Christmas is the busiest time of year for many stores and for
retail colleagues. Everyone working in retail deserves a safe
Christmas, from those working in stores, to those delivering
goods or supporting at customer service centres. Yet the BRC's
most recent retail crime survey showed that incidents of violence
and abuse have risen to over 2,000 incidents every day, and
incidents tend to spike at Christmas.
This is why the British Retail Consortium (BRC), Associated
Convenience Stores (ACS), Usdaw and Retail Trust are calling on
the public to take a stand with us against violence and abuse
towards retail workers, and ‘shop kind' this Christmas.
Incidents, which can include everything from threats with weapons
and physical assaults to racial slurs, take a severe toll on the
physical and mental health of victims, who return to work day
after day wondering whether they will be targeted again.
And it's not just those working in stores: delivery drivers also
face abuse and physical violence in their day to day. With up to
a third of all retail sales being made online in the run up to
Christmas, delivery drivers will be busier, and more exposed than
ever. A recent Usdaw survey showed that in the last twelve
months, more than three quarters of delivery drivers had been a
victim of abuse, and over one in ten had been assaulted.
The welcome implementation of the Crime and Policing Bill is
edging closer and retailers hope that it will play a vital role
in granting additional legal protections for retail workers by
introducing a standalone offence for assaulting a retail worker.
This would increase sentencing, stiffen deterrents, and improve
the visibility of violence against retail workers so that police
can allocate the necessary resources to tackle this blight.
It is currently unclear if the Bill will apply to all people
working in customer facing roles, as is the case in Scotland. The
BRC is calling on the government to ensure that the final Act
ensures the extension of protections to delivery drivers.
Helen Dickinson, Chief Executive of the BRC,
said:
“Christmas should be a time for everyone. Retail colleagues are
working incredibly hard to keep shelves stocked, serve customers
and deliver gifts. Abuse or violence of any kind is simply
unacceptable and we ask the public to stand with us in the fight
against retail crime and shop kind this Christmas.”
James Lowan, Chief Executive of ACS, said:
“Colleagues across the industry work incredibly hard to serve
their communities, yet far too many continue to face violence,
abuse and intimidation for simply doing their jobs. This festive
season, we are reminding everyone that colleagues are doing their
very best to make this time of year special for us all. Please
shop with kindness, patience and respect.”
Joanne Thomas, General Secretary of Usdaw,
said:
“The run-up to Christmas is always a really busy time for retail
workers, as customers can be stressed and things can boil over.
Retail staff are people too, they will be working really hard to
make the customer experience as enjoyable as possible and deserve
respect. Many will go home after a shift upset about an
unpleasant incident that took place at work and worried that it
will happen to them again. That is why Usdaw, the retail trade
union, is asking customers to ‘keep your cool', so that everyone
can have a happier Christmas.”
Chris Brook-Carter, Chief Executive of Retail Trust,
said:
“We all have a role to play in restoring kindness and respect to
retail and this starts with something as simple as a greeting, a
thank you or a smile when shopping this Christmas. Even the
smallest acts of recognition can make a huge difference to people
who tell us they are being ignored, disrespected and shouted at
every day, and who are dreading Christmas because that's when
abuse and violence peaks.”
