Today (11th November), Usdaw launched the 2024 Respect for Shopworkers Week, which aims to raise awareness about the violence and abuse faced by retailers and convenience colleagues.
Usdaw’s interim results collected from over 4,000 retail staff responses have revealed that over the last year, 69% have experienced verbal abuse, 45% were threatened by a customer, and 17% were assaulted. Of these incidents, 70% were triggered by shoplifting, and two-thirds of this has been linked to addiction.
This year, the ACS crime report found that there have been 5.6 million incidents of shop theft recorded, with 600 incidents of theft taking place every hour. Retailers have had to spend £339m in crime prevention measures such as CCTV, security staff, and internal communication systems, resulting in a 10p ‘crime tax’ on every transaction that takes place in every store across the UK, up from 6p in the 2023 Crime Report.
ACS chief executive James Lowman said: “We strongly support Respect for Shopworkers Week, as well as the work that Usdaw does to raise awareness about abuse towards shopworkers. Shop theft and abuse has unfortunately been an ongoing issue for our members, who are consistently reporting that they are being affected by retail crime on a daily basis.
“We will continue to work with the Government and police to tackle these issues directly, but we also encourage everyone to raise awareness and work together to ensure that these perpetrators are taken out of the cycle of reoffending, and shopworkers receive the kindness that they deserve as they continue to do good work in their communities.”
Paddy Lillis – Usdaw General Secretary says: “It is shocking that over two-thirds of our members working in retail are suffering abuse from customers, with far too many experiencing threats and violence. Seven in ten of these incidents were triggered by theft from shops, which is clearly the result of a 29% increase in police recorded shoplifting over the year to June. It has become increasingly common for retail stores to be targeted by organised crime gangs stealing to order amid a retail crime epidemic.”
“This week, Usdaw activists will be campaigning in their workplaces and communities calling on the shopping public to ‘respect shop workers’ and ‘keep your cool’, particularly in the run-up to Christmas when the number of incidents increases as shops get busy and customers become frustrated. This is a hugely important issue for our members and they are saying loud and clear that enough is enough.”
More detail about Respect for Shopworkers Week 2024 can be found here.
