Deputy News Editor
Last Thursday, staff from Glasgow’s Buchanan Street store were accused of asking a homeless man who was in line for food to leave the premises.
Ed Cheung, 24, stated that he had given the homeless man money to buy a sandwich, and was “disgusted” to witness the man being escorted from the store. Cheung also claimed that he saw the employee throw away the sandwich that the man had been waiting in line to pay for, before high-fiving his colleague.
Cheung said, “I’m horrified. From giving change to a homeless person who was clearly suffering and living a hard life, to next noticing he’s being escorted from the premises without food.
“To then see the food he had touched be thrown in the bin. It’s horrifying.”
The post has had over 13,000 shares on Facebook, with many social media users demanding Starbucks respond to the allegations and threatening to boycott the Buchanan Street store.
Cheung continued, “The fact that angers me more is that he had money to pay for the item and then that item was binned because he had touched it. They’re all in a sealed wrapper!
“But the issue doesn’t just lie with Starbucks. It’s the growing number of people who are now homeless, jobless and/or living on the streets.”
A Starbucks spokesperson told the Glasgow Guardian, “We want to provide a warm and welcoming place for everyone in our stores. The safety and security of our partners (employees) and customers is always our highest priority. Our team has worked with the local police on this recurring issue and we fully support our partners’ approach in resolving a difficult situation.”
