The holidays are fast approaching and everyone is hopping onboard to get the seasonal festivities going. Whether you are a sucker for Christmas mornings and couldn’t care less about what Old Saint Nick has for you, there’s no way of escaping the holiday magic. So much so, coffee powerhouse Starbucks has finally released their long-awaited holiday menu on November 6.
With their release of the holiday menu, old favorites like the popular Peppermint Mocha and the Iced Gingerbread Chai have made their way back to customer’s hands, along with new items like the Iced Sugar Cookie Breve and Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread. Starbucks has also released cute merch to celebrate the holiday season, but one item is receiving a lot of attention: the Glass Bearista Cold Cup.
As cheerful and adorable it sounds, this cup is priced at $29.95. But, that hasn’t stopped people from wanting to get their hands on it, including fighting others in order to get the Starbucks Bearista.
What’s the deal with the Bearista?
Mainly used for cold drinks like cold brews and iced lattes, the Bearista is a resemblance of, you guessed it, a bear with a green beanie on its head that has the Starbucks logo on it. The 20-ounce cup has received national attention for selling out so quickly. Although the Bearista is only available for a limited time starting today, they will be sold at Starbucks locations while supplies last. Several people camped out in front of their local Starbucks in order to get the cup.
With the thrill of the cutesy cup also comes an unexpected uproar from customers. A TikTok video by @jerjericciardi2 shows Starbucks customers arguing over the Bearista with most comments poking fun at the fact that the majority of the customers are adults. User @patrinageiger wrote,”no way this is my store. These people are INSANE for a cup.”
If that wasn’t enough, others believe that the Bearistas are getting snatched up by employees. TikTok user @by.tiaraj details a situation she ran into with a Starbucks manager, which led to further confusion. She arrived at her local Starbucks before they opened and noticed that one of the workers took the Bearista off the shelf and to the back of the store. “I read that if there’s no transaction made at the register, which was not open yet, then that’s against policy — even if the manager said they don’t care about [the employees] taking stuff in the back for themselves — it’s still against policy.” she said.
Many viewers commented that the workers are the first people to receive the new merchandise and that they are eligible for discounts of those cups. User @713krazygirl wrote,”Workers get first dibs. Everyone [knows] that.”
How long will the Bearista be on shelves?
The Bearista cups are expected to sell out like hotcakes, so you may not be able to be the proud owner of one. We recommend calling ahead to your location to see if there are any left. Some folks have also listed theirs on eBay and other resale sites for upwards of $200.
However, Starbucks did release a line of Hello Kitty merchandise, which comes in forms of ceramic mugs, cold cups and water bottles. Also, if you’re a fan of the coffee chain’s Red Cup Day, that will be making way on November 13.