The Card Pack — Local services in Altoona

I had an incredibly frustrating experience at this establishment due to poor management and lack of employee training. I stood around for nearly 15 minutes waiting since the only employee was unsure as to how to price singles/ETVs and the owner wouldn’t answer his phone. When he finally showed up, he casually mentioned that he had been on his smoke break—like that excused the complete lack of organization.

To make matters worse, instead of handling things professionally, he immediately snapped at (who I assume is his wife) over a different guest holding something they had already purchased, rather than approaching the situation calmly with a, "hey, have you been helped yet?" or "Find everything alright?" She was clearly uncomfortable, and throughout the interaction, she seemed visibly anxious and tense around him. It was hard to watch.

That being said, the female employee was very kind and genuinely tried to be helpful, despite the uncomfortable atmosphere. She was doing her best, but it was obvious she was nervous, which made the entire situation even more unsettling.

If you're running a business, it’s your responsibility to train your employees—not take out your frustration on them. There’s no excuse for this kind of behavior.

(Also, I would suggest putting up a rod with some kind of curtain over your "personal collection" of cards if it bothers you so much when customers ask about them, that way you're less...

I was a bit apprehensive about going to this place because of it being small, and there not being many pictures or reviews on Googlemaps.

We are happy we did go though because this is hands down the best Pokémon card shop in Iowa! One of the owners (Zach) was there when we visited. I let my 8 year old son go in first and spend 10 minutes in the store to see how my son would be treated before I entered. My son was warmly welcomed unlike others card shop stores in the area where I have let him go in to explore on his own. Zach was not only very welcoming, but very knowledgeable about Pokémon. Zach shared his Pokémon passion and was very engaging in all our questions.

Also, The Card Pack has its kid visitors sign their name (on a Vstar card) and posts them on their wall. This is awesome!

After our visit, my son said that The Card Pack is his favorite card shop and that should be the only place we should buy Pokémon cards from and that he was going to share that with all...

If you are a fan of pokemon this is definitely a place to check out. They have curated a very diverse collection of singles as well as sealed product, some of which is very hard to come by nowadays, this provides an excellent selection for collectors and players. The atmosphere provides a very personal experience for each customer that comes into the store. Whether you just want to come in and shop or stop by for a casual conversation there is always room for you. Not only are they good for the adult collectors, they also have a focus for youth collectors by having products curated for the new era of card traders. If you’re in the area stop in and say hi, take a look and maybe buy something you’ve been looking for or take a chance on opening a pack or two. You never know what treasures lie inside the card pack, the only way to find out is to open it up and see...