Every year the SDA continues to call for customers to treat workers with respect over the busy Christmas shopping period. While many shoppers do the right thing – abuse and violence is an ongoing problem in stores across Australia.
There have been far too many incidents this year where customer abuse has become violent with workers. This is not ok. That’s why we are pushing for stronger protections and safer stores for all SDA members.
Pushing for stronger protections in every State
All year round, the SDA continues to make your safety at work a top priority. Over the last few years, we’ve taken major steps to help prevent abusive and violent customer behaviour, including:
Briefing Federal and State lawmakers about the seriousness of customer abuse and violence.
Consulting with industry groups and employers, including hosting three national roundtables to develop industry-wide solutions and the Retail Employee Safety Council.
Continued research into customer violence and its impact on retail and fast food workers.
These efforts have already helped secure tough new laws and penalties for abusive and violent customers in Queensland, New South Wales, Western Australia, South Australia and Northern Territory.
But there is still more work to be done. The SDA is continuing to work to ensure that the Victorian and Tasmanian governments follow suit and create the same strong protections and penalties the other states and territories already have – so that every retail and fast-food worker across the country is better protected.
The SDA recognises that in order to stop unacceptable violence – there needs to be an industry-wide approach but it isn’t just about employers and workers – this needs community-wide action including government interventions and legislative change.
Your employer has a duty to keep you safe
Unfortunately, customer abuse and violence has become a common occurrence in retail and fast food, and this problem only becomes worse when the shops get busy especially over Christmas.
Our members should never have to face incidents like these and your employer should do everything they can to prevent these incidents.
“A young guy came into the shop one evening, I asked him for ID, he said “how’s this for ID?” And pulled a knife on me” – Male, 36-45, Retail
“Had finished work (still in my uniform) and was quickly purchasing some products at the self-serve checkouts. I was punched from behind (head and neck) by a customer. I was off work for 2 weeks with a concussion and I have been experiencing PTSD. Although it was reported to police, I have not been advised of an arrest.” – Female, 46-55, Retail
“Customer spitting on my face because she was shop lifting and was confronted” – Female, 56-65, Retail
“I got slapped by a customer, another person threatened me as I was trying to close the store, and another one followed me after I finished me shift” – Female, 18-25, Retail
“Customer called being verbally abusive about her order, threatened to come into the store. Once she arrived, she came in and verbally abused a number of staff, name calling etc. After being told to leave or I’ll call the police she threw her pizza at me.” – Female, 18-25, Fast-food
Report all incidents this festive season
As we head into the busy Christmas period, it’s more important than ever to report any incidents of abuse or violence from customers. These situations should never be ignored. You can follow your company’s reporting process or contact the SDA for advice and support.
Even when it’s busy in your store – report it. This creates a record of the incident so there’s clear data to show what’s happening and when.
Reporting incidents helps make stores safer, ensures action is taken, and allows the SDA to continue pushing for stronger protections for all retail and fast food workers.