"Arrow" TV star John Barrowman took aim at Minneapolis-based Target after being told during a visit to one of the Minneapolis-based retailer's Los Angeles stores that he couldn't make a kind gesture to someone down on his luck.
Barrowman, whose credits include "Desperate Housewives," said Thursday on Twitter that a Target employee admonished him for buying clothes and a $40 gift certificate for a homeless man.
"I just bought a $40 gift certificate and a jacket and a shirt for a homeless person, and I was just lectured by the Target staff that I was not allowed to do that," he said in a brief selfie video he shot outside the Target on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood. "Target, that's a stupid rule. How dare you tell me, as a customer, who I am allowed to buy for, and what I am allowed to buy.
"That was a homeless gentleman who needed some help, and you need to change your policies if this is what you think of being a good community member, because I will stop shopping here, and I will post for everyone else to stop shopping here. ... That gentleman needed help, a little bit of help to get him up, to make his day a little better, and Target, you were trying to deny that. So I'm a little pissed off with you right now."
Thanks to Barrowman tagging the Twitter posting to Target's account, the actor got a swift reply: "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."
Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482
