Can someone explain to me why this is consumerism? I'm not going into YouTube to watch, due to the ads, but I have one of these (not a Stanley but very similar) and it has actually helped me buy less drinks and drink more water.
Think of stamp-collecting, but instead, you start collecting algorithmically controlled limited-edition thermos flask. The goal of these bottles were to be reusable, but people have started buying them as status symbols, just like Nike - they're not going to be used, they'll "rot" on the shelves. People are not buying them because they care about the environment, but because FOMO.
I would be interested in one of these… but only in the default/traditional Stanley Green. Call me square, but I really do prefer to run unobtrusively stock, at least from a visual perspective. If I get one, it will be purely for the quality of it’s build and it’s functional attributes. I wouldn’t even care to be noticeably seen with one, I would just care that it works and fulfils its functions in an exemplary manner.
45$ is way too expensive - I can't figure out why Stanley and Hydro Flask are on the expensive range. 25$ is more than enough for a high-quality vacuum thermo-flask. I got myself two 1l bottle from Borosil for about 755₹ (9$) per bottle. It's been more than six years, there's a few dents and scratches, but it works just fine.
I just got an insulated bottle from Owala a bit ago because it's a cool NASA themed one and I liked it. Apparently there's kind of a cult behind these too though... I just wanted a water bottle for work lol
There's nothing wrong with getting an insulated and reusable thermos. In fact, that's probably a great thing to do and should be encouraged. What people are rejecting is the trend of collecting them as status symbols or buying multiple in different colors to match your outfit. That behavior has real and negative consequences.
Fads and trends and novelties aren't anything new. The speed and prevalence that they spread today has been propelled because of TikTok and YouTubers and other "social media" either specifically promoting things or generating content in order to capitalize on existing trends. So, when you search the internet or YT for "Stanley Tumbler" because you want to know why it's a thing, content creators can make money off of your curiosity.
Consumerism is certainly a big part of this but there's also something driving us to want to belong to (or not be left out of) a group/trend. And Capitalism is right there hovering over us waiting to take advantage of it and spread the story even further for their own gain.
It's an obvious formula. If you're not in favor of it, how do you propose we deal with it?
Edit: I don't want to speak badly against reusable containers though. This particular one isn't my "cup of tea", so to speak, but refilling a container with (filtered) tap water is vastly better than getting a case of single-use plastic water bottles from the grocery store. The thing is, I don't know why but I feel like the same people collecting these tumblers are the same people who buy bottled water. Consumerism / capitalism / marketing have convinced a lot of Americans that tap water is gross or dangerous. Granted, Flint Michigan and articles like this haven't helped tap water's reputation.
I got a Stanley classic trigger a few years ago because the job I was in was so frantic I'd never get to drink a hot drink hot otherwise. It's been doing we great since.
I can't understand collecting the damn things though!
I was super resistant to buying a yeti for years, but was given one in a grab bag from a vendor.
Out of my dozens of vaccum walled containers from no-name brands, it's the only one that hasn't had the vaccum fail on it, and I've been using it daily for 3 years.
I still won't pay for one, but I can't deny that it's better quality than the rest.
My wife had one (Yeti), and it worked quite well so I bought one and carry it around quite often. I also happen to watch 'Project Farm' on YT and he JUST did a thing on tumblers. Yeti was actually kind of middle of the road compared to the others he tested.
Funny enough, my wife walked in while I was watching it and this is when I found out there was a big Stanley craze happening right now making them hard to get. I do not watch tik tok and I guess that's where it started. At any rate the Stanley ranks pretty high on actual function against the others he tested.