Social media users are calling out Starbucks customers for participating in a new trend of bringing pumpkins as a cup replacement to the coffee chain.
Many suggest that Starbucks workers shouldn’t be inconvenienced by those looking to make content.
In a video with 303,000 views, a TikToker scans a small pumpkin at the grocery store. On-screen text reads, “Your sign to take your mini pumpkin to Starbucks!”
She carves out the fruit from the pumpkin. Then she cuts a hole in the top to turn the shell into a cup. She goes to Starbucks and asks the barista to put her drinks in the pumpkin to create a fall treat.
She is just one of many TikTokers hopping on the new fall trend.
Another TikToker shared a barista’s enthusiastic reaction to being asked to fill the pumpkin with a drink.
“I’m going to ring you up for a tall. If it’s a little more than that, we’ll just cover it in Cool Whip!” the worker exclaims.
However, the posters share varying levels of success, particularly those asking for the pumpkin to be used in a drive-thru.
One TikToker shows herself pouring a Starbucks drink made in a standard plastic cup into her pumpkin in the car. The request was rejected.
The on-screen text explains, “POV: Your Starbucks said no to you using your pumpkin as a cup.”
Despite the TikTokers’ enthusiasm for the pumpkin cup trend, many viewers call them out for involving Starbucks workers in their antics.
“Workers should not be humiliated or dragged into some performative crap that they didn’t consent to because you want clicks,” one TikToker says, showing a video of a Starbucks worker who appears annoyed as she pours a drink into a pumpkin.
In the comments, others agree that Starbucks customers who want to use the pumpkin cup should pour the drink into the fruit themselves.
“Normalize not forcing employees to be part of your content,” one writes. “Just the lack of consideration for working people infuriates me,” laments another.
“Starbucks should have a policy that they don't serve you if they see you filming their workers without consent. You can order your drink, sure thing, but the phone/camera has to be put away,” a third remarks.
“We need to sign petitions to allow no filming in drive thrus for the employees,” pushed another.
“As a former Starbucks barista, I would’ve refused. You can do that yourself,” said one commenter.
“I would refuse their drink if they tried to film me,” agreed another.
One worker suggests, “Stop making us work harder than we get paid.”