Save your money and just let nature take its course...
What Starbucks told schoolgirl trying to buy food for homeless man
WHEN schoolgirl Amy McIlroy saw a homeless man freezing on the street, she decided to pop into Starbucks and buy him a sandwich.
But she was stunned by the reply from the barista behind the counter.
He told her not to bother with the charitable deed and to ‘just let nature take its course’. The coffee chain said it is ‘urgently investigating’ the remark.
Amy, 14, went ahead with her act of kindness towards the beggar, who she thought was only a teenager, then wrote on social media: ‘So disgusted.
‘@StarbucksUK went into one of your Glasgow branches to get some food for a 16-year-old homeless boy who was physically shaking from the cold and was told by a worker that I’d be better “saving my money and letting nature take its course”. I’m at a loss for words.’ Speaking from her home in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, yesterday, Amy added: ‘I was really taken aback when the barista said what he said.
‘I’ve never experienced that type of hatred or ignorance towards a stranger who hasn’t done anything to merit such vile behaviour. I didn’t get his name but the young boy looked around 16 or 17 … I told him [the barista] it was a disgusting thing to say.
‘There are a million circumstances that could lead to someone becoming homeless.
‘ Starbucks should be held accountable for clearly not training their staff well enough in customer service.’
Starbucks later apologised for the remark made by a staff member at its Exchange Place cafe in Glasgow, but was criticised by customers online.
Marianne Gallagher wrote on Twitter: ‘I bought a young boy a coffee from that Starbucks on Friday. I’ll take my money elsewhere in future.’ Bethany Scott added: ‘Wow. Bye Starbucks. I’ll spend my money at Pret [a Manger] instead.’
Amy’s mother Liz McIlroy, 52, praised her daughter for her thoughtfulness, saying: ‘I’m proud of her. She’s that sort of person who is always thinking of others.’
The homeless man, 20-year-old Liam Anderson, said he felt ‘very thankful’ for the food but was ‘shocked’ by the barista’s attitude. ‘When the girl bought me a Starbucks, it was quite overwhelming, to be honest,’ he told MailOnline. ‘I thought, “Wow, people do care!”’
Mr Anderson said he became homeless after being neglected by his mother as a teenager and falling out with his sister after going through the care system.
He added that he sometimes stays in a homeless shelter but regularly finds it fullly occupied.
‘At times I go grab a sleeping bag somewhere, get under an air vent then go to sleep,’ he said. ‘It is quite scary at times … People talking to me gives me comfort because they ask if I’m okay.’
A Starbucks UK spokesman for said: ‘We’re urgently investigating what has happened here and have been in touch with the customer directly to apologise.
‘We believe in creating a place that is welcoming for all and we are disappointed that this incident does not represent the values we expect in our stores.’