More than half of UK shop workers are now subjected to abuse on a weekly basis, according to new research from the Retail Trust, which has launched a nationwide campaign urging shoppers to show greater kindness ahead of the Christmas rush.
The charity's annual survey of 1,138 shop workers found that 79% have faced an abusive or violent situation in the past year, up from 77% in 2025. Weekly incidents have risen sharply, with 54% now targeted every week compared to 43% last year and 33% in 2024.
Rise in Filming and Physical Attacks
The research also recorded a jump in staff being filmed without consent by mobile phones or smart glasses, rising from 30% to 38% in a year. Almost one in four (23%) said they had experienced abuse involving a physical attack, such as being kicked or hit, a figure unchanged from the previous twelve months.
The survey revealed that 84% have witnessed shoplifting in the past year, with more than a third (35%) witnessing it every day. Of those affected by abuse, 70% feel stressed or anxious about going to work, 36% feel unsafe at work, and 21% feel unsafe travelling to or from their workplace.
Impact on Staff Retention
Almost half (48%) said the worsening abuse has made them want to quit their job or leave the retail industry altogether, up from 43% in 2025. More than two-thirds (68%) believe dealing with abusive customers has become 'part of their job', while 80% feel they are now expected to put up with rudeness and disrespect.
A separate poll by research firm Early Studies for the Retail Trust found that 36% of shoppers think their friends or family would avoid returning to a shop where they had witnessed staff being abused.
Campaign Launch and Industry Support
The Retail Trust's Let's Respect Retail campaign launches today (Monday 9 November) as part of a dedicated week of action. The charity is working with the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS), shopworkers' union Usdaw and the National Business Crime Centre to run activity across the UK.
Benedict Selvaratnam, who owns two shops in south London, described the increase in abuse. "When we opened our town centre store 10 years ago, there were about two to three instances of abuse per week. Now it's two to three every day," he said. He recounted an incident where he tried to retrieve a stolen wine bottle from a shoplifter and was attacked with it, requiring stitches on the back of his head.
Charlie, 23, who works for a discount retailer in Shropshire, said a video of him dealing with an angry customer was shared on a local community Facebook page. "To receive the abuse in store in the first place was bad enough, but then to have it filmed by the customer and shared on social media made it infinitely worse," he said.
Despite these challenges, 83% of retail employees said just one positive interaction with a customer during their shift can help them recover from a negative experience. The campaign's 'start with hello' message will appear in thousands of stores, shop windows, cinemas and shopping centres across the UK from today, with screens at major rail stations and Heathrow Airport carrying the message throughout November.
Chris Brook-Carter, chief executive of the Retail Trust, said: "Our country's shop workers have had enough of being shouted at, threatened, and treated with contempt. We're hearing from people who are frightened to come into work because they don't know what they'll face that day, and from others who have been pushed to breaking point by repeated abuse."
Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium (BRC), said: "No one should go to work fearing for their safety, yet the Retail Trust's findings are a stark reminder that violence and abuse against retail workers remain endemic." Theo Paphitis, chairman and owner of Ryman, Robert Dyas, Boux Avenue and London Graphic Centre, said: "I applaud the Let's Respect Retail campaign because kindness isn't optional, it's essential and our retail colleagues deserve a positive work experience."
Chris Evans MP, chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Customer Service, said: "It is never acceptable for anyone to be abused simply for doing their job. I'm shocked by the increasingly common stories I hear in my constituency which is supported by this new research from the Retail Trust that shows over half of all shop workers feel targeted by abuse every single week, up from a third just two years ago."
Assistant chief constable Alex Goss, retail lead for Merseyside Police, said: "It is not right that retail workers are subjected to abuse which is both psychological and physical when they go to work." He noted the force's digital evidence initiative, Operation Dale, which enables officers to process offenders quickly through the courts and pursue prolific offenders.
Employees at some of the country's biggest retailers and shopping centres, including Next, Bluewater and Liverpool ONE, are also being given more support by the Retail Trust to help them respond to and deal with abusive incidents.
