That's one of the dumbest things I've ever heard. To fire a long time employee with an excellent service record over a cup?? And then they probably say "no one wants to work".

I look forward to when people have piles of these and cant give them away.

I thought this was going to be about employees buying a bunch to resell or buying more than the customer limit for their family. No, it's just somebody buying a damn cup. This is stupid.

That Americans believed that ice cubes would still be ice cubes after a car was on fire then put out and presumably time had to pass before they could get to the car just beggers belief. Either way its just an insulated cup. I saw a video on youtube about it, its just insane, rich mums with walls of adult sippy cups. Pathetic.

I wish Catherine lived in my area, I would hire her in a hot second. Target's loss will be someone else's gain!

I'm not one to stand up for corporations - like, EVER - but it sounds like these employees all broke a common rule in retail that's in place for a reason. They either purchased these mugs while on the clock (which is generally not allowed) or set them aside and purchased them later (also generally not allowed). These rules are in place to prevent staff from purchasing larger quantities of high demand items and re-selling them, when they're no longer available, at a huge markup. Granted, a few of the employees said they offered to return the mugs and were denied, but still, places like Target are just going to say "policy is policy".

I'm so glad I quit working at Target before they got to this level of petty. Target showing how much value they really place on their employees.

This sadly, is the world we live in when people somehow think that a piece of dumb merchandise is worth obsessing over. Gorilla's must be looking at us thinking "They're so f*****g stupid, they'll be extinct soon. Just wait a bit longer.....".

What's so special about these stupid cups???

Well, c**p. Another store I don't want to shop at. Sounds like a class action suit to me.

And they wonder why they can't hire people. I don't know why people want them. They're oversized and leak. Get a water bottle. It travels better. If they're off they clock, why can't they make a purchase. Or why couldn't you have sent a notice out to your employees? Target is getting terrible in the first place with half the store being treated like Fort Knox. I'm buying those items somewhere else where I don't have to wait for 10 minutes.

While most businesses wish there was, there's no such thing as an "at-will employer". Multiple states in the US have "at-will" employment laws, but a company cannot override the law in states that do not have those laws.

There was another reason to fire each of these people. The use of obscure rules to terminate people is a very old trick. Also, why rush to buy this item when you will find it for $2 at a garage sale this summer.

The only Stanley brand I've heard of, manufactures tools. Is it the same company? Stupid though, over an (equally stupidly priced) cup.

FWIW, I have a Stanley thermos which I inherited from my dear mother. I rinse it in hot water to warm it up inside, then fill with boiling water and seal. That water remains at boiling at least twelve hours and very hot for more than 24. If these cups are made to the same standard, they are truly excellent and probably worth the expense.

I read on a news site recently that according to "experts", if you constantly drink through a straw (e.g. a Stanley cup), you'll expedite the formation of permanent wrinkles around your lips/mouth area quickly. The statement is confirmed by many dermatologists as well.

I get it. It’s not that they were fired for purchasing a mug, it’s that they violated explicit company policy and rules written in the employee handbook. The final decision was likely made at store level not corporate so I’m sure there were other considerations or details about this or the employee, used to justify the terminations. Were they told or was something posted? Was the employee probational? Otherwise they could be liable for a wrongful termination case. “Target policy prohibits employees from using their status as employees “to gain an unfair advantage over guests when it comes to purchasing merchandise”, according to a company handbook obtained by Business Insider. It also says employees cannot be working when they buy Target merchandise and cannot buy items that are promotional or in high demand.” If as claimed a supervisor approved of an employee violating such a rule they should have the approval in writing. Without, it’s impossible to take a side on this accusation.