Starbucks customers are snapping up $50 Stanley red holiday tumblers and reselling them for as much $300

Starbucks employees accused of buying limited-edition Stanley tumblers ahead of customers

• Starbucks released its 2023 holiday cups and merchandise on Thursday, November 2.
• One of the most sought-after items was a 40-ounce red Stanley tumbler that sold for $49.95.
• The tumblers are being resold for as much as $300 at press time. 

Starbucks stores across the US began selling a variety of holiday merch on Thursday. The 40-ounce red Stanley tumbler, labeled Stanley + Starbucks, sold out in many stores where supplies were limited.

Starbucks collaborated with Stanley on the limited-edition stainless steel "quencher," which sold in stores for $49.95. Limited edition Starbucks cups have a dedicated fan base and can be resold for far more than the purchase price.

"The Starbucks x Stanley quencher is a limited supply item, so some stores may have already sold out," a Starbucks spokesperson told Insider. "Some stores will be restocked throughout the season."

Various TikTok videos showed people getting up before sunrise or driving long distances to buy the tumblers. Stanley "quenchers" are known for their double-wall vacuum insulation that keeps drinks hot for at least four hours and cold for at least five hours.

One angry TikToker who goes by the handle "raisincain11" shared a video of her accusing a Starbucks employee in Tulsa of buying the tumblers before the store opened. The video had logged more than 870,000 views before it was removed.

A Starbucks spokesperson told Insider partners are able to purchase holiday merchandise."

In the Starbucks subReddit forum, a poster self-labeled as a "barista," said they were "cussed out by people camping outside for Stanley cups."

The poster said their store got only two Stanley tumblers, and "partners bought them right at open."

"The women came in, asked for them," the poster wrote. "We told them we didn't have anymore. She demanded to know where they were because she came last night to bother partners setting up and had also been walking around the building shining her flashlight through the windows. She lost it when she was told the cups were purchased by partners."

The thread generated more than 100 comments, including one Reddit user who wrote: "People are so entitled, and she was probably going to scalp them anyways."

The red tumblers are indeed being hawked on eBay for as much as $300.

One poster who said they were an employee said their store strategized against "poachers" by not putting out the Stanley tumblers in the morning. The employee also admitted to buying one.

"We waited until mid day today to put the Stanley's out to avoid poachers. We got three, two were bought immediately. At the end of my shift, the third was still available, and it's now mine."

Are you a Starbucks insider with insight to share? Got a tip? Contact this reporter via email at nluna@insider.com. Or 714-269-8873