My Take on Retail: Part 2 - WTF

Retailers are facing increased verbal and physical abuse from shoppers who in many cases see no wrong in their behaviour towards staff, a new report suggests.

The study, commissioned by G4S Security Services, found one in 20 Brits believe it is acceptable to abuse a shop worker verbally if they are unhappy with the level of service.

Over the last five years, 1.6 million consumers have verbally abused retail staff for supposed poor service, the survey claims.

Shockingly, it also claims more than 150,000 Britons think physical abuse against retail workers is justifiable if they deem the service insufficient.

G4S sales and marketing director Douglas Greenwell said: "It is wholly unacceptable that retail employees should face the threat of verbal or physical assault.

"While shoppers are increasingly time pressured and expect high levels of service, this should not be allowed to translate into abuse towards store workers."

Shane Brennan, public affairs director at the Association of Convenience Stores, said: "Abuse of people working in stores is completely unacceptable. Communities and police must work together to help retailers. They have to make clear that violence is unacceptable."

John Hannett, general secretary of shopworkers' union Usdaw, said: "This survey confirms what Usdaw has been saying for a number of years. We will continue our work to protect shopworkers from abuse."

A survey by Independent Retail News last year found 26% of independent retailers had suffered verbal abuse, 13% physical assault and 11% had been threatened with a weapon.

The original story appears in Independent Retail News : Friday, 16 January 2009

Britain is certainly not alone when it comes to customers abusing employees. It is becoming more and more frequent for us to be threatened, demeaned, and cursed out. It saddens me how supposedly sane people think that it is okay to treat employees the way that they do...and the worse part is that corporate believes: "The customer is always right."