Tim Hortons: Homeless Not Welcome
Teresa Lee - an investment broker with a kind heart - was chastised by Tim Horton's employees at a Toronto-area location after she bought breakfast for a homeless woman.
One employee was quoted as saying that homeless people "make a mess" and was annoyed that the homeless woman - who is pregnant - stayed in the restaurant to eat her meal. An employee told Lee that homeless people weren't allowed to eat inside the restaurant (located at King and Victoria) - even if they were eating Tim Hortons' food.
Ms Lee tried to argue with the employee, saying that the food had been purchased, but she was told that the homeless woman had not paid for the food and therefore was not welcome inside. The employee - who followed Ms Lee as she was leaving - asked Ms Lee if she was going to clean up "any mess" that the woman might make.
Tim Hortons issued a statement saying that the homeless woman had been a disturbance in the past, but admitted that she had acted properly the morning in question.
Tim Hortons later apologized to an unsatisfied Teresa Lee, who is frustrated that a superficial apology had been issued to her, but that no attempt had been made to apologize to the homeless woman who was treated with such contempt.
Is Tim Hortons to blame?
John Turley-Ewart thinks not. In his recent article in the National Post, Mr. Turley-Ewart blames the city, the province, and the nation for not doing enough for those in need.
pretty sure that tim hortons has been in the media before for similar behaviour.
john turley-ewart's comment takes a single incident and puts the focus back on the bigger issue. is tim hortons to blame? yes, and so is the city, the province, the nation.
I would wonder if TH would be allowed into his own franchise. Mostly he would...because society tends to be more accepting of men. The police would be eventually called to remove them eventually. But for a woman they tend to belittle and tolarate her at the same time. Society seems to think this type of behaviour is okay. Just like they think that excerising the "R" card is their god given right and only theirs. I seem to remember the media printing a story about another TH staff member posting a sign in the drive in window posting a sign posting a notice that "drunkin indian" allowed. This coffee shop was located right next door to one of the reserves in Alberta. This just happened to one of the riches communities in all of Canada and where the highest majority of this coffee shops clientele are First Nations with money. Shame on TH...
Monique's comment is actually mine-Rose the other HN out reach worker.
Okay, this is REALLY Monique's comment (we're having fun with this!): I am appalled by the treatment this woman got and I agree with Janelle that we have to look at the big picture and put the blame on the entire system, one of prejudice and insensitivity.
Screw TH. Do you think they give a crap about anything but the bottom line? Screw all these places who only exist to exploit labour and land and suck money from our pockets.
Before this incident they were already just another AmeriKKKan corporation that suckers us out of their dollars.
Support family owned businesses if you're going to waste money and starve these a-holes out of business!
This reminds me of the "Soup Nazi" episode of "Seinfeld": the only way to be safe in a store is to conform or it's "NO SOUP FOR YOU!."
I've been homeless and have been treated badly by a lot of store clerks/managers. TH says the homeless lady was a problem client, but I know 1st hand this is a common tactic used against the homeless because whether it's true or not, homeless people don't get the benefit of the doubt.
No store wants to put of a sign in front saying "No Homeless Welcome", so they pick on the homeless one by one using their "discretion for problem clients." It's an open secret that often instead of banning, the homeless are deliberately treated badly so that they won't want to come back.
In Montreal, I was often treated like a "problem client" even when it was my 1st time ever in the store? Want to find out for yourself? Just grab a sleeping bag, and you will find out that no matter how clean and well behaved you are, you will not be welcome. I'm surprised, no news media or disgruntled employees haven't exposed this.
I've been a Tim Horton's customer for years and have never seen anything like this, but after reading about it and the employee who got fired for giving a free Timbit to a baby, I've already eaten my last donut at a Timmy's.
Whats so bad about not letting her eat there after they have complained about her 7 times, you people make TH and their employees sound like natzis or something. That TH treated that lady like any other normal person would in that situation, 7 times she was complained about that is more than enough grounds for her to never come back.