Recently, Starbucks has continuously been under fire. For instance, many employees are on strike this month due to the terrible work environment within the company and the restrictions on employees to speak about social issues on their personal social media. Many consumers are following a boycott in support of the worker’s efforts for a better work environment, and in the past four years, against the rise in prices. However, with the recent release of the “Bearista” cup, people were in a frenzy, lining up and fighting for this simple looking cup. So, how far has consumerism gotten for a company who is being boycotted to have people waiting in line for hours, or even days, for a cup?
This craze is interesting to note as, with consumer and worker boycotts, Starbucks has started to fade into anonymity with many people choosing to make their own coffees at home or support local businesses. However, with this “Bearista” cup, they have come into the spotlight again with thousands of people lining up for the cup.
People are obsessed with getting the latest item. This is exacerbated with social media by popularizing the newest thing that everyone needs to go out and buy. This obsession with always buying what the latest trend is has lead to the mass issue with consumerism, buying things that no one needs. This latest Starbucks cup is just the latest example.
Everyone, including celebrities, was recently obsessed with Labubus, fighting online for their chance to get the fluffy monster keychain. Before that, people were all over Sonny Angels. Now, it’s the Starbucks cup. Before you know it, there will be something else and this cup will be completely forgotten.
The need for the hottest item leads to overconsumption, buying items that will likely never be used. Yet, people are so ready to wait for hours and fight others to get their hands on an item they will never use. It is truly crazy to see people lose their minds for this bear cup by fighting other people and yelling at employees (during the holiday season no less, where the baristas are already working long hours making endless peppermint mochas). Something that seems so common like this cup, that Etsy already has similar versions of for a cheaper price, was all people could talk and think about for weeks. People needed this cup because it was what was “in,” making it priceless.
Even if a company like Starbucks is being boycotted for their work environment, the need for the hottest item outweighs it and thousands of people will flock for the item. Is the craze of the “Bearista” cup that is causing people to fight each other and ignore unfair work conditions a sign that people are taking consumerism too far? And how far will the need for the latest thing continue to go? Only time and social media will tell. But maybe we should try to take this craze as a sign to watch how much unnecessary stuff we are buying just because it is hot at the time, and instead, use the trend to buy something similar from a small business.