Personal Claim Employees “grabbed” Starbucks Bearista Cups before customers could

One person claims employees at their local Starbucks kept the brand’s latest viral, limited-edition holiday item for themselves.

On Thursday, Nov. 6, Indianapolis-based TikTok user @Cole.Insider claimed in a video that employees at their local Kroger store “took” all available stock of the new one Starbucks Bearista Cold Cup in glass from the Starbucks store before customers could purchase them.

“Pov: we’ve been waiting outside since 2am for starbucks bear cup BUT the employees took them all before we could,” the user captioned the TikTok video. They also shared photos of their experience arriving at the store early in hopes of snagging one of the viral cups, which resemble a honey bear container wearing a green, Starbucks-branded cap.

The cup, which retails for just under $30 per Starbucks websiteis one of several new holiday items the coffee chain introduced this year. It quickly sold out on November 6, causing a nationwide frenzy.

In his video, @Cole.Insider said they knew their chances of securing one of the Bearista cups were already slim because the Kroger location allegedly said they only had six of the cups in stock. They did not specify the specific Krogers location.

“So I already knew I was a bit of a cucumber, but I decided to wait it out,” the user said.

They arrived at their local Kroger store around 2 a.m. and “got nervous” because there were already several other people waiting outside the doors. Videos shared by the user show at least seven people waiting for the store to open.

After queuing for at least four hours, at 6 a.m., the waiting customers entered the store and headed to the Starbucks location in the store to secure the newly released cups, according to TikTok. But, as @Cole.Insider claimed, employees had already checked out with cups in hand.

“If you look there, you can already see employees — including Kroger employees — checking out the cups before we could even get them, after we were in line for them,” the user said over footage purported to show the employees checking out with the cups.

“So I mean, I wasn’t that mad, but the people in front of me, they were pissed off,” the user said. They also noted that the location had some of the other items Starbucks released ahead of the holiday, but said, “I was there just for the bear cup and the bear cup.”

PEOPLE has reached out to Kroger and Starbucks for comment.

Customers elsewhere also met in their hunt for the limited-edition bear glass on Thursday, according to The Wall Street Journal. One woman, Jeriana Ricciardi, told the outlet she witnessed a grown man “fighting” young girls for the collectible in New Jersey.

The viral smallpox now resold online with prices ranging from $170 to $1,050, PEOPLE previously reported.

In an earlier statement to PEOPLE, a Starbucks spokesperson did not clarify how many Bearista cups the chain had on average in each store, but acknowledged how quickly the cups were flying off the shelves.

“The excitement for our merchandise exceeded even our greatest expectations and despite shipping more Bearista cups to coffee shops than almost any other item this holiday season, the Bearista cup and a few other items quickly sold out,” Starbucks said. “We understand that many customers were excited about the Bearista Cup and apologize for any disappointment this may have caused.”

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A Starbucks spokesperson declined to comment The Wall Street Journal on whether the chain plans to release more of the popular Bearista cups, said.

In an earlier statement to PEOPLE, however, Starbucks claimed fans can expect “more exciting merchandise coming this holiday season,” though the chain didn’t specify exactly what that would be.

Along with the new Christmas items, the Starbucks 2025 Holiday Menu hit stores on November 6, including the fan favorite Sugar Cookie and Iced Gingerbread Chai.