'Cost of living stress linked to rise in retail staff abuse'

Abuse and violence towards shop workers is on the rise again, stated reports today citing a recent research which reveals that a quarter of those reporting hostility blame the cost of living crisis for increasing stress and aggravating customers.

According to figures from the trade body the Institute of Customer Service (ICS), 44 percent of frontline retail staff have experienced hostility from customers in the past six months – up by a quarter from the figure of 35 percent in February.

Tensions are continuing to rise and this is thought to be linked with declining consumer sentiment amid the cost of living crisis, according to the ICS.

The ICS research, from a poll of more than 1,300 customer-facing staff, found that over a third – 35 percent – believe that the public’s behaviour and tone have become more aggressive over the past six months.

Meanwhile, 33 percent of workers who have experienced hostility cited higher levels of anxiety among shoppers as a trigger for customer hostility and 25 percent specifically linked it to price increases.

“I worry that UK businesses are becoming trapped in a catch-22 situation, with tensions boiling over into abuse that triggers staff absences leading to further frustration,” reports quoted Jo Causon, the institute’s chief executive officer, as saying.

The research’s finding comes as new powers come into force today (28), which will allow for large penalties to be handed to customers who attack and abuse shop workers. The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 was given royal assent in April.

“These new stricter sentencing guidelines will provide vital protection for workers against a backdrop of heightened customer stress and frustration relating to rising prices, and falling levels of service due to widespread skills shortages.

“We must break this cycle, by acting together as a society to offer our support to hard-pressed, frontline workers.”

“These issues aren’t going away, and so price rises and inflation will be on the cards for many months yet.

“To prepare for this, I urge employers to adopt a zero-tolerance approach to hostility, ensuring their employees are trained to handle difficult situations when they arise,” Causon said.