Two thirds of retail workers say verbal and physical attacks have worsened

Verbal and physical abuse has worsened over the last two years against two thirds of retail workers, according to new research.

The Retail Trust’s latest survey of 1,000 retail staff found that one in three are abused weekly, while a quarter don’t report difficult incidents to their employers.

As a result, over two thirds admitted to being stressed or anxious about going into work and nearly half had considered quitting their jobs because of the incidents.

Looking into the reasons behind the rise in retail abuse, a YouGov poll of 2,000 shoppers commissioned by the Retail Trust found almost half claim to get annoyed with retail workers and 81% of these people admitted to losing their temper or becoming aggressive.

For two thirds of these customers, frustration over price rises was one of the reasons for getting annoyed with retail staff.


Subscribe to Grocery Gazette for free

Sign up here to get the latest grocery and food news each morning


Others were upset about items being out of stock, there not being enough staff or because of slow service.

“Usdaw runs the annual Respect for Shopworkers in November at the beginning of the Christmas shopping period, because our members tell us that this is the time of year when issues of customer abuse can be at their worst,” Usdaw general secretary, Paddy Lillis said.

“In the run-up to the festive period, when shops are busier, customers can be stressed and things can boil over. We are saying loud and clear that abuse is not a part of the job.

“Usdaw, along with supportive retailers, has secured new protection of workers laws in Holyrood and Westminster, but there is still much more to do. Governments must provide the co-ordination needed to ensure that retail employers, police and the courts work together to make stores safer places for our members to work.”

NewsSupermarkets

RELATED POSTS

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Fill out this field
Fill out this field
Please enter a valid email address.

Menu

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER

Sign up to our daily newsletter to get all the latest grocery news and insights direct to your inbox.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.