The Retail Trust is providing free training for staff dealing with abusive customers

As part of a new campaign, the charity will offer the training sessions online and in London from November 12-14, and aim to help store staff deal with abusive shoppers and other difficult experiences. 

Research by the Trust found that one in three retail workers faced weekly abuse from shoppers and almost half feared for their safety at work. Workers also cited a lack of support from their employers − 48% said their employers needed to do more to deal with the current levels of violence and abuse and 39% of workers are considering quitting their jobs or the retail industry altogether due to the rise in violence. 

The Respect Retail campaign is backed by businesses including H&M, BP, Frasers Group and Holland & Barrett, as well as Retail Week, the BRC, Usdaw, Peoplesafe, Foot Anstey and Maze.

During November, H&M will donate the proceeds of its carrier bag levy to help the Retail Trust roll out the free training. 

The Retail Trust chief executive Chris Brook Carter said: “The incidents we hear about every day are both horrifying and heartbreaking, people tell us they have been spat on, had products smashed up in front of them and been filmed on their phones by abusive shoppers who then threaten to post the footage on social media.

“Thousands are contacting us to say they’re now being forced to consider leaving a job they love and often have worked in for many years because they no longer feel safe there.

“This unacceptable behaviour will only get worse unless more people are empowered to speak up, better supported to deal with their experiences and most of all, get the protection they need. I believe that retail can still be an amazing place to build a career but we know that even just one terrible encounter can overshadow a hundred kind interactions.

“As a charity, we’re working with more than 200 retailers and many are now taking this extremely seriously by introducing new support, security and dealing more closely with the police to report this criminal behaviour. 

“We want to work with even more businesses going forward to stand together against this abuse. And I’d urge anyone who needs more help dealing with their experiences to call the Retail Trust’s wellbeing helpline or apply to take part in our free training during November.”

Retail workers can apply to take part by visiting: https://retailtrust.org.uk/respect