The CVS next to The New School University Center, located at 65 Fifth Ave., sold unauthorized TNS merchandise, including cups, mugs, and water bottles, earlier last month.
The merchandise put out recently on March 4 is identical to items sold last year in the store. However, according to a statement to The New School Free Press, TNS said they have never authorized its sale this year or in previous years.
TNS also said, “Protecting the integrity and reputation of The New School is our primary concern. The university did not authorize the sale of New School-branded cups at CVS, and the product was not affiliated with or licensed by the university. We were not aware that this product was for sale and no money has been collected by the university. We sent notice to CVS to remove the cups and they have complied.”
According to information given to The New School Free Press, the merchandise allegedly arrived in CVS-branded boxes in February. Typically, merchandise ordered from a third party that’s displayed in CVS arrives in boxes with the merchandise’s brand displayed, which it did for the TNS branded merch last year. The seller this year is unclear.
Last year, the authorized TNS merchandise came in a shipment from The Fanatic Group, which provides “officially licensed collegiate products and custom branded gift merchandise to over 4,000 colleges and schools nationwide,” according to their about us page.
The site does not list New School-branded merchandise. However, it does offer the option to customize any of its drinkware.
On the Fanatic Group’s website, the cups, named “the 18Oz. Soft Touch Tumbler,” are sold for $18, while the larger thermal mugs and water bottles are no longer listed on the site at all.
The mugs sold at CVS were $33.99, while the smaller cups and water bottles were $22.99, making the cups’ markup percentage 27.72%.
The display was up beginning on March 4, before CVS was asked by TNS to remove it. On April 5, the store complied, making the items unavailable for purchase.
The Fanatic Group didn’t answer the request for comment.
The original version of this article stated The New School authorized the sale of merchandise in CVS in 2023. However, TNS did not authorize this sale. The article has been updated to reflect this correction.