How Bear-y Disappointing

The Upset Around Starbucks’ Bearista Cup

Photo from Heute.at / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

On Nov. 6, Starbucks released its 2025 seasonal menu, along with holiday-themed merchandise. Among this merchandise was an instantly-popular bear cup, called the Bearista cup. This cup sold for $29.95 and was in the shape of a bear holding a drink, decorated with a green hat and straw. This cup was originally intended to be available throughout the holiday season, but after being sold out immediately after release, it is no longer available in stores. 

Lots of frustration emerged from Starbucks’ release of this cup as customers who were lined up hours before the stores opened were met with empty shelves. Many of the Starbucks stores only had a few cups in stock, and many employees had bought this merchandise before customers had a chance. This caused much upset among the customer base, and Starbucks released an apology, stating that the demand was more than they had anticipated. Many knock-off versions of this cup are available in stores such as Walmart, but there are already some instances where the Bearista cup is being resold for as much as $32,000.