Shoppers urged to show 'Christmas kindness'

Scottish Retail Consortium and trade union Usdaw have released a joint appeal to the public to be kind and considerate to all retail workers and fellow customers when doing their shopping this Christmas and play their part in creating a safe and enjoyable retail experience.

The plea comes as abuse and violence towards those in customer service continues to climb, with a recent Usdaw survey showing that in the last 12 months, 69 per cent of retail staff experienced verbal abuse, and 45 per cent have been threatened by a customer.

Retail is Scotland’s largest private sector employer with 230,000 Scots directly working in the industry. The festive period is a crucial trading period for many shops, with every purchase helping to support jobs in local retail and throughout the supply chain. Christmas is always an incredibly complex and challenging time of year for the retail industry. Everyone is working extra hard to keep shelves stocked, products delivered, and stores, delivery services, and eateries will naturally be a little busier.

Nonetheless, it is essential that all Scots play their part in creating a friendly and enjoyable environment for other customers and workers this Christmas, and the SRC and Usdaw are asking for patience, kindness and consideration during this busy time.

SRC and Usdaw will also be launching a new social media campaign to encourage shoppers to be considerate this Christmas. The joint initiative comes during Usdaw’s Respect for Shopworkers Week.

David Lonsdale, Director, Scottish Retail Consortium, said, "As the clock counts down to Christmas Day, retail stores and websites will become increasingly busy. People in retail are doing a brilliant job working hard to look after customers, helping them find what they need, keeping shelves stocked and delivering goods.

"While this time of year can be a little stressful, any mistreatment of store colleagues and delivery drivers will not be tolerated. Confrontations, be it verbal abuse or physical assault, can take a huge toll on victims, their families and their colleagues. When everyone shows a little Christmas kindness and courtesy – everyone will be better off. That way we can all enjoy shopping over the festive period and support local jobs and the vibrancy of our high streets and retail destinations.”

Tony Doonan, Scottish Regional Secretary, Usdaw, said, "People across retail work incredibly hard over the busy festive period to make sure everyone can get the gifts and items they are looking for and enjoy the brilliant shopping experiences that Scotland has to offer.

"They deserve to be treated with respect and kindness and there is no place whatsoever for any abuse or violence towards shopworkers. We urge customers to treat retail workers the way they would like to be treated, that way everyone can enjoy their shopping experience as we celebrate Christmas.”