Target – The Western Howl

Written by: Hannah Field | News Editor

On Oct. 13, Starbucks sued Workers United — the union that organizes Starbucks employees — when the union used a logo similar to Starbucks’ to make a pro-Palestine post amidst the Israel-Hamas war.

The union counter-sued for the ability to continue operating with the same Starbucks-esque logo, also claiming defamation from Starbucks for implying the union supports terrorism and violence.

The original post was uploaded to X, formerly Twitter, on Oct. 9; it was deleted within an hour of posting. About a week later, a new statement was released from the Starbucks Workers United President, Lynne Fox. The letter to Starbucks stated, “Starbucks is seeking to exploit the ongoing tragedy in the Middle East to bolster the company’s anti-union campaign.”

Since then, Starbucks has lost more than $12 billion according to the New York Post.

The company has made multiple moves to recover not only lost money, but also their reputation. In a public statement, they expressed sympathy for both Gaza and Israel and condemned all acts of hate — yet Starbucks hasn’t expressed support for their union and hasn’t met a labor agreement with any of their unionized stores despite multiple strikes and 38 issued records of unfair labor practices — a stark contrast from the sentiments published by Starbucks’ team.

Despite the money losses, Starbucks continued to advertise “Red Cup Day” and joined forces with Stanley to release a well sought-after limited edition tumbler — which caused a massive frenzy in Targets across the country and roped in millions of dollars. Stanley, the brand behind the ultra-famous cups, reported a nearly $700 million profit jump from 2019 to 2023, partially thanks to the Starbucks-Stanley co-created cup.

Starbucks described the public response as “enthusiastic” and stated they will not be restocking — earning resellers hundreds, with secondhand pink Quenchers listed as up to $200.

Beyond that, Starbucks has unveiled new winter menu drinks, likely more ploys to keep the customers coming back — which may work if they reveal more tactics such as the Stanley cup collaboration and make the most out of their public representatives.

Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu

Written by: Claire Phillips | Entertainment Editor

In 1913, inventor William Stanley Jr. fused vacuum insulation technology with steel in a portable thermos, and the Stanley company was born. The original Stanley cups of the early 1900s were built specifically with the working class in mind. Through World War I and II, the cups were used to hold soup, coffee and even transport human organs.

Between the variety of sizes and strength of the cups, Stanley has been a beloved brand for over a century. However, the company has skyrocketed in popularity over the last few years. After the new year, Target released a collection of limited edition Valentine’s Day Stanleys, and hundreds of people lined up outside, even got physical with one another, hoping for a chance to get their hands on one… or maybe five.

A sea of Stanley fans were falling over each other in a frantic race to the stainless steel finish line. Some collectors were pleased with their pre-Valentine’s purchase, while others took advantage of the frenzy to resell the rare tumblers. On eBay, the Stanley cups are being resold individually for almost 300 dollars.

So, when did Stanleys stop being a cup for blue-collar workers and become the favorite brand of suburban moms, teenagers and college students? The first fact is that Stanley is a sustainable and reputable brand. Their products are designed to be durable and hold a multitude of substances.

The second contributing factor to Stanley’s popularity is the accessibility of the internet and its cycling trends. Other popular reusable water bottle brands such as Hydro Flask, Swell and Yeti have also made their way to the screen over the past few years. Stanley provides many pretty colors to collect, and, as seen already, the buyers go crazy.

The question many people have asked is: why does anyone need more than one reusable water bottle? Many use these cups daily for hot beverages, so they do get use out of them — but Stanley prides themselves on durability for a reason. The daughters of working men have taken to the internet to show off their “trendy dads” and the Stanley thermoses they have been proudly using for decades.

The issue of Stanley consumption cannot be solved by the answer — reusable equals good, plastic equals bad. When it comes to the material used to make one water bottle, it can take ten to twenty uses of a reusable water bottle to counteract the effects of a plastic one. Multiply that times a whole collection of Stanleys — one can only hope those water bottles will be used for a lifetime.

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

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