Meijer is a large supermarket and general merchandise retailer based in the Midwestern United States. Founded in 1934, Meijer has over 245 supercenters and grocery stores located throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin. As a major retailer, Meijer carries a wide variety of products across all departments from groceries to clothing to electronics and more.
When it comes to carrying sports trading cards like baseball cards, the availability can vary somewhat depending on the individual Meijer store location and size. In general most Meijer stores will have at least a small selection of newer baseball cards available throughout the baseball season. Cards from the current year’s sets from the major manufacturers like Topps, Panini, Leaf and Upper Deck can usually be found mixed in with other trading card products like football and basketball. These newer baseball cards can typically be found in either the card aisle where other trading cards are located, or sometimes interspersed on an endcap with related seasonal items near the front of the store.
Larger Meijer supercenters that are around 180,000 square feet or more in size are much more likely to devote more space to trading card products and will carry a wider selection of newer baseball cards. Some of the bigger supercenters may even have a dedicated trading card section of its own with more extensive shelves of unopened packs, boxes and discounted loose packs from the current season. Meijer’s website also allows customers to check individual store inventories online to see what baseball card products may be available locally.
In addition to just newer cards still in packs from the most recent season, some Meijer locations will also carry a very modest selection of some higher-end loose singles, boxes and commemorative sets of baseball cards from years past. The retrospective collectibles tend to be fairly limited at Meijer compared to a specialty card shop. Any older vintage cards from more than a few years ago are quite rarely seen on their shelves.
During the peak summer months of baseball season from around May through August, Meijer generally tries to stock larger amounts of the most in-demand new baseball card releases to satisfy customer demand. Inventory levels can fluctuate weekly and certain hot ticket insert cards or parallels may sell out rapidly. Customers wanting to guarantee they find specific new products may want to call ahead to check availability first before making a special trip.
Meijer shoppers looking for a more substantial selection of either new or vintage baseball cards beyond just what’s carried in-store would be better off also checking hobby shops, card shows, online retailers or auction sites. While Meijer provides a convenient spot to occasionally pick up an unopened pack or two along with other shopping, their stocks are not extensive enough for serious card collectors. Still, for a casual baseball fan or kid just starting a collection, Meijer is a reliable option during baseball season for finding some new cardboard to rip.
While product selection and quantities can vary, most Meijer grocery and general merchandise stores in their Midwestern regions will stock at least a basic assortment of upper tier manufacturers’ unopened packs, boxes and loose packs of the current year’s MLB trading card releases during baseball season. Larger Meijer supercenters may devote more shelving to an even wider range of new baseball cards and some retrospective items as well. Serious card collectors seeking substantial vintage selections would likely fare better searching specialty hobby shops or online retailers instead of relying solely on Meijer’s more limited sports card inventories.
