Retail Trust survey finds 95% of shop workers faced verbal abuse in past year
A Retail Trust survey found 95% of shop workers experienced verbal abuse in the past year, with nearly a third facing it daily or weekly, as the charity launched a kindness campaign.
How it was covered
- Channel 5 was the only channel found covering it, concentrating on the survey's abuse figures, a Croydon shop owner and calls for kindness.
- BBC News, BBC One, BBC Two, Channel 4, GB News, ITV and Sky News: not found in tracked broadcasts.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story. Facts only one channel reported are attributed to it.
Channel 5 reported that a new Retail Trust survey found 95% of shop workers had experienced verbal abuse in the past year. Nearly a third of staff said verbal abuse happened daily or weekly, making it routine for those workers. The broadcast also said the figures suggest more than half of shop workers are abused or attacked every week.
The survey found almost a quarter reported physical abuse in the past year. Channel 5 reported that 16% had been spat on and 12% had been hit.
Channel 5's Catherine Jones reported from Croydon, south London, that Benedict, who owns two shops there, described being attacked from behind by a shoplifter. He said he grabbed bottles before the man took one and struck him on the back of the head. He said staff try to support each other but it can get tough.
Channel 5 reported that Croydon has a police radio alert system and extra patrols. Channel 5 reported that Benedict uses a police radio to alert his team through the Tannoy system. He said he wanted police to prioritise retail crime more highly because repeat offenders keep coming back.
Channel 5 reported that the Retail Trust charity launched a campaign urging shoppers to show more kindness and respect. In the Channel 5 report, the charity said small moments of kindness, such as a hello, a smile or a thank you, can make someone's day and mitigate unpleasant interactions with customers. Channel 5 reported that four out of five shop staff said positive customer interactions helped them bounce back after a bad experience.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| A survey found that 95% of shop workers experienced verbal abuse in the past year, with nearly a third facing it daily or weekly. | |
| A survey found that almost a quarter of shop staff reported physical abuse in the past year, including 16% who were spat on and 12% who were hit. | |
| The Retail Trust launched a campaign calling for shoppers to show more kindness and respect. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
Channel 5 built the report around the human cost of retail crime, using CCTV of shoplifting and a Croydon shop owner's account of being attacked. It set the survey's abuse figures alongside the Retail Trust's kindness campaign and local policing measures. The tone was sympathetic to shop workers and urged shoppers to treat staff with more respect.
- “A new survey has found 95% of shop workers experienced verbal abuse in the last year.”
- “If you get the reputation for being a soft touch, you will become a target.”
- “those small moments of kindness, a hello, a smile, a thank you, really have the capacity to make someone's day”
Who was on air
People and organisations each channel put on air while covering this story. Channels' own presenters and reporters are not listed. Names as transcribed, and the list can miss people.
- 17:37 GMT
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.