Starbucks investigating claims staff told deaf customer at Manchester store they 'sounded drunk'

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

A deaf customer at a Starbucks cafe in Manchester has claimed they were asked if they were drunk by a member of staff. Comedian and actress Samantha Baines, who is an ambassador for the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID), took to social media to share comments one of her followers made regarding an incident which is claimed to have taken place at the Starbucks store on Market Street.

Samantha, who was diagnosed with hearing loss at 29, said the person was asked to repeat themselves by a member of staff before being asked how deaf they really were and then told they appeared to sound drunk. READ MORE: Manchester Christmas Markets 2023 - ALL the locations, opening times and everything we know so far READ MORE: The two Greater Manchester chippies that could be the best in the country Posting on social media, Samantha wrote: “Dear @StarbucksUK a deaf person asked a staff member in your Manchester store to repeat themselves and pointed [to] their hearing aids.

The staff member then asked how deaf they were and said they sounded drunk (at 10am)! This is unacceptable. staff need deaf awareness training ASAP.” Speaking to the M.E.N, Samantha said the person did not want to identify themselves or highlight the exact day the incident happened as they feared the staff member could potentially lose their job, but said it occurred recently. “As an ambassador for RNID, people will often send me messages when they experience ableism or difficult situations because of being deaf,” Samantha said. “This person sent me a message in response to a video I posted about why you shouldn’t ask deaf people how deaf they are - as it can almost be like a judgement. “They told me about their experience at the Starbucks in Manchester