Kroger Stores Join Growing Ranks of Retailers Selling Baseball Cards
Kroger, one of the largest grocery store chains in the United States, has begun stocking baseball cards in select locations, joining big box retailers like Walmart and Target along with hobby shops as destinations for collectors to find new cardboard. While baseball cards have been a mainstay in drug stores and convenience shops for decades, the rising popularity of the hobby has seen new places crop up to meet growing demand.
Kroger’s entry into the baseball card market comes at an ideal time, as interest and card values have skyrocketed coming out of the lockdowns from the COVID-19 pandemic. Younger collectors, nostalgic former players, and investors seeking alternative assets to stocks have all contributed to the renewed fervor around the classic American pastime of collecting baseball cards. Major League players also seem to be fueling some enthusiasm, with stars regularly showing off childhood collections or cards given to them by fans.
All of these factors have made collecting baseball cards bigger than it’s been in many years. Accordingly, companies want a piece of the booming business and Kroger is one of the major companies pouring resources into better stocking its stores with the hobby’s most in-demand product—cards. Like Target and Walmart before them, Kroger sees an opportunity not only to benefit collectors but also use cards as a tool to draw customers into its shops who may purchase other items too in a single shopping trip.
Kroger’s entry started on a limited basis, with select supermarkets in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana carrying baseball cards for the 2021 season. Chosen stores set aside shelf space dedicated entirely to cards near entrances, allowing passing customers easy access to take a look. Inventory included unopened packs and boxes from mainstream brands like Topps, Panini, and Donruss along with some loose singles and higher end products. Early indications showed cards flying off shelves as Kroger found itself able to satisfy demand it hadn’t anticipated.
Encouraged by those initial sales, Kroger expanded baseball card offerings to over 100 additional locations throughout 2021 spanning both its namesake stores as well as regional subsidiaries like Ralphs, Fred Meyer, and Smith’s. Fielding strong sales in urban and suburban areas alike, the grocery giant committed to treating baseball cards like a core product category going forward – giving them prominent real estate near front registers where impulse buys tend to occur. It even brought in hobby industry store planners to help lay out most locations for optimal card shopping experiences.
But Kroger’s push into cards wasn’t without challenges. Staying stocked presented difficulties amidst ongoing shortages within the wider hobby market. Allocation from manufacturers wasn’t always sufficient to sate ravenous collector demand either. Lines began forming outside some stores on restock mornings not unlike early pandemic runs on toilet paper. Navigating between customers and scalpers proved tricky too with anti-hoarding policies needing adjustment. Still, marketers took these early growing pains as valuable lessons that would only strengthen baseball card offerings going forward.
Today, most major Kroger supermarkets throughout the Midwest, South, and along the West Coast have dedicated baseball card sections totaling anywhere between 15-50 linear feet depending on store size. Staple products from brands are augmented by special Kroger-exclusive issues as well featuring current players and classic stars. Loyalty programs also let shoppers earn fuel points and discounts by purchasing cards. Special endcap and aisle displays even promote seasonal releases the way other products are marketed. In 2022, Kroger plans to further its national baseball card expansion particularly along the East Coast.
The widespread availability of cards at Kroger has been heralded by most collectors as mainstream progress for the hobby. No longer must they strictly rely on independent hobby shops which can be few and far between in some areas. Now a casual baseball fan doing their weekly grocery run need only scan the shelves near the front for their kid’s next pack of cards. Even more dedicated collectors appreciate having another reliable nationwide retail chain carrying hobby supplies—one with consistent in-store advertising no less. This can only help to onboard more players to the pastime and ensure its future generations of fans and players.
For Kroger, venturing into the baseball card market has been a unambiguous success so far. Not only has it exposed new customers to the brand by gaining a foothold in the booming hobby, cards have proven themselves a strong ancillary revenue driver as predicted. With ongoing innovation of collector-focused initiatives and expansion to new regions, Kroger aims to solidify its baseball card program as a cornerstone of the in-store experience while also developing the next generation of hobbyists—great news for the future of America’s favorite pastime.
