About half of retail workers experience weekly harassment or assault as a retail crime
Almost half of Britain’s shops are vandalized or attacked every week, according to a new study which reveals the UK’s crime crisis.
The retail trust, which supports the retail sector, found that 43 percent of retail workers experienced verbal abuse, and one in four reported being physically assaulted in the past year. More than three-thirds have perceived threatening or aggressive behavior from customers.
The number of workers reporting harassment on a weekly basis has increased significantly over the past year. In the past twelve months, almost a third said they faced general hostility – underscoring what the trust describes as a “deep” sign of prudence in high street retailers.
“What’s frustrating is that it’s sometimes a normal abuse,” said Chris Brook-Carter, Chief Executive Officer of Retail Trust. “We interact with people who are overlooked, despised and lampooned every day.”
The report paints a stark picture of deteriorating physical and mental health among retail workers. Of those who experienced abuse, more than 40 percent said they considered quitting their jobs or leaving the industry altogether. Almost two-thirds reported that they were worried or afraid that he would work.
Brook-Carter said Shop workers are being treated more ‘subhuman’, despite efforts by big retailers and the government to curb violence and theft. “The proposed legislative changes are welcome, but they will not stop the nudity, hostility and disdain shop workers tell us they face at every turn,” she said.
Retail confidence revealed in further research by Yougov that almost a quarter of UK adults admitted they had forgotten to make eye contact or smile at shop staff, and one in five admitted they had failed to say, or say thank you.
With an increasing number of cases, harassment has entered the Internet: 30 percent of store employees say that even a colleague has been placed without permission on social media “Prank” Videos watched by Tiktok and other platforms.
Retailers have poured billions of pounds into technology, including facial recognition systems, body cameras and security gates, in an effort to prevent theft and protect employees.
Tesco recently announced that it was equipping 5,000 delivery drivers with body cameras after being verbally abused, having already issued “gaps” that allow staff to collect DNA from the perpetrators.
Despite these measures, violence and intimidation continue to rise. The government has promised to make assaulting shopkeepers a felony and reinstate a law that previously treated shoplifting under $200 as a low misdemeanor.
Ministers have promised to end what they called the “disgraceful indifference” of shoplifting crime, but unions say action is too little, too late.
Nadine Hearnon, National Officer at the GMB Union, said the findings revealed an urgent need for tougher enforcement and better performance in shops.
“Our members have been stabbed, stabbed and threatened with syringes while trying to do their job,” she said. “It was absolutely shocking – no one should have to suffer this kind of trauma and violence at work.”
He called on vendors to ensure “adequate personnel and security to prevent rock-solid incidents and procedures to support workers when they occur.”
The rise in hostility towards retail workers is part of wider challenges facing the UK’s high street, which has been hit by price gouging, theft and changing consumer habits. Retail experts say the recovery of the sector depends on economic recovery not only on economic policy but on restoring respect to those on the front lines.
As Brook-Carter warns, “our workers are the beating heart of our communities – but too many are made to feel unsafe and protected in the places that help them live.”
