Starbucks apologizes after woman thought to be homeless is kicked out of store

After Louise Kilborn, 70, refused to leave the downtown Glen Ellyn, Ill. store with her drink, police were called to handle the matter. "People shouldn't be told to leave after buying a cup of coffee," she says. "No one should be humiliated like that." The Starbucks store reportedly has been responding to customer complaints that the place is being overrun with the homeless. (Suburban Chicago Daily Herald)

Comments

[BNBARISTA]

"i was bout to slap the white off that white BITCH!"

You may as well have said you were going to slap the white off that white cracker. Your whole problem stems from the ideology that race shouldn't be a factor.....so leave it out of your complaints about racists!

I'm really sorry if that actually did happen, I doubt it did, but more than likely it had nothing to do with race and everything to do with the fact that possibly the partner didn't see your grandmother in line, therefore assuming she wasn't a 'customer'.

[Deanne Martin]

How in the HELL did the race factor come into this thread? Why does it matter? So who in here has actually seen a homeless person in a Starbucks or works in one where a homeless person has come in, customer or not.

Honestly, we could go at it all day about why it is wrong for them to show their faces or how they deserve the same treatment as everyone else, but we would be getting no where.

AND THIS IS COMING FROM SOMEONE WHO WORKED AS A BARISTA AND A SHIFT MANAGER.

[Deanne Martin]

Lets leave the 11 year old alone. 1) She is still learning to read and write while using grammer correctly as best as she can.

[Robert M Placido]

My gal and i travel are semi retired and i am deemed disabled with SS benfits.We love our cup of "joe" and visit many Starbucks in several states.Our trip through Colo Sprgs was a nitmare and not only was served a cocoction that tasted like a moldy rat,twice after being made again.Then thrown out without the mgr even tasting,smelling whatever it is we drank.We were both deathly ill for 48hrs and have never been that sick before.Starbucks has lots of splaining to do before my love and i ever patronise them again.Maybe time for our own custom blend and give it to the big guy right up the kazoo....Bob and Di Colorado

[emibarista]

Wow, as a barista I apologize to the poor lady who got mistaken for homeless. I've only seen two, maybe three people get kicked out of my store in six months. And they usually have to do a lot to do so. But here's a good one:

A lady came into the store at 7:30 tonight and yelled behind the counter "Do you have any of the pastries to give away that you're throwing out?" Now, bear in mind that our store closes at 10 and we don't even start dealing with the pastry case until about 9:30 at the earliest. So I said "Ma'am, I'm sorry, but we don't close for three more hours so it's too early to give away pastries." She then said "Well, excuse me, I thought it was worth asking" in the snappy voice, which got me a little annoyed. I then said "well, I'm sorry, ma'am, but store policy states that we can't give away pastries when we still have time to sell them." My SS told me later that if she hadn't left right then he would have kicked her out for trying to solicit.

[Susann]

Yes, if someone has the money to buy coffee they have a right to go to Starbucks. But if you have an offensive odor (either from being unwashed or from being overly perfumed/cologned), are disruptive, annoy other patrons, or overstay your welcome (and we all know what that means, so let's not quibble about specific minutes) you can and should be asked to leave. I don't care if you're perceived as "homeless" or as "overly-rich CEO".

Anyone who panhandles, does drugs, destroys property (including defecating in the bathroom sink) or harrasses patrons does NOT belong in Starbucks or anywhere else. If you as a barista/manager tolerate that sort of behavior in the name of compassion, you've now changed my "third place" into a "bad place" -- and I reserve the right as a customer to take my money elsewhere.

[Don Ho]

Has anyone ever taken a look at the hawaii market.Does the corporate side ever consider how they got there. Its the blue coller side thats making all the money for them. Not these fuckin lazy assholes who do nothing but sit in there office. DOES SEATTLE KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE LEFT STARBUCKS IN HAWAII INCLUDING MOST OF THE CORPORATE PEOPLE IN THERE SUPPORT OFFICE AS WELL.
APPARENTLY THERE BITCH OF A REGIONAL DIRECTOR HAS KNOW CLUE HOW TO KEEP HER EMPLOYEES. TAKE HEED STARBUCKS THE TEALEAF IS COMING!!!!

[LUSHED]

re - the homeless:

i agree with whoever said they don't like the way other partners talk about the homeless -- my new store has been okay, but i've been a visiting partner to stores where the attitude towards people who are less fortunate is quite ugly. i manage to get through the shift by murmuring placatingly, and only reluctantly cover shifts in places like that.

one christmas day, i was working and we had a couple homeless people wander in. i was working with the manager (of course) and usually i am more lenient than he is towards people falling asleep on the comfy chairs or stealing all our cream (he has to set an example , after all) -- anyway, a guy fell asleep for a few hours, and it was quiet because nobody was around. when i asked him about it, my manager looked at me as if i were an alien. "It's Christmas," he said.

man, did that guy stink. but i felt better about working there after that.

personally, i think all human beings should be treated equally -- starbucks pays me to clean up after and take care of people's needs while on the premises. a person's economic status doesn't make the shit on the toilet bowl any more worthy of my sani-spray, and how can i tell where it all *really* came from anyways...

i am more sympathetic to those people who steal food. it is hard to hock food, i think, especially if you are homeless -- no one will trust it is hygienic, especially if it has starbucks labels -- so obviously, they are stealing to feed themselves.

usually when someone is stealing at my store, even when i'm not wearing an apron, i simply walk up beside them and peruse the shelf from which they are purloining items. this is usually enough to cause them to desist and leave, without me even saying a word. some people pretend to be shopping and gesture for me to move on, but i simply smile genuinely and stand there unthreateningly, and they get discouraged and leave.

i find it is more difficult for people to make the situation a problem if you don't give them anything to work with.

however, there are those occasions when my partners or i could be in danger -- i am terrified of anyone getting hurt on shift, and am glad starbucks has a non-engagement policy in regard to theft or unwanted guests. and believe me, its not just the homeless who fit these categories...

[Darren]

As a long time frequent customer to many different Starbucks, I can say it seems that more and more homeless have figured out (or communicated in cyptic code) that the Starbucks restrooms are a good spot to go the bathroom. If you sit near the side doors, there are constant streams of non-customers, but homeless people, who use Starbucks. If I were Starbucks corporate, I'd set up activism to force the cities and counties to create some form of public restrooms so merchants don't have their front doors urinated on, and the homeless have a place to go, besides Starbucks. The other problem is the usual suspects always panhandling for money outside Starbucks, and even though they are told to leave, they always come back. The new problem will be the subprime and even prime foreclosed former homeowners now homeless, living out of their $45k black Escalades in the Starbucks parking lot, unable to pay for downloading iTunes so they will be asking for money for money for iTunes and their daily $15 for Starbucks.

[secondtryagain]

Well as a former homeless person and a former Barista. I have a unique view of this situation. First of all there are places to take showers. I was never a smelly bum. In fact no one ever would have know I was homeless except for my backpack.

I would not like to try enjoying my Chia while someone next to me stinks and is drooling (most likely do to anti-psychotics) So I don't have a problem kicking them out and telling them to clean up.
Maybe SM's should find out where they can shower.

In Seattle we would send them to a place to shower and wash their clothes. We have a lot of homeless in Seattle and every store has to deal with them.

[T]

Restroom Keys next to your drink and your food and Starbucks has no policy!

http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=12359&post=66604&uid=22092443056#post66604

[Padala]

Well the presidents haleth care legislation will put the homeless in jail because they cannot afford haleth insurance or the fine, so I guess you could say that is taking them off the street.Personally I will bet that the presidents haleth care will put 25% more homeless on the street.With all the tax increases that take effect immediately and most of the benefits do not happen until 2014.

[Felipe]

I went to a Starbucks that I was near the other day to see if they were carrying the stpary. I bought them out; they had three. I ate mine and felt like I was in dessert heaven. It had a texture so unlike other gluten-free desserts I had eaten; much lighter and less dense. The flavor was amazing. I would highly recommend it, even to gluten eaters. Buy them so they keep offering them

[Mireille]

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