Violence and verbal abuse is on the rise as shoppers take their frustration out on staff, say unions

Verbal abuse and violence against shop workers is rising because of customers’ frustration with self-scanners, according to unions.

Up to 40% of shoppers say they would rather not have any, while the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers say supermarket staff are opposed to self-service checkouts too.

And, the union says, attacks on staff are rising because of frustration with unmanned tills.

“There are a number of potential issues with new technology,” said Dave Williams, of Usdaw.

“Often systems differ from one store to another, they can be temperamental and the queuing system isn’t always obvious.

“Low staffing levels mean that if a shop worker is helping a customer, there can be a delay in helping another.

“This can cause customer frustration and it is generally the shop worker who bears the brunt of any resulting abuse.

“We work with employers to promote a safe working environment, ensuring our members are properly supported and not suffering undue stress.”

Customers prefer the face-to-face interaction of a cashier, according to Dave. “Shop workers are an integral part of the retail environment, providing first-class customer service and assistance that no machine could ever match,” he explained.

“So while some retailers might find it superficially attractive to introduce new technology and reduce staffing, Usdaw believes shop workers add value to the business and some new technology seems more gimmicky than practical. There has been research that shows that quite often it’s quicker to go through a staffed checkout and that queues have lengthened since self-service tills were introduced.”