On Friday, April 3rd, a large group of people hoping to resell Pokémon cards caused a disturbance at the Sports Direct on Oxford Street. They forced their way past the store’s security shutters to get to the GAME section inside.
A chaotic rush occurred when a new set of trading cards, Mega Evolution Ascended Heroes, was released. This was because a full collection, including popular characters like Gengar and Pikachu, is worth a significant amount of money – around £4,500 (or $5,940) – to collectors.
The Bank Holiday Stampede
Okay, so there was absolutely no line or anything, and a huge crowd showed up way before the doors were even supposed to open. It was crazy! Everyone just started pushing against the metal fences, kicking at the security doors until they finally broke and gave way. It was a total mess.
Here’s what it was like
— Alex in Web3 (@AI_Alex_in_Web3) April 3, 2026
Surprisingly, even though the crowd was clearly damaging the store, security didn’t try to stop them from going inside. The Daily Mail reports that no one called the police, but officers were already present and didn’t act when the crowd forced their way in.
As the crowd surged toward the back of the GAME store, the pushing and shoving became so forceful it actually damaged the store’s signs. The scene was completely chaotic. One person claimed they saw a customer arrive for the launch wearing a hospital gown and carrying an emesis bag.
Reddit users described the scene as complete chaos, with people behaving wildly. One person even showed up wearing a hospital gown and carrying a bag of what appeared to be vomit.
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Parents who got there early expecting a calm release ended up having to step in and protect their children from being pushed and shoved by eager buyers.
Thankfully, no employees were injured during the rush, but some customers with children felt the staff prioritized quickly moving the crowd instead of ensuring everyone’s safety.
It is believed that stock was completely sold out just 20 minutes after the shutters were caved in.
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2026-04-04 19:18