Starbucks launched a bear-shaped glass cup for $30. Chaos ensued

The Bearista Cold Cup was supposed to spread holiday cheer. Instead, it sold out in hours, provoked physical confrontations and turned a cute, harmless 26 euro cup into a “toxic asset”.

For $29.95, around 26 euros, Starbucks offered a teddy bear with a hat — and a glimpse of terminal consumer capitalism. What he got was a stampede.

The new “Bearista Cold Cup” of the chain, a 500-gram Christmas collectible in the shape of a bear with a hat (the cap) in the company’s characteristic green, sold out within hours of its launch, on November 6, leaving a trail of queues, confusion and an apology.

In recent weeks, Starbucks had been focusing on its new cup, whose name is a pun (barista / bearista) on the English word for “bear”, whose launch was part of its Christmas campaign.

At dawn on the 6th, customers were already camping outside Starbucks stores to ensure they didn’t run out of their Bearista Cold Cup, says .

But it didn’t go well. Reportedly, some stores only received one or two units. Others sold out before opening. Social media posts accused Starbucks employees of buying the cup before customers have the opportunity to do so, says the magazine.

Although the company sent “more Bearista cups for coffee shops than almost any other item of merchandise this holiday season,” it still sold out. “We understand that many customers were excited about the cup, and We apologize for any disappointment this may have caused.“, the company said in a statement.

Meanwhile, videos of altercations and confrontations physical, which turned a marketing gimmick into a viral flop. More than just Christmas spirit, the teddy bear-shaped cup

By Friday, the resale market had taken over. On online commerce platforms, the cup initially priced by Starbucks at 30 dollars was for sale at prices between 150 dollars and more than 1000 dollars — a clear indication of the speculative frenzy that the glass unleashed.

However, glass cup fans have another option. Amazon, for example, is selling them as cute as the original, with a bear shape similar to the original bearglass, including a green hat on the head, but without the Starbucks logo — and at a more affordable price, between 16 and 24 dollars.

For a company that has built its brand around consistency and calmthe Bearista Cold Cup blunder exposes the extent to which Starbucks has surrendered to economia do hype: a promise of access to a product based on scarcity — and inherent inaccessibility. And normally, you reap what you sow.