Stanley mania has crossed over to the dark side once again. This time around, it has nothing to do with mobs of frenzied customers swarming shelves at Target. This time, the workers at Target are claiming that they’ve been fired for purchasing the in-demand Stanley tumblers.
A number of stories have surfaced on a Target subreddit from people who have been fired or have witnessed others being terminated for buying the limited-edition cups. One Reddit user recalled having a conversation with a coworker about shifts not being picked up, only to find out that several people had been fired.
“They then informed me that four or five of our fellow coworkers were also just fired for purchasing Starbucks x Stanley’s. I guess they hid them and then purchased. Remember team, is a cup really worth your job?” they wrote.
Others chimed in in the comments, explaining that some Stanley tumblers never even made it to the store floor.
“We had a small a restock of the cosmic pink Stanley’s, and not a single one made it to the floor, and we’re all bought, now they’re out here investigating who bought them, it’s a cup,” one person revealed.
On Twitter, one former Target worker revealed that they too had been fired for purchasing a Stanley.
In regards to the specific reason why some Target workers have allegedly been fired for purchasing the cups, Target’s employee handbook offers some insight.
“Team members cannot use their status to gain an unfair advantage over guests when it comes to purchasing merchandise,” read a statement from the handbook, which was obtained by Business Insider.
The handbook also states that purchases of “promotional and/or high demand merchandise” is prohibited.