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Shop workers have described being threatened with knives and spat at as a new campaign launches to promote respect for retail staff in the lead-up to Christmas. A survey by the shop workers’ union Usdaw found that almost half of those questioned had been threatened by a customer in the past year. More than two-thirds of the 2,000 workers surveyed said they had suffered verbal abuse, while about one in eight had been assaulted.
One shop worker said a shoplifter “threatened to stab me with a knife several times” after he was asked to leave the store, while another said that they were “spat at and sworn at” after denying a customer alcohol. Others reported impatient customers becoming “verbally aggressive” due to long queues. There had been a “worrying” increase in cases of assault, the union said.
Retailers have noticed a recent small downturn in shop theft (Getty/iStock) Usdaw is joining with the Retail Trust, Association of Convenience Stores and National Business Crime Centre to promote this week’s annual Respect Week. Usdaw general secretary Joanne Thomas said the results of the survey revealed a slight downturn in threats and abuse. “This year’s annual survey interim results show a welcome, but slight, downturn in the level of abuse and threats retail workers are experiencing while doing their jobs, which reflects the recent small downturn in shop theft.
“However, it is very worrying that violent incidents are increasing. It appears that the number of incidents is in decline, but the severity is increasing and some violent shop theft is now being classified as robbery. “The government has invested in policing, with specific projects to tackle retail crime, and that appears to be having an effect.” Chief executive of the Retail Trust Chris Brook-Carter said shop workers had “had enough of being shouted at, threatened, and treated with contempt”.
Usdaw general secretary Joanne Thomas (PA Wire) “We’re hearing from people who are frightened to come into work because they don’t know what they’ll face that day, and from others who have been pushed to breaking point by repeated abuse. “Retail is one of the few places where millions of strangers still interact face-to-face, and there has been a disturbing shift over the last few years where behaviour that would once have been considered completely unacceptable is increasingly being seen as part of the job. “This is damaging people’s confidence, destroying morale and driving good people out of a sector they once loved.
“Most people do the right thing, but when a minority don’t, the rest of us have a role to play in making sure shop workers still feel seen and valued. No one should face abuse at work, and respect can start with something as simple as looking someone in the eye, showing a little patience or simply saying, ‘hello.’”
Source: The Independent
