Around 18% of shopworkers suffered a violent attack last year, compared to 8% in 2022, according to statistics from union Usdaw’s annual survey.
The research also reveals that in the past 12 months 70% of shopworkers have experienced verbal abuse, 46% were threatened by a customer, and 18% were assaulted.
The survey of more than 5,500 retail staff also found the number of incidents has come down since the exceptionally high levels during the pandemic, but remain higher than pre-Covid levels in 2019.
Paddy Lillis, Usdaw General Secretary, said: “No-one should feel afraid to go to work, but our evidence shows that too many retail workers are. It is shocking that nearly a fifth of our members working in retail are being assaulted for simply doing their job and serving the community. They provide an essential service and deserve our respect and the protection of the law.
“Our members have reported that they are often faced with hardened career criminals and we know that retail workers are much more likely to be abused by those who are stealing to sell goods on. Our latest survey results show that 7 in 10 retail workers suffered abuse from customers, with far too many experiencing threats and violence. Theft from shops and armed robbery were triggers for 61% of these incidents.”
