Target's Animal Crossing Sanrio Amiibo Cards Rollout Was A Mess

Eager Animal Crossing fans were left empty-handed after a messy rollout of Target's store-exclusive Sanrio Amiibo cards. The sale began as scheduled, but many stores were giving customers errors and not allowing checkout, even if the cards were still showing as in-stock.

The Animal Crossing Sanrio cards are listed as in-store pickup only, meaning you'd have to order online and then go to a Target store to claim them. The sale opened at 6 AM PT, and the errors began almost as soon as the sale opened. Some stores showed limited stock, but even after a half-hour the stores that were giving checkout errors were still listing the cards as in-stock.

Fans on social media and the Animal Crossing subreddit were not pleased. Many recounted their experiences with instant sell-outs, while at least one suggested calling your local Target to put a card pack aside and then simply going into the store--bypassing the in-store pickup altogether.

The Sanrio cards have been out in Japan and Europe since 2017, as a tie-in to Animal Crossing: New Leaf. This is the first time the card set is available in the US, and they unlock villagers and items themed after popular Sanrio characters in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.