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Office Depot Fires ‘Insensitive’ Staffer After Refusing To Print Charlie Kirk Vigil Poster
Vigil poster of Charlie Kirk displayed on a wooden stand with lit candles, related to Office Depot staff firing incident.

Office Depot Fires ‘Insensitive’ Staffer After Refusing To Print Charlie Kirk Vigil Poster

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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.

Highlights
  • A Kalamazoo GOP member filmed Office Depot staff refusing to print a vigil poster for Charlie Kirk, calling it “propaganda.”
  • The video, shared by Matthew DePerno, went viral, garnering over a million views and sparking outrage online.

The footage made it onto the internet and went viral, resulting in the branchfiring one of its employees.

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    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.”

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    “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 apologized 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.

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    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.”

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    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.”

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    “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

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    “The quick response is appreciated. However, all three employees were 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.

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    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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    Dave Malyon

    Dave Malyon

    Writer, Entertainment News Writer

    Read more »

    A writer with a journey spanning hard news, food, and culture, with bylines in The Epoch Times, NTD, Dented Armour, Tasting Table, and Mashed. At Bored Panda the focus has pivoted to entertainment, tracking celebrity newsmakers, Hollywood drama, and viral stories while vying to give more substance and less surface.

    Read less »
    Dave Malyon

    Dave Malyon

    Writer, Entertainment News Writer

    A writer with a journey spanning hard news, food, and culture, with bylines in The Epoch Times, NTD, Dented Armour, Tasting Table, and Mashed. At Bored Panda the focus has pivoted to entertainment, tracking celebrity newsmakers, Hollywood drama, and viral stories while vying to give more substance and less surface.

    What do you think ?
    azubi
    Community Member
    2 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    And this was "insensitive", like in "no empathy", they say?

    panther
    Community Member
    2 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Can you imagine the maga reaction if the victim was Obama or George Soros or Hilary Clinton or the Muslim running for mayor of New York? There would be a nation wide shortage of champagne. There was a youtube video that showed a picture of armed maga person facing Jesus surrounded by children with the names of schools that had mass shootings, and the caption was outrage for one, silence for thousands.

    Apatheist Account2
    Community Member
    2 months ago

    This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

    The reaction amongst the majority would be the same outrage. Do you think the outrage from the left would be any different from what you're seeing now if it were one of those you mention? I think some on the left are surprised that the silent majority are not staying silent for a change.

    Load More Replies...
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    Beth Wheeler
    Community Member
    2 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    what happened to him is horrible and inexcusable. I hope and pray that his little girl won't remember seeing this in a couple of years, I think my son said she's 3. Thank god the baby won't remember it. His poor wife, family, friends and the people there will never forget. I don't agree with some of the things he said but he didn't deserve to be killed for it. You can't blame a whole company for 1 ir a few employees very bad decisions and the woman was fired.

    Load More Comments
    azubi
    Community Member
    2 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    And this was "insensitive", like in "no empathy", they say?

    panther
    Community Member
    2 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Can you imagine the maga reaction if the victim was Obama or George Soros or Hilary Clinton or the Muslim running for mayor of New York? There would be a nation wide shortage of champagne. There was a youtube video that showed a picture of armed maga person facing Jesus surrounded by children with the names of schools that had mass shootings, and the caption was outrage for one, silence for thousands.

    Apatheist Account2
    Community Member
    2 months ago

    This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

    The reaction amongst the majority would be the same outrage. Do you think the outrage from the left would be any different from what you're seeing now if it were one of those you mention? I think some on the left are surprised that the silent majority are not staying silent for a change.

    Load More Replies...
    ADVERTISEMENT
    Beth Wheeler
    Community Member
    2 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    what happened to him is horrible and inexcusable. I hope and pray that his little girl won't remember seeing this in a couple of years, I think my son said she's 3. Thank god the baby won't remember it. His poor wife, family, friends and the people there will never forget. I don't agree with some of the things he said but he didn't deserve to be killed for it. You can't blame a whole company for 1 ir a few employees very bad decisions and the woman was fired.

    Load More Comments
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