People are spending thousands of dollars to have Stanley tumblers and Lululemon hoodies in different colors. Blame, or thank, social media.
How many water bottles—or Lululemon leggings, or Tree Hut body scrubs—does any one person need?
For some people, need isn’t the issue. It’s about buying things they say make them feel good, and showing them off online. The Stanley Quencher tumblers that have ignited tussles at Target stores and become a viral topic online are the most recent example of a shopping trend: buying multiples, and sometimes dozens, of the same item.
Thank, or blame, social media, where users flaunt their collections, showing off shelves lined with water bottles or color-coordinated closets in videos on TikTok and Meta Platforms’ Instagram. On TikTok, the hashtag #stanleytumbler has 1.2 billion views and more than 67,000 posts, says the social-media platform. Multicolored arrays of Lululemon sweatshirts and Tree Hut sugar body scrubs have also driven millions of views on the app.
Brands are capitalizing on shoppers’ desire for novelty and the fear of missing out, releasing limited-edition items in small quantities, spurring wait lists and sharp premiums on resale sites.
Amelia Awad got her first Stanley Quencher a year ago. The 16-year-old high-school sophomore in Birmingham, Ala., now has 67 Stanley tumblers.
“I’m obsessed,” Awad says. The insulated Quencher—which currently retails for $45 for the 40-ounce version, or $50 for limited releases—first caught her eye on TikTok. Her parents have now spent about $3,000 to acquire them in every possible color and size.