Stacey Solomon has publicly refuted accusations of "queue-jumping" and purchasing excessive stock at a recent Pokemon card release event. The television personality addressed claims circulating on social media, which alleged that she and her husband, Joe Swash, received preferential treatment at a Geek Retreat store in Chelmsford.
The controversy arose following the release of special "celebration packs" for Pokemon's 30th birthday, a highly anticipated event that saw large queues form at retailers nationwide. Many stores implemented a limit of one product type per customer to combat scalping, the practice of buying items in bulk to resell at inflated prices.
However, a social media post from a Pokemon fan page, "We Love Pokemon," accused Solomon and Swash of skipping the queue and buying the majority of the stock, leaving little for other customers. The post further claimed that the store had initially imposed stricter queuing and purchasing rules that were disregarded when the celebrities arrived.
Solomon took to X, formerly Twitter, to call the allegations "the biggest lie" and "outright disgraceful." She stated that she and her family joined the queue as soon as it began forming and were subject to the same purchase limits as everyone else. "We joined the queue like everyone else as soon as it started forming. We were sold the exact same limit as everyone else and they were all opened like everyone else’s," Solomon wrote.
She added that her eldest son, Zachary, and she have been collecting Pokemon cards for years and have frequently queued at various locations. Solomon also mentioned experiencing sell-outs herself when attempting to purchase items at other stores on the same morning.
Responding to claims that she was exempt from the store's purchase limits, another Pokemon fan alleged they witnessed Solomon leaving with "multiple boxes." Solomon countered this, explaining that customers could purchase one of each set, a common practice in many stores, and that she bought one of each set, similar to other customers.
Geek Retreat in Chelmsford also issued a statement addressing the accusations after their business received numerous negative reviews. The store confirmed that they did not offer special treatment to any individuals, including Solomon and Swash. "They were not allowed in early, they were not given extra stock, and they were subject to exactly the same one of each product per-person limits as everyone else," the statement read. The store added that Solomon and Swash were second in the queue when they opened and were not allowed to skip ahead.
Solomon has a documented history of attending Pokemon-related events with her sons, including trips to a Pokemon Go festival in Paris and the Pokemon World Championships in San Francisco.