Pexels/Reddit

Every parent has a number they’ll pay for their kid’s happiness, but that math starts adding up pretty quickly.

One father finally hit his limit after countless Pokémon packs at $12 to $15 each failed to produce the chase cards his son wanted.

He soon came up with a clever fix: buy the cards directly and seal them back into packs, scattering them so the wins would look like pure luck.

But when he mentioned the plan at his local game store, and the clerk and several coworkers jumped in to call him a cheater.

Now he’s wondering whether he’s the bad guy for trying to have it all.

Keep reading for the full story.

AITA for resealing Pokemon packs for my own kid in order to save money??

After many, many attempts to get my son his Pokémon “chase cards,” with zero luck and a lot of money invested for what it is, I’ve decided I was going to buy the cards he was looking for and place them in “recycled packs,” opened and resealed by ME.

Not everyone approved of this clever plan.

I spoke about my plan to my local game store clerk, and she (along with other staff members) literally called me out for being a cheap cheater for cheating him.

But he defended his thinking.

I get her point that realistically, he would not get them within a few packs. (I was going to spread them within several packs, not all in one.)

He and his wallet had finally had enough, and besides, his kid has worked hard.

But I’m done buying packs at $12 to $15 a pop for nothing. Needless to say, I’ll never give that place a penny moving on. But am I really an AH for doing this?

Kiddo also spends his own allowance (garbage out, dog poop pick-up, dishes, etc., money) in order to buy his packs, and frankly, **** Pokémon. But he loves it, so what am I to do?

AITA?

Sounds like this isn’t truly hurting anyone (besides a greedy corporation).

What did Reddit have to say?

The game store clerk had clearly drank the corporate Kool-Aid.

Everyone in this story was simply acting in their own best interest.

The plan could end up backfiring, as this commenter points out.

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If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a mother who thinks it’s the school’s job to discipline her unruly child, not hers.

This user has a different idea.

At the end of the day, this dad did the math that every parent of a card-collecting kid eventually does, and the math says $15 a pack is a bad deal.

Nobody got scammed here since the only person receiving the cards is his own kid, who wanted them anyway.

The game store staff were being pretty righteous considering their entire business model is selling gambling to children.

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Author

Benjamin Cottrell

Benjamin Cottrell | Assistant Editor, Internet Culture

Benjamin Cottrell is an Assistant Editor and contributing writer at TwistedSifter, specializing in internet culture, viral social dynamics, and the moral complexities of online communities. He brings a highly analytical, editorial voice to his reporting on workplace conflicts, malicious compliance, and interpersonal drama, with a specific focus on nuanced stories that lack an obvious villain.

As a published author of rhetorical criticism, Benjamin leverages his academic background in human communication to dissect and elevate viral social media threads. Instead of simply summarizing events, he provides readers with balanced, deep-dive commentary into why the internet reacts the way it does. In addition to his cultural reporting, he is an experienced fine art photography essayist and video game reviewer.

When he isn’t analyzing the latest viral debates, Benjamin is usually chipping away at his extensive video game backlog, hunting down the best new restaurants, or out exploring the city with a camera in hand.

Connect with Benjamin on Instagram and read more of his essays on Substack.