Stacey Solomon fumes at ‘disgraceful lie’ as she’s accused of ‘queue-jumping’ for popular kids’ toy
Stacey Solomon and Joe Swash have found themselves at the centre of a row after shoppers accused the couple of receiving preferential treatment at a Chelmsford retailer during a major Pokémon product launch.
The pair allegedly jumped the queue at Geek Retreat, a specialist “geek culture” shop, when the highly anticipated Pokémon 30th Anniversary set went on sale yesterday.
Frustrated customers took to social media to claim the celebrity couple were given special access ahead of other buyers who had been waiting in line.
Both Ms Solomon and the store have strenuously denied the allegations, insisting the couple followed identical rules to every other customer present at the launch event.
Stacey Solomon and Joe Swash have been accused of receiving preferential treatment during a Pokémon launch
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According to the complaints, Ms Solomon and Mr Swash parked directly outside the shop, a practice that allegedly breached the store’s own guidelines for the event.
Customers further alleged the couple were permitted to bypass the queue entirely, ultimately being served as the second group once doors opened.
Additional accusations centred on the amount of stock the pair purchased.
Some shoppers claimed they exceeded the strict one-item-per-customer limit that Geek Retreat had imposed, reducing the already limited supply available to remaining buyers.
Stacey Solomon branded the allegations the ‘biggest lie’ as she defended the small business
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An X account called @WeLovePokemon posted on X: “Worst 30th Celebration story I’ve seen.
“Geek Retreat Chelmsford told customers they weren’t allowed to queue until 30 mins before opening, they weren’t allowed to park outside the shop, and there would be a 1pp limit.
“All of that went out the window when two celebrities (Joe Swash & Stacey Solomon) showed up.
“They parked right outside, skipped the queue and bought most of the stock, leaving about 10 items for the 200+ people still waiting.”
This is the biggest lie and it’s outright disgraceful to put a small business in this position. 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. My son and I…
— Stacey Solomon (@StaceySolomon) September 17, 2026
The former X Factor star hit back at the accusations, branding them “the biggest lie” and calling the situation “outright disgraceful” for the pressure it placed on a small business.
“We joined the queue like everyone else as soon as it started forming,” she wrote.
“We were sold the exact same limit as everyone else, and they were all opened like everyone else’s.”
She emphasised she and her son had been Pokémon card collectors for years, adding: “We’ve queued at many places, many times like everyone else.”
Ms Solomon described the online claims as “absolute lies” that were unfairly damaging Geek Retreat Chelmsford’s reputation, praising the shop’s handling of what she characterised as a difficult situation.
Geek Retreat Chelmsford issued its own response to social media, firmly pushing back against the allegations.
The store stated it had organised the launch in a manner it “genuinely believed would best support our customers, maintain fairness and help reduce scalping”.
The couple were accused of being served ahead of customers who had been waiting for the Pokémon release
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Staff insisted they had no prior knowledge any celebrities would attend, only becoming aware when they spotted them outside.
“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 shop added “no member of our team allowed them to skip the queue.”
Geek Retreat also noted it had given regular customers the opportunity to pre-order stock, again subject to the single-item cap.
The store urged the public not to direct hostility or aggression towards its employees over the controversy.
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