‘Stop Making Us Work Harder Than We Get Paid’: Influencers Are Bringing Pumpkins To Starbucks Instead Of Cups, And What Baristas Are Being Forced To Do Is Infuriating

A new fall trend has people on social media arguing as influencers bring hollowed-out pumpkins to Starbucks and ask baristas to fill them with drinks for content. The viral trend has people asking whether coffee shop workers should be part of these social media videos.

The trend started getting popular when several TikTokers began posting videos of themselves preparing small pumpkins to use as cups. One TikTok video with 303,000 views shows a creator buying a mini pumpkin at the grocery store, scooping out the inside, and cutting a hole in the top before going to Starbucks to ask for her drink to be poured into it. Many others have done the same thing, with different results depending on the store and how the staff reacted.

But the trend has gotten a lot of hate from viewers and workers. One Starbucks worker shared how frustrated they felt about the extra work, saying, “Stop making us work harder than we get paid.” Many people in the comments said that these requests add extra steps to shifts that are already busy, especially when customers film the whole thing without asking the employees if it’s okay.

This Trend Is Getting Out Of Hand

Not every Starbucks worker has been happy about these requests. One TikToker posted about getting rejected at a drive-thru, showing herself pouring her drink from a regular plastic cup into her pumpkin while sitting in her car. The rejection shows that not all stores or workers want to be part of the trend.

People on social media have been speaking up about their concerns. One TikToker made a response video showing an annoyed Starbucks worker pouring a drink into a pumpkin, saying, “Workers should not be humiliated or dragged into some performative crap that they didn’t consent to because you want clicks.” 

Many people in the comments agreed and said that customers should pour the drinks into their pumpkins themselves instead of making staff do it. This isn’t the first time seasonal trends have caused problems, as an American woman recently discovered something concerning while trying to send a Halloween card.

The problem of filming workers without asking them first has become a big talking point. One person commented, “Starbucks should have a policy that they dont serve you if they see you filming their workers without consent.” Another person said there should be petitions to ban filming in drive-thrus to protect workers.

Former baristas also shared their thoughts. One said they would have said no to these requests, while another simply stated, “I would refuse their drink if they tried to film me.” Most critics agree on one thing: customers should deal with their own pumpkin cups instead of making busy workers part of their content.