Woman Arrested for Allegedly Stealing $2,500 of Stanley Drinking Cups

The Stanley cup craze has taken a criminal turn.

A 23-year-old Sacramento, Calif., woman was arrested after allegedly stealing nearly $2,500 worth of Stanley cups from a retail store, local police said. The woman allegedly filled her shopping cart with Stanley Quenchers—the insulated cups that have thrown social-media into a frenzy in recent months—and left without paying.

When police tracked her down, they found her car filled with 65 of the cups, according to Lt. Chris Ciampa of the Roseville Police Department. She was arrested on charges of grand theft and driving under the influence, Ciampa said.

The arrest was the latest episode in the viral craze over the water bottles. The stainless-steel tumblers—the popular, 40-ounce version of which sells for $45—have become a status symbol for many women and teens, sparking chaos at retailers and launching a resale market where certain colors sell for more than $200 apiece. The hashtag #stanleytumbler has more than a billion views on TikTok and has been used more than 180,000 times on Instagram.

Stanley, which has been in business for more than a century, has long been a popular brand for hikers, teachers and construction workers. But as the Quencher’s popularity skyrocketed in recent years, its maker capitalised on the new demand with collaborations and a wider, pastel-driven colour palette.

“We were a brand that was a $70 million brand that appealed to guys with a green bottle that was 107 years old and is one of the greatest products in history,” Stanley’s president, Terence Reilly, said in an interview earlier this month. He added: “There was a big opportunity to reposition the brand and appeal to new consumers. And that’s just what we set out to do in 2020.”

In 2022, the company said there was a 150,000-person long wait list for the Quencher and sales had more than tripled from the prior year.

The cups have sparked a collectors’ craze, with devotees amassing dozens of colors and fighting over limited-edition releases. Ahead of one such release, for the Starbucks x Stanley pink Quencher, shoppers camped overnight outside Target locations to ensure they got a cup. The products sold out in minutes at some stores, and a viral video of frenzied shoppers rushing a display in one location sparked consternation online.

Those limited-edition pink cups, which are currently not available on Target or Stanley’s website, are now retailing for hundreds of dollars on resale sites like eBay and StockX.

Ciampa, the police lieutenant, said he believes the woman likely intended to resell online the 65 cups that were in her car. The department warned any potential thieves against repeating her behavior.

“While Stanley Quenchers are all the rage, we strongly advise against turning to crime to fulfil your hydration habits,” it said in a statement.

The boom in casual footware ushered in by the pandemic has ended, a potential problem for companies such as Adidas that benefited from the shift to less formal clothing, Bank of America says.

The casual footwear business has been on the ropes since mid-2023 as people began returning to office.

Analyst Thierry Cota wrote that while most downcycles have lasted one to two years over the past two decades or so, the current one is different.

It “shows no sign of abating” and there is “no turning point in sight,” he said.

Adidas and Nike alone account for almost 60% of revenue in the casual footwear industry, Cota estimated, so the sector’s slower growth could be especially painful for them as opposed to brands that have a stronger performance-shoe segment. Adidas may just have it worse than Nike.

Cota downgraded Adidas stock to Underperform from Buy on Tuesday and slashed his target for the stock price to €160 (about $187) from €213. He doesn’t have a rating for Nike stock.

Shares of Adidas listed on the German stock exchange fell 4.5% Tuesday to €162.25. Nike stock was down 1.2%.

Adidas didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Cota sees trouble for Adidas both in the short and long term.

Adidas’ lifestyle segment, which includes the Gazelles and Sambas brands, has been one of the company’s fastest-growing business, but there are signs growth is waning.

Lifestyle sales increased at a 10% annual pace in Adidas’ third quarter, down from 13% in the second quarter.

The analyst now predicts Adidas’ organic sales will grow by a 5% annual rate starting in 2027, down from his prior forecast of 7.5%.

The slower revenue growth will likewise weigh on profitability, Cota said, predicting that margins on earnings before interest and taxes will decline back toward the company’s long-term average after several quarters of outperforming. That could result in a cut to earnings per share.

Adidas stock had a rough 2025. Shares shed 33% in the past 12 months, weighed down by investor concerns over how tariffs, slowing demand, and increased competition would affect revenue growth.

Nike stock fell 9% throughout the period, reflecting both the company’s struggles with demand and optimism over a turnaround plan CEO Elliott Hill rolled out in late 2024.

Investors’ confidence has faded following Nike’s December earnings report, which suggested that a sustained recovery is still several quarters away. Just how many remains anyone’s guess.

But if Adidas’ challenges continue, as Cota believes they will, it could open up some space for Nike to claw back any market share it lost to its rival.

Investors should keep in mind, however, that the field has grown increasingly crowded in the past five years. Upstarts such as On Holding and Hoka also present a formidable challenge to the sector’s legacy brands.

Shares of On and Deckers Outdoor , Hoka’s parent company, fell 11% and 48%, respectively, in 2025, but analysts are upbeat about both companies’ fundamentals as the new year begins.

The battle of the sneakers is just getting started.

Woman Arrested for Allegedly Stealing $2,500 of Stanley Drinking Cups

Arrest is the latest episode in the viral craze over the water bottles

The pandemic-fuelled love affair with casual footwear is fading, with Bank of America warning the downturn shows no sign of easing.