Industry and worker groups say Australia is experiencing an unprecedented problem with the abuse of retail workers.

Unions say they have never seen widespread aggression by customers toward staff like that occurring now.

The spike in aggressive behaviour toward staff, first noted during the early days of the pandemic, isn’t dying down even though lockdowns and restrictions are in the past.

Australian Retailers Association CEO Paul Zahra said although he has been in the retail industry for 40 years, he’d never seen customers target staff in levels anywhere near as bad as during the pandemic.

While the “unacceptable” behaviour could be explained by stress and fear over COVID and supply chain disruptions, the aggression has continued almost a year into Australia’s new normal.

“We’re urging state and territory governments across the country to implement tougher penalties for people who assault retail workers,” Mr Zahra said.

“It’s not acceptable: Customer aggression, including assaults, has remained prevalent post-pandemic and it has prompted the need for government intervention.

“There’s just generally a big rise in the number of customers who choose to unleash their frustrations on retail staff, and we want to make sure that it is punishable by law.”

With a state election looming, the crisis has prompted the NSW Opposition to promise increased legal protections for beleaguered retail staff.

Numerous assaults

Mr Zahra recounted numerous reported assaults, including:

• a self-service attendant punched in the head
• a worker sexually assaulted in a clothing store after offering a customer assistance
• a worker receiving physical threats after requesting to check bags
• a worker assaulted with a walking stick
• a salesperson pepper-sprayed by a customer caught shoplifting.

The Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA) shared with TND the comments from retail workers, attempting to explain what had triggered customers to verbally abuse them.

“Price of fuel is too high so it was my fault, got yelled at [by] the customer [who] called me names,” one worker said.

Another said: “The [customer] abused me [because]…his card was declined. He raged on me saying that I stole his money and that he is going to call the police, get me fired and try to kill me.”

Others said they were anxious going back to work after being abused, especially with a lack of a physical barrier to protect them; one worker said they cut their hours so they didn’t have to work on registers anymore.

Moves like South Australia’s tougher penalties align punishment for retail worker assault with that of other frontline professions such as paramedics and police, Mr Zahra said.

Easy targets

Professor Rae Cooper, from the University of Sydney Business School, said there is also a gendered angle to the abuse. Surveys of retail workers through lockdowns found 63 per cent of female workers said their interactions with customers had worsened, compared to 55 per cent of men.

The majority of retail workers tend to be young, female and low-paid, she said.

Grouping those factors with the mentality that the ‘customer is always right’ leaves retail workers in a very vulnerable position.

This could make them easy-pickings for customers looking to let off steam amidst the stresses of COVID and, more recently, the rising cost of living.

“Paradoxically, retail workers tell us that the best thing about their jobs is their customers. But they also tell us that the worst thing about their jobs is their customers,” Dr Cooper said.

“And that’s because often customers come into a store and they see retail workers as being unskilled and as being someone who is there to serve them, rather than being an equal … who’s there to be respected in their workplace.”

She said just verbal abuse, ranging from talking down to someone to swearing, could have significant effects on workers’ mental health.

“Especially if you think about the last instance that you got of harassment or abuse at work, [it] might have been the fifth one that you’ve had for that day, that makes retail work really unattractive and unmanageable for the people who do it,” she said.

“But one thing’s for sure: All frontline workers, retail workers included … absolutely deserve to be safe where they work. They’re vital workers who keep the rest of us in jobs, fed and clothed.”