Office Depot is facing public backlash and calls for a boycott after a Portage, Michigan, store allegedly refused to complete a paid order for a poster to be used at a vigil for conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.
Kalamazoo County Republican Party attorney and activist Matthew DePerno posted video and a receipt on X showing that the group placed the order at 2:24 p.m. Friday and paid $56.17. DePerno said a store print supervisor identified as “Beryl” called at about 5:30 p.m. to tell organizers the poster would not be completed because it was "propaganda." DePerno posted the encounter and a photo of the receipt on X, writing, "Hey @officedepot @OfficeMax do you think this is acceptable?" The post had drawn more than 100,000 views by Friday night, according to DePerno.
DePerno said the group then went to a FedEx location, where staff printed the poster free of charge and apologized. It was not clear whether Office Depot refunded the payment for the canceled order. In a statement to The Post, an Office Depot spokesperson described the employee's conduct as "completely unacceptable and insensitive," saying it violated company policy and did not reflect the company's values. The company said it immediately reached out to the customer, launched an internal review and that the associate involved "is no longer with the organization."
The incident occurred days after Kirk, 31, the founder of Turning Point USA and a prominent conservative commentator, was shot and killed Wednesday during an outdoor event on a college campus in Utah. The vigil for Kirk was scheduled for the evening the poster was ordered.
Social media users on X called for a boycott of the retailer and reposted the video and receipt. Accounts posting criticism included Libs of TikTok and other users who urged followers to avoid Office Depot stores. Some posts described the refusal as censorship; others framed it as evidence of partisan bias. Office Depot's statement did not address whether the company had received similar complaints elsewhere.
The company did not immediately respond to follow-up requests for comment about whether a refund was issued or the specific circumstances that led the employee to refuse the order. DePerno and other local Republican officials said they wanted the company to acknowledge and rectify the situation.
The incident highlights tensions that can arise when retailers are asked to produce political or memorial materials and the rapid amplification of such disputes on social media. Office Depot, like many national chains, maintains policies intended to govern employee conduct and printing services, and the company said it was conducting a review in this case.
There was no independent confirmation of the store employee's account beyond DePerno's post and the Office Depot statement. The company said it had contacted the customer to address concerns and "seek to fulfill their order to their satisfaction."