ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) is supporting Usdaw’s Respect for Shopworkers Week which aims to highlight the scale of violence and abuse against shopworkers and encourage consumers to treat shopworkers with respect.
Today (14th November) ACS chief executive James Lowman featured on a panel at Usdaw’s summit of retail employers and their representative bodies, looking at the continuing problem of violence, threats and abuse against shopworkers.
ACS chief executive James Lowman said: “We strongly support Respect for Shopworkers Week, which highlights the scale of verbal and physical abuse faced by people working in retail. In the convenience sector alone, retailers reported over 800,000 incidents of verbal abuse over the last year, and we believe that is just a fraction of the true scale of this problem. It is crucial that incidents of abuse are reported to the police, as we know that if not dealt with, criminals become more confident and commit more serious crime without fear of reproach.”
Paddy Lillis, Usdaw General Secretary, said: “A key part of the Usdaw ‘Freedom from Fear’ campaign is working with employers to help make stores safe working environments and protect our members from abuse and attacks. It is shocking that our survey found that over 7 in 10 of retail staff are suffering abuse from customers, with far too many experiencing threats and violence. While a number of recent triggers for abuse, such as face masks and social distancing, no longer apply; the level of issues faced by retail workers is still higher than before the pandemic.
“The retailer’s response to our survey, who employ nearly one million workers, clearly demonstrates the sector’s commitment to tackling abuse of shopworkers and highlights best practice ideas. The aim of this project is to bring the industry together and work collaboratively to tackle violence and abuse. We sincerely hope that all retailers will find this report useful and provide ideas on how to better tackle the issue.”
ACS has co-ordinated with over 100 retailers and trade bodies the Home Office backed #ShopKind campaign, urging customers to be respectful of colleagues in stores. Polling conducted for the #ShopKind campaign shows that more than a third of consumers have witnessed violence and abuse against shopworkers. Campaign materials for retailers are available to download on the NBCC website here.
