On Nov. 6, 2025, Starbucks launched its holiday menu with seasonal cups, including mugs, tumblers and a limited-edition 20-ounce cup shaped like a bear wearing a green beanie with the Starbucks logo, called the “Bearista.” People all over the United States lined up at Starbucks locations early to receive this classic, cute teddy bear cup. It cost $29.95, and it had very limited stock; leaving grown adults and teens fighting, chaos and overwhelmed baristas.
While the glass tumbler sold out in minutes and customers were left disappointed, some lucky buyers are now reselling it online for five times the price. One customer on StockX is selling it for $300, which is insane.
What is even more insane is the level of overconsumption Starbucks fosters. This cup is useless and costs way too much. The “Bearista” is glass, so you can’t put hot things in it like coffee. Half the country drinks coffee in the morning from Starbucks, so what are they going to put in that cup? Sure, they can put other things in, but where are they going to put the cup? If they are driving, they can’t put it in a cup holder; it doesn’t fit. As I mentioned before, this cup is glass, hence super breakable, meaning $29.95 down the drain.
This disorder led to one conclusion: overconsumption is killing people, babies and the earth. When Starbucks releases a new cup, such as the red seasonal cups they bring back every year during the holidays, people always end up throwing away old cups for new ones, leading to overconsumption and making it unpopular. People will get sick of the “Bearista” and throw it away or just stop using it. If customers throw it away, it can end up in a landfill, which is killing the earth and harming humans.
Another way Starbucks is helping dismantle mankind is through the indirect financial support of the Israel-Palestine conflict. Although Starbucks doesn’t state that they are pro-Israel, it has two big shareholders: Vanguard and BlackRock. These companies support Israel and its defense and technology, and they are major shareholders of many companies that aid Israel, such as Tesla, Walmart, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, etc.
Part of the profits that the “Bearista” made are now going to Israel and funding other companies, as mentioned above, that have given millions of dollars to Israel. This is horrific. Israel does not care about Palestinians; they want to kill them and keep it silent. The fact that there are so many more companies out there that will give to Israel, instead of Palestine, is just absurd. They are willing to help Israel kill innocent people and babies and let them starve, for what? The actuality that these companies support genocide and have no sympathy is inhumane.
One way to decrease our overconsumption footprint is by boycotting Starbucks. Starbucks had limited a group of employees’ freedom of speech on Oct. 18, 2023. On Oct. 7, 2023, a group of employees affiliated with the workers’ union posted a message on X that read “Solidarity with Palestine.” Starbucks forced them to take it down. Starbucks stated, “A pro-Palestinian social media post from a union account early in the Israel-Hamas war angered hundreds of customers and damaged its reputation.” They then sued the workers’ union for trademark infringement, since their logo was in the post.
People started to boycott the company once this was out in the air. It violated their First Amendment by not letting them express gratitude to Palestine. Although Starbucks is a non-political organization, it did not need to sue. Even though some may think that boycotting does nothing, it actually does so much. Starbucks has lost over $69 million, and over 600 stores have shut down or have been heavily impacted since 2023, when the boycott first started. This is why boycotting is incredibly beneficial. It can show companies that what they are doing is harmful.
I encourage you to take the time to do research on companies and see where your money is actually being spent. Over seven known genocides are going on in the world right now, and your money could be helping. I know you can’t boycott everything, but if you at least try to boycott some companies or spend less, you could be saving a life right now. The world is crumbling because of things like aiding genocides and overconsumption by the minute, and we all need a little love and help in this time of crisis.
