Shop workers face tide of abuse as prices rise

In the course of her work Jane regularly faces customers swearing at her, even threatening violence.

"I've had things thrown at me," the 51-year-old supermarket checkout worker from Flintshire, Wales says.

"On one occasion, I refused to serve an energy drink to a young person and a group of them said they were going to wait outside for me after work."

One in three shop workers are shouted at, spat on, threatened or hit every week, according to The Retail Trust.

The charity is calling on shoppers to think again about how they behave towards retail and delivery workers, following a survey which suggests abusive behaviour towards shop staff is on the rise.

The Retail Trust's survey of more than 1,000 workers found 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 had been verbally assaulted and nearly a third threatened with violence, the survey found.

"We're just trying to earn a living but it's made me feel anxious about going to work," says Jane.

Ian, from London, delivers groceries to people's houses by motorbike. He has had things thrown at him, including rocks and fireworks.

"Just recently, a mother sent her child to the door to collect some items, but I needed to see ID.

"The woman came out screaming and yelling abuse at me because she'd been disturbed, then she snatched the order, pushed me out and slammed the door on me," he says.

"I don't want to keep facing this, but recently it seems to have got worse. I've noticed that there is a lot more hostility now, which is actually very painful. I've realised the customer isn't always right," the 31-year-old says.

Another supermarket worker, in Yorkshire, who preferred to remain anonymous, said he was attacked after approaching two women he believed were shoplifting.

"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," he said.

Part of the reason behind this rising tide of aggression towards retail workers may be the increased pressure on people from the cost of living, the Retail Trust suggests.

A separate a YouGov poll of 2,000 UK adults commissioned by the trust found nearly half admitted to getting annoyed with a shop worker, delivery driver or somebody working in customer services in the last year. Of these, 19% - or nearly one in five - said they raised their voice or lost their temper.

When asked for the cause of their frustration 62% of the total polled - more than six in ten - cited rising prices, while 63% blamed their behaviour on the lack staff in store generally and at checkouts. More than half also blamed items being out of stock.

"We're hearing daily from retail workers who are being shouted at, spat on, threatened and hit at work. One shopworker was told by a customer that they hoped they got cancer and died," Chris Brook Carter, chief executive of the Retail Trust says.

"This is having a devastating and long-lasting impact on real people's lives. Many are extremely anxious about going into work and having to take time off or even quitting."

One worker from an electrical goods store described it as "like being a human punch bag, every single day".

The charity's Let's Respect Retail campaign aims to highlight the "intolerance epidemic" and send a message to shoppers to change their behaviour.

It is also encouraging workers to report abuse, and use the Retail Trust's free helpline.

The Usdaw union, which represents shop workers and delivery drivers welcomed the campaign. General Secretary Paddy Lillis served to highlight "the significant issues faced by retail workers simply as a result of going to work. We are saying loud and clear that abuse is not a part of the job".