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A Starbucks coffee shop in the city centre has sparked outrage after apparently refusing to serve a homeless person – despite the fact he had money to pay.

The incident, that is said to have taken place in the Buchanan Street store at around 8pm on March 2, was posted on Facebook by Airdrie resident Ed Cheung and has since been shared thousands of times.

It was alleged that despite having the money to pay for his sandwich, the homeless man was asked to leave the premises and the food he touched was subsequently put in the bin.

The post by Ed Cheung read: “Witnessed the world's disgusting thing tonight in your Buchanan Street store. A homeless man was approached by a member of your staff whilst in the queue to pay for food and was asked to step out of line and leave the premises without food.

“He was walked out the door by your employee and once he was happy he was out and away from the premises, your employee walked back in and had the nerve to bin the sandwich he had touched.”

Ed continued: “This fellow is having a hard time already sleeping rough and little to no money in his name and with the money he had he wasn't even allowed to purchase money to feed him!

“I actually feel sick thinking about what happened. I hope something gets done regarding this, because it's a bloody disgusting world to be living in if this happens.”

The post, which has been liked 10.3k times and has 5.6k shares, sparked a wave of comments from people condemning the coffee chain.

Many people have stated that they plan to boycott not only the Buchanan Street store but from Starbucks in general.

One comment, from Claire Cairns, said: “Me and my work colleagues purchase coffee from Starbucks daily but will never step foot back in the place after reading this.

“I work in a homeless hostel so I think my colleagues will be with me on this one!! Disgusting.”

A spokesperson for Starbucks responded that the man is known to staff at the Buchanan Street branch, and that there have been previous incidents of 'aggression'.

A statement from the chain reads: "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.”