Why are people spending big for pink Stanley Quenchers? "It's becoming an emotional decision"
MINNEAPOLIS — By now, you've heard about the popular Stanley Quencher cup and the lengths people will go to get their hands on one.
Simone Spears was one of the lucky ones to nab the limited-edition pink tumbler, but not before calling her mom for backup in Minnesota.
"I'm just so happy that we got our cups," Spears said. "(My mom) got in line at the Crystal Target about 7:15 in the morning, and she waited for about 45 minutes out in the cold."
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The more than 100-year-old company says its Quencher has become an internet sensation in the last two years, and consumers can't get their fill. So what's the hype?
"I don't know, I do know that the cup is stunning. It's absolutely beautiful," Spears said.
The trendy cup retails for about $45, but some who were able to grab the latest releases — including Valentine's Day editions and Starbucks Winter Pink Stanley Quencher — are now reselling them online.
Jeremy Jones of Maple Grove is one of those sellers and says he's received more than 100 responses so far. He says he intended on gifting the cup until he realized the resale value.
"I think it is just insane. But I decided, yeah, might as well just take advantage of it and then sell them," Jones said.
He sold two tumblers for nearly triple what he bought them for, and he's not alone. Some are going for hundreds and even thousands above retail value.
Joe Redden is a marketing professor at the University of Minnesota.
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"I think there's no way economically to justify $150," Redden said. "I think it's becoming an emotional decision."
He says it's hard to predict trends.
"It's not like this is a new thing. We've seen these several times. There's always the hot toy, too, it's always the example during Christmas, right?" he said.
Redden sees social media's influence and limited stock playing a huge role in the cup's popularity. The cult following of the brand has resulted in more than 241 million views of the #stanleyquencher hashtag on TikTok. The Stanley brand itself also has a popular TikTok, with more than 9.9 million likes on videos. The brand also has more than 1.5 million followers across Instagram and TikTok.
"You combine that with some of the scarcity that it had for a while, and that's kind of like just putting gasoline on the fire," he said.
Stanley says it won't restock its Valentine's Day or Starbucks collaboration cups again. Fans can expect other collaborations this year.