Office Depot is facing backlash and even boycott calls after a Michigan store allegedly refused to print a poster of slain conservative commentator Charlie Kirk for a vigil, with a GOP official blasting the company online and calling the move censorship.
Matthew DePerno, an attorney and Republican activist, said the Kalamazoo County Republican Party ordered the poster at 2:24 p.m. Friday from the Office Depot in Portage, MI, for a vigil honoring Kirk scheduled for that evening.
But around 5:30 p.m., DePerno said a store print supervisor named “Beryl” called and told organizers the order would not be completed because the poster was “propaganda.”
Kirk, the 31-year-old founder of Turning Point USA, was assassinated on Wednesday during an outdoor event on a college campus in Utah.
“Hey @officedepot @OfficeMax do you think this is acceptable?” DePerno wrote on X, posting video taken inside the store and a receipt for the canceled order.
The attorney shared a clip of the encounter alongside a photo of a receipt that shows payment of $56.17. It is unclear if Office Depot refunded the money.
DePerno said the group then went to FedEx, where staff apologized and printed the poster free of charge.
His post quickly racked up more than 100,000 views by Friday night.
Office Depot apologized for the encounter and said it has since fired the employee involved and reached out to DePerno to rectify the situation.
“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. We sincerely apologize to the customer affected and to our community for this regrettable situation,” a spokesperson for the company said in a statement to The Post.
“Upon learning of the incident, we immediately reached out to the customer to address their concerns and seek to fulfill their order to their satisfaction. We have also launched an immediate internal review and, as a result, the associate involved is no longer with the organization.”
X users online demanded that consumers boycott the chain.
“HOLY CRAP. A customer put in an order and paid for a poster for a vigil for Charlie. @officedepot REFUSED to print it because they said it’s ‘propaganda.’ WTF @officedepot?!” Libs of TikTok wrote on X.
Inga Springman added on her X page: “Disgusted and disappointed at the local Portage, MI Office Depot that refused to print a picture of Charlie Kirk, for a prayer vigil tonight. I’m asking every American that sees this to boycott Office Depot. #boycottofficedepot.”
Another user, “Onedovealone,” posted on X: “WTF @officedepot 😳…#BoycottOfficeDepot they dont want our business so lets shut em down! Lets put them mainstream!! We can do this! Anti-American P.O.S!!”
An X user who goes by the name “Freebird USMC” wrote: “@officedepot could have learned something from this. Now they’ll learn something else #boycottofficedepot.”
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