"Stanley cups follow in formerly hyped Yeti footsteps" by: Jessica Shepard

   I’m not someone who buys into fads the moment they hit it big on social media or even in my friend group.
  This includes everything from clearly overpriced Apple products in general to the latest cellphone model or car.
  I find that my mentality applies to other less-luxury items like being the person to try some new, ridiculous soda flavor or sugary brands of cereal that suddenly decided to add marshmallows to what I thought was a standalone winner already.
  I guess I’m not just motivated to join in the “innovators” sort of group mindset.
  In fact, I’ve probably been that way for decades.
  At first, it was out of necessity since new products were always out of my income bracket.
  Or, well, those of my parents or grandparents during my childhood.
  And really once I started my own employment career, prioritizing actual needs to survive over wanting the latest and/or greatest new thing.
  Even then, I like to wait out the hype to see if the item is actually worth its near-cult following.
  A perfect example of this is the Stanley cup phase that’s raging across several social media platforms and causing stirs in stores like Target.
  Honestly, from where I’m sitting it reminds me of the meteoric rise in Yeti and Tervis tumblers and Crocs sales of years past.
  I mean, with any quick Google search, you can be bombarded 
by seasonal, rare, or “limited” cups and tumblers that are grossly marked up on eBay, Poshmark, Etsy, and other similar shopping websites.
  There’s even been news coverage for limited releases featuring consumers reaching a chaotic level that rivals the annual Black Friday sale madness.
  I’m talking about racing through the store, knocking other people over, and actual fights breaking out all over a vacuum-sealed stainless cup.
  Now, as with the Yeti phenomena, I didn’t run right out for my own cup or give it much mind.
  After all, it quickly spawned knockoffs touting the same miracle qualities of keeping ice in a cup for 24-plus hours or longer and hot drinks warm for at least 12 hours.
  But, as mom and Mike received Yeti tumblers as gifts, I started using them in rotation and found them mostly worth the propaganda.
  However, I lamented the lack of fun colors/designs, a handle, and having to buy straws and straw-use lids separately.
  Without an attached handle, I was very guilty of dropping a plain Yeti hard enough to dent it on concrete along with a few scratches.
  So, you can imagine how excited I was when the Stanley cup entered my life as a Christmas present from my sister.
  And I can say the cup has scratched those bothersome needs more efficiently for me.
  I’m also a fan of how easy it is to take apart to clean and it makes my working day easier by requiring less water refills than the faithful Yeti.
  Am I going to go out and buy one in every color combination available – nope!
  But, that’s not to say if a special glow-in-the-dark edition comes out for Halloween I won’t be putting it in my birthday wishes column or Christmas list.
  Still, overall, I like to think of myself as someone not easily swayed by propaganda and hype – and I don’t see that changing any time soon.