Starbucks has apologized to customers after its new, limited-edition teddy bear-shaped holiday cup caused mass excitement, and even chaos, in some stores.
On Thursday, the Seattle-based coffee chain launched its 2025 holiday menu and merchandise, including one key item: the Glass Starbucks Bearista Cold Cup. The $29.95 collectible cup, shaped like a bear and topped with a tiny green beanie, immediately went viral online. It sold out in a matter of hours.
A Starbucks spokesperson told FOX Business that demand was far greater than anticipated. “The excitement for our merchandise exceeded even our biggest expectations,” the spokesperson said. “Despite shipping more Bearista cups to stores than almost any other item this holiday season, the Bearista cup and some other products sold out fast. We understand many customers were excited and apologise for the disappointment this may have caused.”
In Texas, things went beyond disappointment. Police in Harris County were reportedly called to a Starbucks after customers began arguing and refusing to leave when the store ran out of the Bearista cups, local station KHOU 11 reported.
The frustrated fans shared their stories online about how they woke up early in the morning, then drove from store to store to look for the cup. One customer wrote of how she arrived a full two minutes after the store opened, yet was told the cups were already gone. Another said she went to five different locations and couldn’t find a single one.
The frenzy for the Bearista cup is part of a yearly Starbucks holiday tradition in which customers eagerly collect new designs. The holiday lineup also includes returning favorites like Peppermint Mocha, Caramel Brulee Latte, Iced Sugar Cookie Latte, and Iced Gingerbread Chai.
Starbucks said it aimed to bring back the nostalgic feel of its holiday season with festive red and green designs, classic Christmas blends, and “premium merchandise”-including the now-infamous glass Bearista cup that sold out faster than anyone had anticipated.