Latest News

With Christmas and Black Friday approaching, shocking new survey shows millions of shoppers have seen violence & abuse towards shopworkers

30th November 2021

Findings come as #ShopKind campaign urges kindness to shopworkers and consumers in stores this Christmas

Retailers are urging shoppers to #ShopKind when they visit high streets this Christmas, as new polling reveals that over one third of shoppers (38%) have witnessed violence and abuse against shopworkers.

With at least two-thirds of consumers flocking back to the high streets, retailers, the Home Office and charity Crimestoppers are reminding customers to be kind to shopworkers and fellow customers. The latest retail industry data suggests that 450 shopworkers are abused each day and it’s feared this may rise during the busy festive season.

The #ShopKind campaign urges the public to be mindful of shopworkers’ essential role serving the public, and emphasises that workers should be treated with respect, kindness and gratitude. Over 86% of shoppers recognise that shopworkers face a much higher workload during the Christmas period, but there remains a minority of people that are aggressive and, in the worst cases, physically violent towards people working in shops.

#ShopKind is supported by major high street retailers as well as the nation’s independent shopkeepers and the shopworkers’ union Usdaw. The ShopKind campaign is now visible across high streets and on social media.

Kit Malthouse MP, Minister for Policing, said: “The festive season should be a time of respect and goodwill, particularly for the retail staff whose hard work allows us all to enjoy a merry Christmas.

“It is completely unacceptable for anyone to threaten or assault shop workers, and this Government won’t stand for it – we are taking action including by backing the #ShopKind campaign, which provide better support to retail workers and encourage customers to treat them with dignity.

“I fully support the #Shopkind campaign, which reminds customers to shop with kindness. I would encourage all retailers to continue to show their support for the campaign and use the seasonal #Shopkind assets.”

A spokesperson for John Lewis Partnership said: “Our Partners look forward to delighting our John Lewis and Waitrose customers as they visit our stores this festive season.

“The John Lewis Partnership takes a zero-tolerance approach to abuse and violence. We ask all our customers to #ShopKind this festive season – showing respect and kindness to our Partners.”

Gareth Lewis, Loss Prevention & Security Manager at Southern Co-op, said: “Christmas is not always a happy time of year for everyone and the pressure can become overwhelming. Our store colleagues often bear the brunt of this as it quickly turns into rage and an unacceptable verbal attack.

“Whilst there have been some improvements in crime levels, sadly, verbal abuse has increased across our 200 stores by 26% over the last 12 months compared to the previous year. So, while we continue to invest in and take action to protect our colleagues, we would urge everyone to think and shop kind this Christmas.”

Mark Hallas, Chief Executive at charity Crimestoppers, said: “Our high streets play a pivotal role in our communities across the country and whilst Christmas can have its own stresses, there is absolutely no excuse for violent or abusive behaviour towards workers. Please help us stamp out abuse and if you know who is responsible but want to stay anonymous, tell our charity what you know. Call freephone 0800 555 111 or visit Crimestoppers-uk.org. Together, we can help protect our shops and shopworkers from harm at this busy but special time of year.”

If you have any information about someone who is abusive or violent towards retail workers, please let Crimestoppers know 100% anonymously on freephone 0800 555 111 or by competing a simple and secure Anonymous Online Form at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.

Please note: With Crimestoppers, computer IP addresses are never traced and no-one will ever know you contacted them. For telephone calls, there is no caller line display, no 1471 facility and calls have never been traced.