There has been increasing popularity in Stanley cups among Millennials and Gen Z, but why? 

Stanley is a drinkware company headquartered in Seattle, Washington. The cups have been trending on social media where they are popular among people like influencers to ‘suburban moms’, and others with an obsession of collecting every color possible. 

Stanley has many cups to choose from but the most popular one is the forty-ounce Thirst Quencher, that has a handle, straw, and the base is made to fit in a cup holder. This cup is meant to be reusable and for travel. It keeps your drink cold with double wall vacuum insulation for about eleven hours. 

The company was founded in 1913 by an inventor named William Stanley Jr. and the company followed his invention with their original fused vacuum insulation  steel bottle that we know of today in many cups and drinkware. Originally the cups were catered towards working men, to keep their drinks cold while on the job. Their traditional audience made them an annual sale of $70 million per year. But something changed when Terence Reilly, formerly of Crocs the footwear company, became the new president for Stanley. Shortly after their change in management the company partnered with The Buy Guide to produce the “Quencher phenomenon” and start catering towards women. This made sales jump in value, especially when the company released new colors and collaborations of the cup. 

Since Stanley started utilizing their female audience they have become a 750-million-dollar company. 

The retail price for Stanley cups (depending on the type of cup) from $20 being the lowest and the highest I have seen is around $12,000 from the The Starbucks x Stanley pink Thirst Quencher on eBay. The most expensive one I could find was last standing at approximately $12,777.77. Since Starbucks is also trending on social media this collaboration flew off the shelves – literally. The unveiling of the cups mirrored the chaos of a Black Friday Sale. Stanley has a variety of cups for travel, work, kids, lunch, camping, etc. I am sure if Stanley was to make more colors and make more cups and work with other popular brands, it would increase the value of any specific cup. 

Since Stanley cups have become popular, that also means an increase in price. This has caused a 23-year-old woman on January 17th, 2024 to steal 65 Stanley cups that are nearly worth $2,500 in Sacramento, California meaning each cup was about $40. On a Facebook statement the police said, “While Stanley Quenchers are all the rage, we strongly advise against turning to crime to fulfill your hydration habits.” The woman was arrested and charged with grand theft, which  can be up to ten years in prison and a $20,000 fine. 

The Stanley ‘craze’ began due to a marketing campaign to start catering to a wider audience. Of course, there are many generic and knock off brands of the Stanley Thirst Quencher but social media thinks the name brand is better. The choice is yours, how will you hydrate?

Works Cited

City of Roseville, California Police Department. “Patrol Update.” Facebook, Jan. 2024, 8:01am, www.facebook.com/100069040875493/posts/697443762566980.

Vega, Nicolas. “How a 40-ounce Cup Turned Stanley into a $750 Million a Year Business.” CNBC Make It, 23 Dec. 2023, www.cnbc.com/2023/12/23/how-a-40-ounce-cup-turned-stanley-into-a-750-million-a-year-business.html.