If you’re heading into a Starbucks thinking you’re going to get a free cup of water with some fruit dumped into it, think again. TikToker Jace Mazzucco (@jacem4zzucco) learned this the hard way after they visited the popular coffee chain and were slapped with a fee for the price of a “custom lemonade.”
In the TikTok, Mazzucco lip-syncs a profanity-laced tirade in the video that signals just how upset they are with the charge they received for a beverage they thought would be classified as a water.
“Loser piece of sh*t, you little barista they/them f*ck. You’re gonna f*ck with my drink? What kind of f*cking nasty piece of sh*t are you? You little f*cking spawn of Satan cr*p,” (The clip’s sound derives from this video of a woman getting angry at a barista and chewing them out.)
@jacem4zzucco I CAN’T THE WAY SHE SAYS FUCK W MY DRINK GFN 😭😭 #fyp #joke #starbucks #coffee #barista ♬ original sound – skinnyfat
Harsh words, but why all of the hate? A text overlay indicates what prompted such a visceral reaction: “When i ask for a ice water with strawberries since i’m broke and they ring it up as a custom lemonade.”
Several viewers who claim to be baristas for Starbucks said that they are required to ring up the fruit-laden water beverages as teas or lemonades.
“I got in so much trouble the one time I didnt,” one person wrote.
Another penned, “My store manager makes us ring it up as custom teas we get in trouble if not.”
“Sadly we have to :/” someone else wrote, to which Mazzucco said that they understood and were simply making a joke about it in their video.
However, there was one person who claims to have found a way around the custom drink charge—by asking for the strawberries on the side and then simply dumping them into the water yourself.
“Ask for it on the side they shouldn’t charge you,” they said.
However, responses to that comment indicated this practice is a Starbucks-by-Starbucks customization.
“Unfortunately we aren’t allowed to sell it on the side either unless it’s an ingredient already in the drink :( we’ll get in more trouble for that,” one TikToker wrote.
Another replied,”I worked there 8 months and that’s what they told me so idk depends on the barista.”
According to Starb Mag, while water is generally free, fruit-infused waters are not, nor are users charged 60 cents for a custom water beverage, either. The outlet writes that folks can expect to shell out $4 for one of these fruit-infused drinks.
“Starbucks strawberry water became popular through a TikTok trend that went viral on how to get water with strawberries at an affordable price,” the outlet states. “This trend, however, made people believe that the drink costs 0.60 dollars, which is not true. Starbucks water with strawberries costs around 4 dollars as it is charged as a custom tea and not just filtered water with strawberries in it. However, the price of this drink may be influenced by your location.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Starbucks and Mazzucco via email for further comment.