‘Customers feel they have the right to be abusive’ – North Yorkshire shop workers speak out

Shop workers in North Yorkshire have spoken out about the abuse the face from customers.

Retail trade union Usdaw has today published shocking statistics from their annual survey of nearly 3,500 retail staff, which show that in the last twelve months:

• 90% have experienced verbal abuse.
• 64% were threatened by a customer.
• 12% were assaulted.
• 61% said they were not confident that reporting abuse, threats and violence will make a difference.

In the survey, North Yorkshire shop workers told the union: 

“Asking customer to keep to Covid rules, was met with physical and verbal abuse.”

“Customers feel they have the right to be abusive and enter your space.  It’s as if we’re invisible and something they have walked on.”

Usdaw General Secretary Paddy Lillis said: “It is heart-breaking to hear these testimonies from Yorkshire shop workers who deserve far more respect than they receive.

“Our latest survey results clearly show the scale of the appalling violence, threats and abuse faced by shop workers.

“Faced with such appallingly high levels of violence and abuse, and with shop workers’ almost complete lack of confidence in the ability of the system to give them the protection they need, much more needs to be done.

“The government must provide the co-ordination needed to ensure that retail employers, police and the courts work together to make stores safe places for our members to work and for customers to shop.”