Target fired me after I let a worker buy a Stanley cup. The emotional and financial toll have been severe.

• Target fired dozens of workers last month in a crackdown on employees purchases of Stanley cups.
• Former Starbucks Team Lead Nikcole Smith lost her job even though she never bought a cup.
• Smith told Business Insider how the termination is impacting her life and outlook.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with a Nikcole Smith, a former Starbucks Team Lead at Target near Baltimore, Maryland, who was fired on January 23, 2024, amid the retailer’s crackdown on employee purchases of Stanley cups. The company did not respond to Business Insider’s request for comment on this story, which has been edited for length and clarity.

I joined Target almost a year ago to be my store’s Starbucks team leader after having worked for a year before that as a shift supervisor at a regular Starbucks location.

As a single mom with two kids, working there gave me full health benefits for my children, which also covered all the specialized services they need.

Both of my kids were diagnosed with autism, and autistic children can have more mental health needs. You have to make sure that they're getting more emotional support, which can mean another doctor’s bill, which can get expensive.

When I left Starbucks for Target, I saw a $4.10 per hour raise, so it made things significantly easier for me to be able to help provide for my children.

Target fired me after I allowed one of my baristas to buy a Stanley x Starbucks cup

I never even bought a Stanley cup for myself — I hate the cups if we're being honest. I think they’re the ugliest things ever.

But I did let one of my team members purchase one. This barista was consistently closing with me, and when we'd have call-outs I could count on him to come in and help. I thought it would be nice to let him purchase a cup.

I wasn't thinking about how it was the night before the official January 3 release date, because normally anything that isn’t supposed to be sold before a certain date won't even ring up in the system.

Getting fired emotionally destroyed me because I'd spent the past eight months putting all of my time and energy basically rebuilding the store’s entire Starbucks team.

I had to put in a lot of time, effort, and energy into getting this Starbucks up to the brand’s standard by myself: I had to hire people, I had to train them, and I had to do all of my own training and figure out the licensing rules on my own — all while being a mom.

When I lost my job, that was it. All of my effort was for nothing.

While it destroyed me emotionally, it also risked destroying me financially

I couldn't afford to pay the COBRA premium to continue my Target insurance, so I applied for Medicaid as well as for unemployment and food stamps until I can get coverage sorted out.

Meanwhile, I still have to pay my bills: I have a car payment, a mortgage, and my oldest child plays euphonium, so we pay for his instrument rental every month. It's not cheap but it's something he's very dedicated to and I can’t let that go just yet.

In terms of savings, I had less than $1,000 when I was terminated, and that is draining fast.

This situation has me feeling severely depressed

I don't know how much weight I’ve lost, but I know it's significant because my clothes feel looser on me. I’ve also been skipping meals to make sure my kids have enough to eat.

I applied to well over 100 jobs in two weeks. I would go on Indeed.com and apply for every single job that I qualify for — and jobs I was overqualified for. I also went to the mall in my area, wrote down every single store there, and sent an application for each one.

I have two versions of my résumé: one that shows all my qualifications, and then another for entry-level roles at places like McDonald’s, Burger King, and Subway. I feel like I’ve applied for everything in a 25-mile radius.

Fortunately, I had some interviews and I even landed a job at Walgreens where I’m making $19 an hour — a big cut from the $23.75 I was earning.

If I could go back and change anything, I guess I would never have let my barista buy the cup. I’d try to educate myself better on the policy even though I've since looked at it more closely and it feels so vague. It does say they can terminate, but it just doesn't seem fair.

From what I've seen during my time working at Target, it feels like the company picks and chooses when to fully enforce policies.

My team is upset by how I was treated

Three of them quit after I was fired and others are looking for jobs.

There needs to be nine or 10 workers plus a team lead to operate my Starbucks, so it’s in danger of not being in compliance. When they do get a new team lead, they'll have to go through all of the certifications that I had, which takes time.

I'm still in touch with my former coworkers who tell me they've had to close early, which is not allowed, and team members have been left alone for hours on end, which is really not allowed.

It's hard to want to give your all at work after losing a job like this

I devoted myself to building that Starbucks and put in so much time, effort, and energy. 

I'm not going to do that again. Now I'm going to look at every single job as a means to an end. A lot of workers are in the same boat as me, and I can tell you that this boat sucks.

Without the little bit of savings that I had, I could be facing repossession of my vehicle or foreclosure on my home.

If I hadn't taken the first job offer I received, I would have no money next month. Still, things are going to be tight for a while.

Because of this experience, I'm not going to trust any company again. I'm going to make sure I read every single page of that employee handbook, and if there's something I don't understand, I'm going to get clarification on it.

If you or someone you work with was fired from Target after purchasing a Stanley cup, please contact Dominick Reuter via email or text/call/Signal at 646-768-4750. Responses will be kept confidential, and Business Insider strongly recommends using a personal email and a non-work device when reaching out.