The Stanley cup is the new status symbol for the privileged and lucky. Not that Stanley Cup — this one. Stanley’s limited-edition cups, designed in conjunction with Starbucks, were launched on Dec. 31, starting a nationwide stampede with tumbler fanatics going to any length to secure one.
In 2023, the Stanley tumbler became a hot commodity, and the trend is still going strong in 2024. Target has long stocked Stanley products on its shelves, but now they’re going the extra mile.
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The Stanley Valentine’s Day collection was released as a collaboration between Target and Stanley and sold out almost immediately. The collection includes the classic H2.0 40 oz tumbler in Target Red and Cosmic Pink.
The logos were adorned with tiny hearts and came with red and pink stoppers as well as a clear, reusable straw. With the H2.0 Tumbler, the special collection included a two-pack of red and pink tumblers and stacking pints.
Last month, Target stores throughout America had stocked the shelves with the Valentine’s Day Stanley collection, which sold out within minutes of the stores opening, with many customers rushing into the stores to get their hands on the items as soon as they were available.
During one video, a crowd of shoppers can be seen sprinting towards a stack of Valentine’s Day Stanleys. Amid the frenzy, a woman can be seen taking a tumble while others race past her and run by.
Another clip appears to show nearly two dozen shoppers getting their hands on cups from a display at Target. In the background, there looks to be a man holding four or more tumblers, even though the sign to the right says “2 Per Guest.”
In one particularly bizarre incident, an impatient man leaped over the counter at a Target Starbucks stall to steal an entire box of cups. Video of the man leaving the coffee stall with items in hand shows him kicking his way out. Within moments, bystanders and perhaps store security intervene, and one individual wrestles him to the ground.
It takes a scuffle on the floor to pry the box out of the would-be thief’s hands, but he still seems to leave the store with one hot pink 40-ounce Stanley tumbler.
While Stanley or Target have not confirmed if or when the cups will return to shelves, some shoppers on Reddit believe Target may restock them closer to Valentine’s Day.
With limited Stanley products available at many Target locations, shoppers were limited to only one or two items per purchase; however, customers had difficulty finding Stanley products due to the lack of supply and the long lines outside Target locations before the stores even opened.
Several Stanley consumers speculated that the purchase limit on these cups was put in place to deter resellers from buying up all the inventory. However, a quick check on eBay or Amazon shows that many of these $45 cups are being resold for over $100 each.
