A MAN says he was left “shaken and embarrassed” after he was told he was barred from his local shop for trying to pay by cash.

David Buchanan, 55, said the manager at his local Co-op supermarket in Newton Mearns became agitated after he tried to pay for his elderly mother’s groceries with cash.

“He was downright rude to me,” claims David, a photographer, who moved home from Spain before the coronavirus outbreak to look after his mother in the East Renfrewshire town.

David handed the manager a twenty pound note to pay for his shopping and alleges he was met with hostility from the staff member, who then told him he was banned for not paying by card.

But the Glasgow Times understands that a customer can only be barred if they receive in a letter in writing from the Co-op.

“I came back shaking, physically shaking. He said he would phone the police on me. I was very embarrassed,” he said.

The ban is said to have been lifted after David told the Co-operative’s customer service team he was going to the Glasgow Times about the incident. He said: “There was a great shift in attitude after I mentioned I was going to the paper.”

He said the manager’s attitude was “beyond all credibility”.

“He was acting in a manner ­unbefitting of a manager.”

The incident is alleged to have occurred on Saturday, March 28 at around 1pm in the Co-op on Harvie Avenue in Newton Mearns.

David said he was supported by other customers and said a man behind him in the queue called the manager’s behaviour “completely over the line”. The manager declined to comment when approached by the Glasgow Times.

A spokeswoman for the Co-op said: “We won’t tolerate aggressive behaviour towards our colleagues who are working hard under immense pressure.

"Where possible we’re asking customers to use contactless methods of payment, however we do understand this isn’t always possible.

"We have addressed this incident with the customer in question and are sorry for any upset it might have caused.”

Shops are closing. Newspaper sales are falling. But we’ve chosen to keep our coverage of the Coronavirus crisis free because it’s so important that the people of Glasgow stay informed during this difficult time.

To help us get through this, we’re asking readers who can afford it to contribute either £3, £5 or £8 a month to the Glasgow Times.

If you choose to sign up, we’ll also take away all the adverts – and deliver a digital version of the print paper to your device. Click here to help Save Your Times: www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/subscribe

----------------------------------------------------------------