Viral firing | Target employees terminated for buying TikTok-trending Stanley cups

Target has fired several employees for purchasing the viral Stanley Quencher cup from its store, citing the workers gained ‘an unfair advantage’ over customers.

According to Business Insider, the retailer found several employees had violated company policy on buying high-profile items after they scored Stanely’s limited-edition Starbucks cups.

Employee Catherine Carter is one such worker who has been terminated. Carter worked at Target for 19 years, working night and early-morning shifts for the past five years. Carter tells Business Insider that earlier this month, she visited the Starbucks café built in her store. A barista offered her a limited-edition ‘Stanley x Starbucks’ mug, which she subsequently purchased.

Before this incident, Carter says she has “never been written up, never called out, never been late." She also says her managers were with her when she bought the cup and raised no objection.