Target fired seven employees for buying a sought-after Stanley Quencher cup. The cup, a collaboration between Starbucks and Stanley, launched with excitement earlier this month, reported by Business Insider.
These limited edition cups, priced at $49.95, became available on January 3. The employees were let go for allegedly using their insider status to unfairly obtain the cups, violating Target's policy.
The fired employees claimed they were unaware of such a policy. They even offered to return the cups but were refused.
Business Insider noted these seven were not the only ones fired over the cup incident, as similar actions were taken against other employees.
Seven employees reported to Business Insider that store leaders, including HR and asset protection staff, referenced a policy against using their position for an unfair purchase advantage. Business Insider confirmed their identities and employment statuses.
This policy targets items in high demand or limited supply, like Pokémon cards and PlayStation consoles. None of the seven could remember any coworker being fired over breaking this purchasing rule before.
The Starbucks X Stanley cups experienced high demand, with customers lining up early to purchase them. Stanley, a company known for insulated bottles since 1913, has gained recent fame on social media.