Starbucks Rethinks Strategy After Limited-Edition Cat Mugs Spark Chaos

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By Zhao Runhua / Mar 01, 2019 11:05 AM / Society & Culture

Photo: VCG

Starbucks probably didn’t expect its customers to turn violent when it unveiled its latest product, cat paw-shaped glass mugs, this week.

But after scalpers and customers began fighting tooth and claw over the limited-edition items, Starbucks said it will change the way it sells them.

The coffee chain had initially planned to release 1,000 cat mugs per day for sale online from Thursday to Sunday.

But due to “unexpected” positive market feedback and intense “passion,” the company said Friday, Starbucks will release the remaining 3,000 cat-paw cups at once today on Alibaba’s e-commerce platform Tmall.

The company said the first 1,000 cups had sold out “in an extremely short time” during the first day of online sales.

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