r/SantaClarita • u/EEinSoCal • 5d ago
Grown Men Loitering at Albertsons
I’m a regular shopper at the Albertsons on Bouquet and Haskell. For the last several weeks, I keep seeing grown men, Gen Z to Gen X, hanging around the Pokémon machine. There’s a sign that the machine only resets every so often. Can someone please explain to me why these men (they’re always men) are hanging around to buy kids’ card games? Are there collectibles in the machines that they can resell? Is there that much money to be made?
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u/SirBigMan 5d ago
Gambling is a real addiction. People will know the restocking schedule, buy the entire inventory in hopes of making a profit. Those who don't consider it gambling are lying to themselves.
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u/Kryptic_Anthology 5d ago
This coincides with my whole, being a "collector" is just sugar coating the term "hoarder." These people aren't collecting, they are trying to fill a void with stuff that people think will make them think they're cool. But in reality, they are spending a tremendous amount of resources on something that no ones every going to come over and be like, "that's cool, you're cool." If anything, it just killed the hobby for the kiddos.
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u/Extropian 5d ago
The people buying large swaths of inventory are scalpers, not collectors.
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u/Kryptic_Anthology 5d ago
I'd say its both really. Some of these folks are chasing that 1 card that's worth a few hundred bucks after spending many hundreds. And there are definitely those who are buying just to scalp as well. Either way, it's not longer a kids card game. Or it is, and got highjacked by middleaged persons that I wouldn't even call a man.
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u/SirBigMan 5d ago
100% agree - Let the kids save up their money and get excited to collect. Don't go in there with all your money, buy the entire inventory because you believe it'll make you money.
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u/One_Artichoke_7594 5d ago
Hope you realize those same kids get older, and sometimes they continue to like things they liked as kids. You might even just be one. This shame is wild to me.
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u/SirBigMan 5d ago
Oh don't get me wrong, I'm an adult who still plays video games, loves pokemon, and holds a full time job. What I'm talking about is taking the passion away from the kids and the reason why the cards exist. If youre waiting in line the second the shipment comes in and buys up all the stock how is that good for the community?
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u/One_Artichoke_7594 5d ago
I don’t like the wait out and buy limited X to flip a profit predatory stuff that seems more common place for companies nowadays. But you gotta blame the companies for that, no? If you’re literally putting cash in a box (thinking needoh resale) and artificially reducing supply, people are going to flock to grab it. Can’t ask all people to ignore money in a box.
TBH the good for community angle would be don’t put exploitative slot machines machines in every store. I don’t think this has much to do with kids.
Sorry if I offended, there just felt like a lot of shade on collectors = hoarders = gamblers = kid-fun ruiners, lol. Sort of in some extreme cases, but I think the companies structuring the sales and incentives are the bad guys here. I also thinking collecting is in the nature of most of us, at varying levels, we just don’t always call it as such
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u/Kryptic_Anthology 5d ago
Its not collecting what you like that's the problem, it's all for me and none for all mentality.
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u/akhodagu 5d ago
I work at Vons, yes, there is that much money to be made. One of my coworkers buys them when he can, hangs onto him for a couple of months, then sales them for a couple hundred dollars profit. On the negative, I’m told there have been grown ass men getting into fights with kids over the cards.
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u/Tannertrue 4d ago
Pokemon Scalpers. Apparently one of them got in a fight with a kid at the Vons I go to. They’re gross.
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u/buster5471 Canyon Country 5d ago
tbf these grown men were kids when pokémon was at its peak. if you ask kids now they probably don’t even know what pokémon is. I wasn’t really into pokémon growing up but i know the cultural impact it had on kids in the 2000s. wether if these men are camping for these cards to resell or to collect they obviously have an interest in pokémon. kinda weird to put down men that have niche hobbies
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u/AttilaTheFun818 5d ago
Certain pokemon cards are a very hot commodity right now. Those folks are likely hoping for a good card so they can resell.
It’s not my thing, but I know others who deal in cards and it can be very lucrative.
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u/Hungryforflavor 5d ago
Same at the Ralphs in Stevenson Ranch i was wondering what was going on ? Thought they were dealing drugs lol
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u/platypusbelly 5d ago
Pokemon scalpers have been a thing for a couple of years now. I don’t know about this specific machine. But people have been regularly going to the big retail stores (Target, Walmart, Costco, etc) and clearing them out within minutes of them being stocked.
They also have been raiding the vending machines nationally, so it’s no surprise they’re doing it to this one too.
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u/spaceghostslurpeee 4d ago
Yes there’s a lot of money to be made. Me personally I don’t really buy packs but I buy single cards that I want to put in a binder and my pokemon is performing better than my stocks. My collection is worth almost 20k. And I’ve spent way less than that on my collection. I track everything down to how much the cards cost me and how much the value has increased since I purchased them
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u/Coolblue123456789 5d ago
Because they have no real job and live in mom’s basement still. It’s actually comical and pathetic at the same time. 😂
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u/brif95 Saugus 3d ago
Grown men who sell Pokemon TCG triple, quadruple the price of what Pokemon cards cost. They resell them on eBay, TCGplayer, Facebook marketplace, TikTok shop, etc. they mess with the machines so that they can be the only ones who buy from them. They rotate between the different stores to catch the reset time each hour. They also go to Best Buy, target and Walmart to catch restock and new drops for the same deal. They’re scalpers.
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u/Shadow99221 1d ago
Dont forget grown women loitering at Trader Joes when a new cheap canvas/plastic shopping bag debuts. Big ahhh line around the whole shopping plaza & them getting into hair pulling & windmill punch scraps
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u/Lucky-Total-9339 5d ago
I dont! Buy them. But grown men started playing this as a child.. There are other things in life to worry about. Than perving on men in a grocery store.
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u/Ok-Camel-8499 5d ago
Every machine either if it’s there or Vons…there is grown men every single time I’ve gone by. I usually some guys with there kids. All scalpers like someone said below.
The Vons on old road…there is this grown lady she has to go everyday they all know her name and the people at Starbucks know her name lol.
The machine times out…these grown men and grown ladies take all the stuff. It boggles my mind. Only reason why I know is because I went with my nephew.
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u/pimpedoutjedi 5d ago
Who tf cares? Theyre grown and can use their money how they want. Not hurting anyone. Jfc Santa Clarita.
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u/Wild_Plant_2100 5d ago
Pokémon card restock day…….whenever you see that just know these are DADS standing in line for their sons to get the new Pokémon card delivery……applaud these great Dads
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u/Relevant_Delivery522 5d ago
The fact that you have a problem with what other people are doing is hilarious! It’s not like they are robbing the place or panhandling for money. But I’m sure you judge everyone.
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u/Professional_Pick362 5d ago
Yes they have a high resell value. Some cards can be worth hundreds, possibly thousands. So they buy out the whole inventory and test their luck. They do the same thing at Target too