Retail violence has resulted in more than two-thirds of shopworkers being stressed or anxious about going into work and nearly half have considered quitting their jobs because of the problem, according to new research by the Retail Trust.
The survey of 1,000 retail staff also reveals that:
- One in three is abused weekly.
- Two-thirds think verbal and physical attacks have got worse in the last two years.
- A quarter do not report difficult incidents to their employer or manager.
In addition, 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.
Retail trade union Usdaw will be releasing interim results of its annual survey of violence, threat and abuse on 14 November at the beginning of the annual Respect for Shopworkers Week..
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 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.”
