The release of special Stanley tumblers has sparked chaos at Target stores, with reports of physical confrontations and customers camping outside to secure a purchase. The limited edition Stanleys are part of an exclusive Galentine’s Collection within a collab between Starbucks and Stanely. These cups have created soaring demand, causing long lines, ugly fights, and shouting matches, at various Target locations across the country.
“I have seen the videos fighting over the Stanley cups at Target, and I think it is crazy that people are getting that desperate for a cup variation,” sophomore JJ Potter said.
The fighting and camping out seem excessive, and people who have witnessed the events or seen videos online think it could have been handled better. The videos show people camping outside, running down the aisles, tripping or pushing to get to the display, and taking more than the limit of cups.
“While I own one Stanley cup, teenagers and young adults see this cup as a sort of a status symbol, so they have to collect every edition. They’re just another trend taken too far,” Mrs. McCartney said.
After the cups sold out within minutes, they were quickly resold for at least $100 or more. Sellers on websites like eBay, Mercari, and Poshmark took the opportunity to make money by upcharging for the cups. People were even creating fake cups and marketing them as the real thing. The resale culture for Stanleys is increasingly getting worse.
“Resellers for Stanleys are getting out of hand with the excessive overconsumption and price markups. It’s ruining people’s shopping experience and creating a negative environment around other collectors,” sophomore Evangeline Bush said.
Why are these Stanley cups so popular anyway? They started as a trend in early 2023, but soon everyone was buying these cups, and they are becoming a fashion accessory. Many people rave about the cups, as they keep your water cold, are reusable, sustainable, and come in multiple different patterns and colors. Ever since the Stanley company started creating limited edition cups for almost every occasion, people seem to be captivated by these cups.
“The internet contributed to the Stanley craze by glorifying and normalizing overconsumption and making it seem like it was the end of the world if you didn’t buy one,” Bush said.
The way release day was handled was unnecessary, as many Target employees had to deal with the customers. After this incident, people all over are questioning the Stanley fever. While Stanleys are certain to remain popular for a little while longer, hopefully, people will have learned their lesson when it comes to purchasing them on release day.
