Target reportedly sacked seven employees who bought a special Stanley Quencher cup.
Business Insider reported the fired Target employees said they purchased a Starbucks X Stanley Cup that the companies launched to much fanfare earlier this month and received their dismissals not long afterwards.
The limited edition cups, which have a $49.95 price tag, debuted Jan. 3.
Target initially irked conservatives with Pride displays that featured a plethora of children’s items, but outraged the LGBTQ community when the displays were dialed back ahead of Pride Month. (Bing Guan/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
According to the former employees, higher ups at their Target locations pointed to a rule about workers not being allowed to capitalize on their position as Target employees to "gain an unfair advantage over guests" to get products as factoring into the firings, the outlet reported.
FOX Business reached out to Target for comment.
Fired employees had no prior knowledge of the policy, they told Business Insider. In some cases, they also reportedly didn’t know getting the cup would breach it.
Store higher ups turned down several of the employees volunteering to return the cups, according to the outlet.
The seven workers that talked to Business Insider reportedly weren’t alone in losing their jobs in connection to the cups. They said the same fate befell some colleagues too, per the outlet.
Shopping carts sit inside a Target store on August 16, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. Target’s quarterly sales fell for the first time in six years which is being attributed in part to consumer backlash from the sale of Pride Month merchandise. (Scott Olson/Getty Images / Getty Images)
The Starbucks X Stanley cups saw significant demand when Target released them, with consumers waiting in lines and rushing in stores to get them.
Stanley, which is based in Seattle, has been making various types of insulated drink bottles since 1913. Its products have recently seen a popularity boost from attention on social media platforms.