A few days ago, TikToker Maddy (@maddylikedaddy88) was working her shift at Starbucks. She was responsible for opening up the store on the launch day of their new holiday beverages. Starbucks had also released its viral new bear cups.
“As soon as I pulled into our parking lot, it was completely full of people,” Maddy recalled. “And we got out of our cars to go inside, and there was a line wrapped around the building, of people waiting outside for these bear cups.”
When Maddy unlocked the doors, the people in line asked her if there were any more bear cups left. She told them that the only bear cups in the store were the ones already out on display.
Maddy had planned to buy a bear cup for her coworker before they sold out. But when she walked over to grab one, the people in line glared at her and were basically foaming at the mouth in rage.
“My supervisor yelled at me and told me that I had to put the bear cup back because he was scared for my personal safety, if one of these customers in line was going to fight me for this stupid bear cup,” Maddy said.
She yelled through the locked doors that she was putting the cup back and made a big show of it so the customers could see. The second they unlocked the doors, the mob of people came barging in and snatched up every single one of the bear cups. The customers in the drive-thru had also been waiting in line before the store even opened.
A man in the drive-thru asked Maddy to grab a bear cup for him. She pushed through the crowd and saw that the bear cups were gone.
He proceeded to yell at her for opening late, even though the store had opened right on time. The store opened at 5 a.m., but the workers arrived at 4:30 to get everything set up for the day.
“Every single car after him was asking if we had the bear cup in stock,” Maddy said. “It took like about 10 or 15 people until someone actually ordered something.”
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Throughout the day, she had to fend off constant phone calls from people asking for the bear cup. All day long, she kept repeating herself, saying that their holiday merchandise was sold out.
This bear cup that everyone is going crazy for is the Starbucks Bearista Cup, a glass cup in the shape of a honey bear. It is topped with a green silicone Starbucks beanie and a striped green and white straw.
It was released at Starbucks locations across North America on November 6.
Chaos has broken out over the bear cup as everyone tries to get their hands on it. Starbucks has since apologized for the rollout of this limited-edition cup. The company had intended for it to be a cute holiday collectible and hadn’t expected how popular it would be.
The whole situation highlights how consumerism has taken over America. Everyone wants the latest fad, and service workers like Maddy must bear the brunt of viral merch drops.
By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
