Even if you’re not a coffee drinker, you’re probably well aware of (or at least remotely familiar with) Starbucks’ Bearista Cold Cup. It’s an adorable 20-ounce glass tumbler shaped like a bear wearing a Starbucks beanie. And it sold out within literal minutes of its initial release.
The day it launched (Nov. 6), everyone on the internet came out from under their keyboards and ventured out IRL to get their hands on one. I went to six different Starbucks locations near my home in search of this bear. Don’t come for me. I am a Starbucks diehard, and this is one of the few pleasures I allow myself — along with the Starbucks for Life scam, but that’s a story for another time.
The only problem? Starbucks didn’t stock enough units to meet the overwhelming demand. Stores everywhere were telling customers that they’d sold out or never even received the merch in the first place. There was also a nasty rumor going around that employees were allegedly buying them up before store hours, but I honestly don’t think that’s the case. The Starbucks baristas I spoke to all said they didn’t receive any of the cups.
The Bearista Cup hit Stanley-cup-crazy levels, with people waiting outside Starbucks locations very early in the morning in hopes of getting their hands on this now-viral, limited-edition collectible. (Even people on eBay were reselling them for outrageous prices, like $600 a cup.)
Mashable Trend Report
Now, Starbucks is hinting that there may be another chance to get the Bearista Cold Cup TODAY. On Dec. 7 (like, 18 hours ago), Starbucks posted a cryptic Instagram video with the caption: “Your chance is in the Starbucks app. Tomorrow, 12/8.”
There have been zero official public details since this post, and believe me, I’ve been checking. I’ve opened and closed my app so many times, I’m surprised my phone hasn’t glitched out yet. I’m almost certain the company is going to make the bear a part of its Starbucks for Life Merrython; Newsweek published an article this morning that confirms 17,000 Bearista cups will be available through the “Starbucks Rewards instant-win promotion.”
However, I noticed that the game, which was supposed to start today at 4 a.m. PT, isn’t working for a huge number of users (myself included). The app and the website are glitching, freezing, and failing to load the game. Of course, everyone on Reddit is already pissed. The error message I received says: “Whoops! Something went wrong on our end.” And as of 10:30 a.m. EST, the Starbucks for Life website reads: “Sorry! The site is currently down for maintenance.”
I’m assuming this is going to be like a Taylor Swift x Ticketmaster fiasco, but much worse.
