Viral Trends

Target is selling Galentine’s Day Stanley cups — here’s what to know before you race to get one

By
Social Links for Brooke Steinberg
Published Jan. 4, 2024, 12:53 p.m. ET

The Stanley cup trend is at its peak, and shoppers are waiting in long lines and rushing to get their hands on one of their own.

It seems like Stanley mugs are everywhere: on TikTok, at Target and Starbucks, and probably in the hand of the person currently standing next to you.

The drinkware was such a huge craze that it was seemingly the most popular holiday gift among Gen Z.

Now, with the release of a limited-edition Valentine’s Day Stanley, Target stores have turned into a scene of chaos as people race to get the tumbler before they’re gone.

One video on TikTok posted by Victoria Robino shows customers pushing and shoving to get the limited-edition tumbler, and a sign on the display shows that the Target store in Goodyear, Arizona, had a limit of two per guest.

Stanley’s exclusive Galentine’s Collection, which comes in Cosmo Pink and Target Red, is only available at Target, and according to Robino they “sold out in less than four minutes.”

Another video posted by Mikayla Dixon on New Year’s Eve shows people waiting in a line outside of a Target location in Wesley Chapel, Florida, before the store even opened. Dixon was one of the lucky customers who was able to snag one, despite shoppers running straight to the cups once the doors opened.

The Target x Stanley collection ranges in price from $20 to $45 depending on size and style, though regular Stanley cups typically range in price between $35 and $45, also dependent on size and style.

The popularity of Stanley drinkware hit a peak in parts of Florida in recent days as customers rushed to get their hands on a limited edition “Galentine’s Day” version of the tumbler at Target.
Target stores have turned into a scene of chaos as people race to get the tumbler before they’re gone. Mikayla Dixon via Storyful

But the limited-edition Stanleys can cause quite a frenzy, and people who manage to get one will resell them on other sites for a major profit.

Some Stanley products are being sold on StockX for nearly $300, while Target’s pink Stanley tumbler is currently asking for a minimum of $187.

Over on Mercari, Stanley cups are the top searched item – with searches up 163% since the latest drop on Dec. 31. Inventory for the Stanley x Target Valentine’s Day Drop in particular ranges in price from $36 to $999.99.

According to Amazon search data, the insulated 40-oz Stanley Quencher Tumbler with a side handle and straw was a top-searched product on the platform this holiday season.

Stanley 40 oz Stainless Steel H2.0 Flowstate Quencher Tumbler https://www.target.com/p/stanley-40-oz-stainless-steel-h2-0-flowstate-quencher-tumbler/-/A-90630466?preselect=89249675
The Quencher H2.0 FlowState™ Tumbler from Stanley’s exclusive Galentine’s Collection, only at Target, available in Target Red and Cosmo Pink. Target

Underscoring the popularity, the terms “Stanley 40 oz tumbler with handle” and “Stanley cup” were searched a combined 4.5 million-plus times on Amazon Stores, according to Helium 10 seller software.

“To be ranked among some of the most popular products, brands and search terms of the year clearly demonstrates that Stanley is a leading lifestyle brand, deeply connected to consumers, and an influential part of culture in 2023,” Matt Navarro, senior vice president of Global Commerce at Stanley, told The Post.

The main selling points of the portable cups are the insulation that can keep a drink cold for hours, the rotating lid and the slim base that can easily fit into a car cupholder.

Meanwhile, despite all the frantic buying, Casey Lewis, a youth consumer trends analyst who writes the newsletter After School, told Business Insider that she thinks the hype is already dying down.

“They are absolutely on their way out. This is peak Stanley,” she proclaimed. “There’s no up from here!”