Are Stanleys Worth The Hype?

Isabella Aguirre

February 1, 2024

 

If you ask any teen about the Stanley Tumblers they’ll know exactly what you’re talking about. Stanley cups are reusable water bottles that come in a variety of sizes, colors, and designs with their most popular tumbler being the “The Quencher H.20.” They have been the Internet's recent obsession with the younger generation being the main consumer and have been going viral on many different platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. But the Stanley Company has been around since the early 1900s, so why are they now only starting to gain popularity, and why so much of it? 

 

The Stanley brand has been around since 1913 and the Stanley Cup back then was the “Vacuum Insulated Wide Mouth Bottle.” Not so cute right? But it wasn’t meant to be aesthetic or trendy because they were used by soldiers in World War II, construction workers, and those who enjoyed the outdoors which is a major consumer change for the company compared to today. According to a CNBC article written by Nicolas Vega, the company was facing sales declines in 2019 and stopped restocking and promoting the Quencher cup, the company then switched its target demographic to young adults and teens, introduced fun pastel colors, and got influencers to talk about the cup which turned out to be the right move for them. A recent video on TikTok especially made many people talk about the tumblers. It was recorded by a woman whose car had been burned down and the only thing that survived the fire was her Stanley Cup with ice surprisingly still rattling around inside the tumbler. Jazmin Lopez, a junior at Seaside High, said “I saw a video on Instagram of how one lady's car caught on fire and her Stanley survived so I thought it would be durable.” She added that this factored into her decision to buy a Stanley Tumbler. The company's president Terence Reilly saw the video and presented the woman with a brand new car and a variety of Stanley Cups on behalf of the company. 

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Although everyone on social media seems to be enjoying their Stanley Cups there are always problems that are going to pop up with that much popularity. The desperate need for the Tumblers is causing them to sell out on the Stanley website and in stores within minutes. A new limited edition Stanley Cup has been released for Valentine's Day at Targets nationwide and Stanley lovers have been doing the most to get their hands on it. Many of them have been waiting outside of Target early in the morning and when the doors open they are running, pushing, and shoving those around them to grab the cups. Another instance of people doing way too much for these cups is a Californian woman stealing $2,500 worth of Stanley Products from a retail store according to Joshua Zitser in a Business Insider article. She reportedly fled the store with a shopping cart full of Stanleys and stuffed them all into her truck. She was ultimately charged with grand theft and when police searched her vehicle they found 65 Stanley products in her vehicle. Patricia Cavero is a junior at Seaside High who owns Stanley Cups of her own and said this about them “I honestly do think they are overhyped but don’t get me wrong I really like my Stanley, but there are so many other water bottles out there that can do the same thing.” With all the craze surrounding the tumblers, it has made people blinded, caused crime, and created desperate/unsafe scenes across the country. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are both positives and negatives associated with Stanley now because of their popularity but they are still benefiting from it either way. It is ultimately the consumer's decision to decide whether or not it is justifiable to buy a $45 tumbler. Most consumers would say it is because it keeps their water cold for a long period and it’s pretty versatile to take with you anywhere but others would argue that its not worth the hassle to wait in long line and the price is too high. But ultimately is it a product that people will still be buying and using in a year or two? Or will we see a similar pattern from across social media platforms where things or even people gain interest pretty quickly and eventually lose relevance when their audience wants to see something new?