A Michigan printing company landed itself in hot water when one of its managers refused to print a poster for a Charlie Kirk vigil, deeming it “political propaganda.”
The would-be client, a member of a Kalamazoo-based Republican Party faction (known as KGOP), then went to the Office Depot outlet to confront staffers while filming.
The footage made it onto the internet and went viral, resulting in the branch firing one of its employees.
The Republican went to the shop to confront the team that refused to print the poster
Image credits: Charlie Kirk
Footage of the exchange on Matthew S. DePerno’s X handle depicts a man saying:
“We came in for an order earlier to print a poster for a vigil tonight.”
A woman at a desk, supposedly named Beryl, looked up and said, “Yeah so we don’t print propaganda.”
“It’s not propaganda,” the man shot back.
Image credits: mdeperno
“It’s propaganda, I’m sorry. We don’t print…” Beryl said before trailing off.
The man then took the order to FedEx who apologised and printed the poster for free
The man tried to explain that it was for “a prayer vigil” for someone who had “passed away.”
“What makes it propaganda?” interjected an unseen woman, presumably holding the camera.
“Because he was a political figure,” Beryl quipped.
Image credits: mdeperno
Beryl obviously thought she was acting out her superior’s orders, and when another staffer chipped in and advised the protesting duo that the outlet’s general manager would be in on Monday and they could take the issue up with him, Beryl enthusiastically agreed.
DePerno noted in the caption that they took the order to FedEx, who apologized and printed the post for free.
The post drew 1,600 comments
The video has since garnered over a million views and 1,600 comments, one of which noted:
“I seriously doubt this decision represents the policy of Office Depot or anyone in general management.
“Don’t cancel them before the corporate office gets a turn.”
And “corporate” did get its turn.
Office Depot announced that it had fired a staffer shortly afterwards
Image credits: mdeperno
Shortly after the disgruntled conservative posted on X, Office Depot took to its own account, writing that it was “deeply concerned by the incident.”
“The behavior displayed by our associate is completely unacceptable and insensitive, violates our company policies, and does not reflect the values we uphold at Office Depot.
It went on to say that it had reached out to the viral netizen and then fired Beryl.
“The associate involved is no longer with the organization,” the company wrote.
Office Depot’s reply drew calls for the sacking of all three staffers captured in the footage
Image credits: mdeperno
Office Depot’s statement garnered nine times (9.7 million) more views than DePerno’s.
Along with celebrating the firing of one employee, netizens zoomed in on the co-workers present and spotted another employee in the background.
This woman appeared amused by the complaining customer. Netizens have called her out, along with the male who took the order initially, demanding that they, too, be fired.
Image credits: officedepot
“The quick response is appreciated. However, it was all three employees there. Please watch the video and look at how each of them responded. All three employees need to be let go,” wrote one person, summing up the prevailing sentiment.
“This was the right thing to do. People with such hateful attitudes should not be working with the public,” echoed another.
The debacle comes at a time when political tension is steeped
Image credits: FOX 13 News Utah
The furore comes days after Kirk suffered a fatal bullet wound to the neck. The news has drawn a response from the White House and even Democratic heavyweights like California governor Gavin Newsom.
“We should all feel a deep sense of grief and outrage at the terrible violence that took place in Utah today. Charlie Kirk’s [slaying] is sick and reprehensible, and our thoughts are with his family, children, and loved ones,” he wrote on September 10.
Image credits: Charlie Kirk
Former President Joe Biden also weighed in saying:
“There is no place in our country for this kind of violence. It must end now. Jill and I are praying for Charlie Kirk’s family and loved ones.”
It must be noted that his statement was not well-received.
Netizens say they are going to sell their Office Depot shares.
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