A retail charity is calling on customers to think about how they behave towards retail and delivery workers, following a survey that suggests abusive behaviour towards shop staff is on the rise. The Retail Trust's survey of more than 1,000 workers found that nine out of ten had been the target of abusive behaviour from customers, and more than two-thirds said verbal and physical assaults had increased in the last two years. Eight in ten claimed they had been verbally assaulted and nearly a third threatened with violence, the survey found. A quarter of retail workers do not report difficult incidents to their employer or manager and more than two-thirds said they were stressed or anxious about going into work and nearly half had considered quitting their jobs.

A YouGov poll of 2,000 shoppers commissioned by the Retail Trust also found that:

• Nearly half admit to getting annoyed with a retail worker and of these, 81% lost their temper or became aggressive.
• They blamed most of the frustration on items being out of stock, not enough staff or checkouts and slow service.
• Two-thirds said they were being left frustrated by rising prices.

Paddy Lillis, Usdaw General Secretary, said:

“We very much welcome the support of the Retail Trust on this issue. Their shocking survey findings confirm that we do need to continue with our campaigning and next week Usdaw members will be out in their workplaces and in shopping centres promoting a culture of respect to the shopping public, as well as urging retail staff not to suffer in silence with the key message of ‘report it to sort it’. 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. 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 coordination needed to ensure that retail employers, police and the courts work together to make stores safer places for our members to work.”

A supermarket worker, in Yorkshire, told the BBC he was attacked after approaching two women he believed were shoplifting. He said:

"They began to throw stock at me, punched one of my colleagues and on the way out one of the women lunged at me and dug her nails into my head. That night I had to go home and explain to my two young girls why I had a massive cut on my head. It really does weigh on your mental health, and my family worries about my safety."

Research carried out by the Institute of Customer Service (ICS) found that 25% of frontline staff said customer hostility was specifically linked to price increases.

ICS CEO, Jo Causon, said:

“As a nation, we find ourselves at the mercy of stock and staff shortages related to global and domestic issues. These issues aren’t going away, and so price rises and inflation will be on the cards for many months yet. To prepare for this, I urge employers to adopt a zero-tolerance approach to hostility, ensuring their employees are trained to handle difficult situations when they arise.”

In June this year, an amendment to the Police Crime Sentencing and Courts Act came into force, which specifically criminalises abuse against shop workers. The policy change, which was given royal assent in April, was brought to attention after a surge of attacks against shop workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.