Current:Home > Stocks$350 for Starbucks x Stanley quencher? Fighting over these cups isn't weird. It's American. -Capitatum
$350 for Starbucks x Stanley quencher? Fighting over these cups isn't weird. It's American.
NovaQuant View
Date:2025-04-06 17:11:46
Who knew pink and red drinking vessels could cause so much commotion?
We all did.
The Starbucks x Stanley Quencher is far from the first product to cause retail madness, and it won't be the last.
That's why shaking your head that people were willing to swarm Target for the limited-edition cup may say more about you than the people willing to battle it out for the cup that retailed for $50 and is now reselling for $300 and more on eBay.
Judging other people's spending is not reserved for cup buyers.
Some shook their heads at Taylor Swift and Beyoncé fans who were willing to pay big bucks to see the Eras and Renaissance tours.
Some of those same people will shell out top dollar for Super Bowl tickets or an Apple Watch.
Apple Watch wasn't built for dark skin.We deserve tech that works for everyone.
Galentine's Day Stanley quencher is not our first rodeo
Long before the tumbler was a twinkle in its creator's eye, I was a little girl who really, really wanted a squashed face doll with yarn hair and big thumbs.
For weeks before Christmas 1983, I remember lying on our living room floor and circling Toys R Us ads for Cabbage Patch Kids that came with my hometown newspaper.
I could only hope my mother or/and Santa would get the hint.
My mom did. She scraped up enough money and fended off ravenous Cabbage Patch Kids seekers to purchase an official doll for me.
I still have and cherish it.
It is far less violent, but scenes of frenzied shoppers trying to buy the Stanley cup – the result of a limited Target and Starbucks collaboration – are reminiscent of the Cabbage Patch riots of fall and winter 1983.
Not sure if anyone lucky enough to get their hand on a Stanley tumbler will cherish it 41 years later, but maybe I am wrong.
It is clear many people really, really wanted the tumbler for themselves – not their kid as was the case with my mother and the rabid parents she encountered (for the record, my mom got my doll fair and square while avoiding the riots).
Still, the so-called Galentine's Day tumblers would make wonderful Valentine's Day gifts for water lovers – hint, hint.
Are the limited-edition Stanley cups still available?
Good luck finding one and paying for it. According to the company's website, they are out of stock at many Target stores.
A representative for Starbucks told People magazine that the cups will "not be restocked" where they have sold out.
What do the Stanley cup, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and the Super Bowl have in common?
As with the Cabbage Patch Kids doll craze and other fad obsessions, the Starbucks x Stanley Quencher chaos is the result of low supply and high demand. The same can be said about nearly every other hot item from housing to seats at a fancy restaurant.
It is very easy to make fun of people willing to pay that kind of money for a cup, but it is neither fair nor square.
What it is is judgmental and perhaps more than a little hypocritical.
It may seem frivolous to you, but people want to do things that make them happy.
That thing maybe drinking from a hot cup, seeing Taylor Swift or Beyoncé perform or cheering on the Cleveland Browns – fingers and toes crossed – at the Super Bowl.
Who will win the Super Bowl?2024 predictions: An asteroid won't save us. Maybe an AI Taylor Swift/Beyoncé fusion will.
One woman's Stanley Galentine's Day tumbler is another's Eras tickets.
One woman's Eras tickets is one man's $5,495 PlayStation 2 "Call of Duty: Finest Hour."
Who saw the Cabbage Patch Kids, Slinky, creepy Furby robots, iPhone or any of America's other past obsessions coming?
God only knows what will be next.
People want what they want even if it just looks like another pink cup or squashed faced doll to you.
Amelia Robinson is the opinion and community engagement editor at The Columbus Dispatch, where this column first published.
veryGood! (78628)
Related
- Rolling Loud 2024: Lineup, how to stream the world's largest hip hop music festival
- Small pro-Palestinian protests held Saturday as college commencements are held
- Former Illinois basketball player Terrence Shannon Jr. to face trial on rape charge
- 18 bodies found in Mexico state plagued by cartel violence, including 9 left with messages attached
- Realtor group picks top 10 housing hot spots for 2025: Did your city make the list?
- Caitlin Clark, much like Larry Bird, the focus of talks about race and double standards in sports
- Northern lights on full display across US, Europe on Friday: See photos
- Trump tells Jersey Shore crowd he’s being forced to endure ‘Biden show trial’ in hush money case
- Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
- Trump's trial, Stormy Daniels and why our shifting views of sex and porn matter right now
Ranking
- Highlights from Trump’s interview with Time magazine
- Meet RJ Julia Booksellers, a local bookstore housed in a 105-year-old Connecticut building
- Caitlin Clark, much like Larry Bird, the focus of talks about race and double standards in sports
- Israel's far-right lashes out at Biden over Gaza war stance as Netanyahu vows Rafah offensive will happen
- Where will Elmo go? HBO moves away from 'Sesame Street'
- Some older Americans splurge to keep homes accessible while others struggle to make safety upgrades
- Pro-Palestinian protests dwindle to tiny numbers and subtle defiant acts at US college graduations
- Experts say gun alone doesn’t justify deadly force in fatal shooting of Florida airman
Recommendation
Brianna LaPaglia Reveals The Meaning Behind Her "Chickenfry" Nickname
Kuwait’s emir dissolves parliament again, amid political gridlock in oil-rich nation
US dedicates $60 million to saving water along the Rio Grande as flows shrink and demands grow
With the shock of Oct. 7 still raw, profound sadness and anger grip Israel on its Memorial Day
Selena Gomez engaged to Benny Blanco after 1 year together: 'Forever begins now'
Caitlin Clark, much like Larry Bird, the focus of talks about race and double standards in sports
What’s the history of ‘outside agitators’? Here’s what to know about the label and campus protests
Republican Vermont Gov. Phil Scott is running for reelection to 5th term