Target Refuses to Let Actor Buy Gift Card & Clothing for Homeless Man
When actor John Barrowman was shopping in a West Hollywood Target on Thursday, he decided to put his money to good use and help out a homeless man.
According to TMZ, Barrowman had been approached by the man who merely asked if the actor would buy him an $8 t-shirt.
However, the “Arrow” actor went above and beyond as he was willing to purchase a $40 gift card, grooming kit and other items for the man — before he was allegedly stopped by Target employees.
Barrowman stated that he had been approached by one of the store’s workers while checking out and was told it was illegal for him to be purchasing these items for the homeless man.
The incident made Barrowman furious, and after multiple failed attempts to try and right things in the store, he took to social media in order to bring attention to what he stated was a very big problem.
https://twitter.com/JohnBarrowman/status/982050999849271296
“I am disgusted by what I was told. Arrest me for trying to help someone. The stupidity behind that rule. I want an explanation. My fans and followers please message #Target regarding this. JB,” the post said.
Many responded by their own approval of his generosity as well as their disappointment at the store’s employees for treating the homeless in this way.
You are very kind. That’s the Target down the road from me. As angry as you are now things will change there now because it was YOU this happened to. Your social media reach is significant and will shame them into doing the right thing next time. Thank you for speaking out.
— David Sobolov (@volobos) April 6, 2018
Literally the most important thing someone can do with a platform that they find themselves on: Use it to speak out about injustice! John, does it all the time. 😉 Captain Jack still saving the world 😘
— Cindy “Very Average" Jain (@cinhin85) April 6, 2018
Hi John, the problem is perhaps not so much with Target but with the fact that it's against the law (at least in some states) to help the homeless. There have been reports of arrests of people giving money to homeless. What a tragic law.
— Derek Johnston (@ValenTheOne) April 6, 2018
Though many agreed with the actor’s initial sentiments about the way the store employees acted, some even called for their termination.
https://twitter.com/iDontHoldHouses/status/982087949796884480
https://twitter.com/Ninasanz83/status/982253175586500609
Target responded with an apology and a statement saying that they would follow up to find out exactly what happened, though Barrowman called it a “bland response” from the popular corporation.
We’re very sorry for the experience you had at the LA Target store. We absolutely do not have a policy against this type of purchase, and are addressing it immediately with the team members involved. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
— AskTarget (@AskTarget) April 6, 2018
John reached out to Target on Twitter, they replied, “We’re very sorry for the experience you had at the LA Target store.”
“We absolutely do not have a policy against this type of purchase, and are addressing it immediately with the team members involved. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.”
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