The Scottish Retail Consortium and trade union Usdaw have urged the public to be ‘kind and considerate’ to all retail workers and fellow customers when doing their shopping this Christmas.
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% of retail staff experienced verbal abuse, and 45% have been threatened by a customer.
SRC and Usdaw will also be launching a new social media campaign to encourage shoppers to be considerate this Christmas. The joint initiative comes as part of Usdaw’s Respect for Shopworkers Week.
Director at the Scottish Retail Consortium David Lonsdale 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..”
Scottish Regional Secretary of Usdaw Tony Doonan added: “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.”
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