Target has sacked a long-time employee and several others across the US for purchasing special-editionStanley cups, citing a policy against workers using their position to gain an unfair advantage when buying merchandise.Catherine Carter, who has worked for the American retail giant for 19 years at one of its stores near Miami, Florida, USA, revealed that she had “never been written up, never called out, [and] never been late.”
HighlightsTarget has sacked several workers across the US for purchasing special-edition Stanley cupsTarget employees reported a policy against using their positions for unfair merchandise advantageWorkers unaware of Target’s fairness policy, offered to return cups but got fired.
Target has sacked several workers across the US for purchasing special-edition Stanley cups
Image credits:kaitlinsondae
Catherine toldBusiness Insider(BI): “My mama passed from breast cancer, so I always try to get as much pink as I can.” The loyal employee also said that her managers were present during the transaction and raised no objection.
Nevertheless, Catherine ended up being fired the following week, thanks to that pink stainless steel insulated cup, which retailed for $49.95, BI reported.
Starbucks and Target released limited edition Stanley cups for the so-called “Galentine’s Collection”earlier this month.Upon its release, hundreds of people were filming while waiting to buy a cup in extensively long lines, with some even starting the wait from 3 A.M.
Seven other employees reported a policy against using their positions for unfair merchandise advantage, especially for high-demand items like Pokémon cards and PlayStation consoles.
Three separate workers revealed that they had offered to return the doomed cup when they were informed of the problem, only to see their offers declined.
Target employees reported a policy against using their positions for unfair merchandise advantage
Image credits:Shabaz Usmani
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 no reason at all, as per BI.
Moreover, the retailer’s employees have reportedly said that they were either unaware of the company rule’s existence or that they did not realize they violated the rule when they purchased one of the cups.
Two other incidents, which included Catherine’s case, involved the worker’s managers either witnessing or otherwise expressly approving their purchases.
Starbucks and Target Released Limited Edition Stanley cups for the so-called “Galentine’s Collection” earlier this month
welp I got fired from target for buying the stanley cup while working 🤭
love working double my schedule constantly, not calling out, to be terminated over a cup bc I was unaware of the policy
Princess Peach still sipping tho 💖pic.twitter.com/jv3uxqVu9L
— Sunay👑 (@PrincessSunay)January 11, 2024
One Starbucks employee in Maryland, USA, never even bought a cup but confessed she was now facing termination for allowing one to be sold before the official release date, BI reported.
None of the seven employees BI spoke to said they expected the Stanly product could end up costing them their jobs. “I just don’t think they’re doing right,” Catherine said of Target. “I mean, for a cup. Come on, a cup.”
Other stories echoing Catherine’s experience have surfaced on aTarget subreddit, with one Reddit user recalling having a conversation with a coworker about shifts not being picked up, only to find out that several people had been fired.
They wrote: “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 them.
“Remember team: Is a cup really worth your job?”
“They are customers, too,” a reader argued
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