7 Target workers fired after buying Stanley cups say they were caught off guard by the crackdown
Jan 25, 2024, 17:38 IST
- Target fired workers this month after they purchased special-edition Stanley cups.
- Seven workers said their managers told them they violated a company policy for employee purchases.
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Every workday for the past two years, Catherine Carter would arrive at 3:30 a.m. at her Target store near Miami, where she would lead her team in preparing five departments to sell all sorts of products.She worked the overnight shift for the three years before that. She said that in all her 19 years with Target, she'd "never been written up, never called out, never been late."On January 3, she stopped by her store's Starbucks café while on break, where a barista asked her whether she wanted to buy one of the exclusive Starbucks x Stanley cups, she said.
"My mama passed from breast cancer, so I always try to get as much pink as I can," she told Business Insider, adding that her managers were present during the transaction and raised no objection.She was terminated the following week thanks to that pink stainless-steel insulated cup, which retailed for $49.95.Carter is one of many workers across the US that Target has fired this month after they purchased special-edition Stanley Quencher cups.Seven workers told BI that store leaders, including human-resources and asset-protection representatives, cited a company policy that prohibits employees from using their position to "gain an unfair advantage over guests" in order to purchase merchandise. All of the employees' identities and employment statuses were verified by BI.The rule especially concerns high-demand or limited-stock items and deals, such as Pokémon trading cards and PlayStation consoles. None of the seven workers could recall a situation in which a peer in their store was terminated for violating the employee-purchase guidelines.Three said they offered to return the cup when they were informed of the problem. Their offers were declined. Almost all the workers said their store leaders indicated that the investigations were directed by Target's corporate offices.Target didn't respond to multiple requests for comment last week or this week.Like most retailers, Target is an at-will employer, which means it may terminate a worker's employment at any time for any reason, or for no reason at all.Some anecdotes on social media indicate cases of flagrant violations of the policy. But workers BI spoke to said that they were either unaware of the rule's existence or that they didn't realize they violated the rule when they purchased one of the cups.In two cases, workers told BI they bought a cup that was improperly set aside by a colleague. In two others, workers bought cups that hadn't been properly "re-shopped" — returned to the correct location on the sales floor — after online orders were canceled. Two, including Carter, said their managers either witnessed or otherwise expressly approved their purchases. One Starbucks team lead in Maryland never even bought a cup but told BI she was terminated Wednesday for allowing one to be sold before the official release date.She said her store's standard practice was to stock items ahead of schedule when other seasonal merchandise had sold out in order to avoid displaying empty shelves. In this case, all of the holiday merchandise had sold, so her manager directed her to set out the Stanleys, she said."I don't need another Starbucks cup. I don't need a Stanley. I don't need any of this," she said. "I allowed one of my team members to buy a cup because he was my team member, and he was one of the people who was consistently closing with me. When we'd have callouts, I could count on him to come in and help."In addition, each worker told BI they were one of several employees at their stores who had been fired over the cups. Four said they knew of multiple workers at other stores in their district losing their jobs. Target has nearly 2,000 stores in the US and employs more than 400,000 people.More than a dozen other individuals shared similar experiences, though BI was unable to verify each of those in time for publication.None of the seven employees BI spoke to said they expected this product could end up costing them their jobs."I just don't think they're doing right," Carter said of Target. "I mean, for a cup. Come on, a cup."If you or someone you work with was fired from Target after purchasing a Stanley cup, please contact Dominick Reuter via email or text/call/Signal at 646-768-4750. Responses will be kept confidential, and Business Insider strongly recommends using a personal email and a nonwork device when reaching out.