Starbucks Apologizes After “Bearista” Cup Launch Sparks Chaos

In November 2025, Starbucks kicked off its holiday merchandise drop with a 20-ounce glass cup shaped like a teddy bear and topped with a green beanie-style lid. Priced at $29.95, the cup — dubbed the “Bearista” — was released alongside the holiday drink menu on November 6.

The Starbucks Cup That Broke the Internet

From the moment it hit shelves, the response took a wild turn. Customers reported stores receiving as few as one or two cups, leading to long overnight queues, frustration, and even physical altercations inside stores. One viral video from Houston showed a fight breaking out over the cup.

Why the Backlash Hit Hard

The hype-cycle around “limited-edition” merch like this has only grown in recent years — but supply didn’t keep pace. One Reddit user wrote: “I got up at 4 a.m., drove to a location that said they would have this cup… they didn’t even get one on the shelf.”

Reseller inflation set in, too. Listings for the Bearista on sites like eBay and Mercari soared—some reported asking prices topped $50,000 (though others quoted in the $300–$500 range).

Starbucks acknowledged falling short of customer expectations in a statement: “The excitement for our merchandise exceeded even our biggest expectations… We understand many customers were excited about the Bearista cup and apologise for the disappointment this may have caused.”

What This Tells Us

This incident may look trivial—just a Halloween-style cup gone viral—but it reveals something deeper about retail, brand behaviour, and consumer culture. When a large chain rolls out a “collectible” item and supply is extremely limited, demand transforms into scarcity, hype into frustration, and fandom into frenzy.

For Starbucks, the story poses reputational risk. Customers who expected holiday joy found competition and chaos instead, and the chain had to follow up with an apology and promise of “more exciting merchandise” rather than a concrete restock plan.

The Road Ahead

Starbucks says more holiday merchandise is on the way, including a collab with fashion line Roller Rabbit scheduled for December. But the question remains: will the company restore trust and balance supply before the next hype drops?

For fans, the takeaway might be more cautious: if you see a “limited-edition” cup, expect a queue, shortage, hype… and maybe even a fight.

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