What started as a routine Monday morning lineup for a hot-ticket item turned into a scene more suited to a boxing ring than a big-box store.Ottawa Police say two men were arrested after a physical altercation broke out outside the Costco location on Strandherd Drive in Barrhaven. The dispute? Pokémon cards.Officers were called just after 7:15 a.m. following reports of a brawl between several individuals waiting in line. According to police, those involved were attempting to secure the increasingly high-demand trading cards, a product that has sparked similar chaos across North America as collectors and resellers scramble to get their hands on sealed boxes.Police confirmed to CTV News Ottawa that the “high-demand item” at the centre of the dispute was Pokémon cards. Two people sustained minor injuries in the scuffle. The two men arrested were later charged with assault. Their names were not released..A similar scene reportedly unfolded at a Costco in St. Albert, Alberta. A witness described tensions escalating after some customers allegedly attempted to bypass product limits:“They came with multiple Costco memberships, trying to buy more than the two-item limit per person. Using 3–5 memberships, they attempted to purchase extra, but the Costco manager refused. They then tried to reach over employees to grab the products, which led to a fight.”The account was submitted anonymously and has not been confirmed by Alberta authorities.Pokémon trading cards, once a nostalgic childhood hobby, have increasingly become a high-demand commodity driven by collectors, online resellers, and limited supply. Retailers across Canada and the U.S. have implemented purchasing limits due to crowding, lineups, and in some cases, violence.Police in Ottawa say no further arrests are expected, but the situation highlights an unusual reality in today’s collectibles market: sometimes the biggest battle isn’t in the Pokémon game, it’s in the checkout line.
