Office Depot said it has fired an employee caught on video refusing to fill an order for posters advertising a vigil for slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk, calling the materials "propaganda." The company apologized and said it had reached out to the customer to try to fulfill the order.
The incident occurred at an Office Depot store in Portage, Mich., and was posted online Friday by the Michigan Forward Network. In the roughly 48-second clip, a woman who identifies herself as a store manager tells a customer, "Yeah, so, we don't print propaganda," and later says, "Because he's a political figure," after the customer asks what makes the posters propaganda. The posters read "The Legendary Charlie Kirk 1993-2025" over a black-and-white image of Kirk, who was shot while speaking at a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University earlier this week.
Office Depot said it was "deeply concerned by the unfortunate customer experience" and that 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." The company added, "On behalf of the Company, we sincerely apologize for this regrettable situation." The retailer told Fox News it had fired the worker and was continuing an investigation.
The video has drawn widespread attention online, amassing millions of views since it was posted Friday evening and prompting thousands of comments calling for action. Company representatives said they reached out to the customer as soon as they learned of the incident "to address their concerns and seek to fulfill their order to their satisfaction."
Charlie Kirk, 31, a conservative commentator and founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed while speaking at a campus event. Authorities have said a 22-year-old Utah man, identified as Tyler Robinson, is accused in the shooting. The posters at issue were intended to advertise a vigil following Kirk's death.
In the video, when another employee suggests the general manager would address the matter on Monday, the customer presses for an immediate resolution. Office Depot did not immediately respond to requests for additional comment beyond the statement it provided to media outlets.
Retail and printing businesses typically decline to produce content in certain circumstances, citing corporate policy or local law; in this case, the company concluded that the employee's conduct violated its policies and warranted termination. The incident adds to a string of recent public confrontations over content and political speech in commercial settings, which have prompted companies to reaffirm or tighten internal guidelines on customer service and print orders.
Office Depot said it will continue investigating the matter and indicated it is working to ensure the customer's order is fulfilled. The retailer did not provide further details about disciplinary measures or whether additional staff would be retrained on policy regarding customer materials.