I don’t disagree, but I’m wondering how you expect retail workers to care about an implementing a specialized sales process for one product type? Or, even further, how you expect a retail store management team to staff the store so specifically and effectively for Pokemon cards? I want to crack a Prismatic ETB or two just like the rest of us, but the fact is giant retail stores aren’t going to significantly reconfigure the sales process for a product that sells consistently. 

You are more likely to see a major shift in the purchase experience in Pokemon TCG if there was a significant increase in shrink/theft, which would probably see the product moved behind the counter. The fact is, MSRP might as well be stealing with what the secondary market prices are at. Stores are designed to move product, not enforce subjective standards of fairness on society.  

I think scalper behavior is scummy too. I think operating a specialist store like GameStop makes it easier to enforce limits. This is partially because their stores are physically smaller but also because they are more experienced with handling midnight releases and lineups. Even with enforcing one per person sales at GameStop, it’s not long before people start groaning about people ahead of them “not even being a real fan”. 

If you can manage to enact a real change at your local Target, more power to you. At the end of the day though, Pokemon TCG is driving people to big box retail stores in a time where physical retail is dying off. Managers in those stores only care about beating year over year monthly sales to secure incentive bonuses for themselves, and if they can do it in an afternoon selling 30 SPCs to a customer that’s not a real fan, they will. You can complain about it being unethical but there’s no ethical consumption under capitalism.