Could Walmart Sports Card Placement Be Any Worse?

Ryan Barone (@ballcardgenius, Card Expert) is a lifelong member of the hobby. He has been quoted in PSA Magazine, and his content has regularly been mentioned in “Quick Rips” (the Topps RIPPED Newsletter) and across other hobby publications. hello@ballcardgenius.com; Last Time Ago LLC dba Ballcard Genius.

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The sports cards at Walmart are typically located in the last or first check-out line. That is, the trading cards are in the same place you’d expect to find any of the other last-minute items while completing your purchase. Gum, snacks, magazines, sports cards.

This is a problem.

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, here is a pretty good shot of the card “aisle” backed up to the last self-checkout line:

Now, I don’t know about you, but my Walmart card-buying experience is always rushed and flustered as a result. Never a “walk up and immediately” transaction, retail store card buying takes time—what products are available and are there exclusive parallels? Do I want a blaster? Have these boxes been ransacked?

There are a lot of questions that need to be asked and answered.

As collectors, we already endure a lot of “don’t mind me, I’m just a grown adult buying baseball cards.” So to have to do so while people are squeezing by behind you while they try and purchase their toilet paper and coffee creamer, it’s not a great feeling. It feels like constant judgment.

Then, with the eyeballs on you, it’s time to start the performance.

Let me pick up this box here and flip it over to check things out. Oh yeah, look at those odds; interesting. Then the thinking face as you pretend to size up the absolute best buy, when we all are ferociously scanning for Topps Chrome, Prizm, or Optic.

Anyway, I’m not a retail store floor planner, and I’m sure the cards need to be up front for good reason. And not to add a another point of comparison between Walmart and Target, but at least Target gives you some room to breathe and take your time, the way card purchasing should be. Cards at Walgreens are with the toys.

This could also just be me, and perhaps it’s time to care less!