sleeves, deckboxes, and playmats.
The issues were not just restricted to fans. Worlds competitor Defcon said they “waited two hours” beyond their time slot only to find the deck boxes and playmats were sold out. He then criticized the early access many influencers were given at the store, saying they were “considered significantly more important than all the competitors.”
Another competitor branded the waiting times “absurd” and said those waiting in the heat were not given water for “nearly two hours,” while someone they were with “passed out due to the heat.”
It didn’t stop there, as another attendee described the wait as “easily one of the most miserable experiences” they have ever had at a Pokémon event, with fans queueing in a hot car park without air con.
This is far from the first time Pokémon has experienced stock issues with event-exclusive merch, with the Pikachu in a grey felt hat promo distributed during a collaboration between the company and the Amsterdam Van Gogh Museum being removed “due to safety and security concerns.”
Pokémon did combat scalpers on that occasion by changing the distribution of the exclusive card, making the promo available via online purchase with qualifying orders of $30+. It remains to be seen if any action will be taken following the disappointment many fans have endured in Hawaii.
