tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/retail-workers-87988/articlesRetail workers – The Conversation2023-10-03T11:25:51Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2136242023-10-03T11:25:51Z2023-10-03T11:25:51ZShop theft has been building for years – here’s how to tackle retail crime and keep workers safe<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551427/original/file-20231002-19-4x99ij.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=43%2C21%2C4800%2C3147&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Retailers want police to respond more to shop theft reports.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/british-police-officers-helmets-policing-london-366445766">Brian A Jackson/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Retail giants like Boots, Tesco and Primark are <a href="https://brc.org.uk/news/corporate-affairs/retail-leaders-call-on-home-secretary-to-take-urgent-action-on-retail-crime/">pushing for Home Office action</a> after violent incidents and abuse against shop staff almost doubled since the COVID pandemic. Retail crime cost UK shops £1.76 billion in the year to April 2023, according to the British Retail Consortium.</p>
<p>The increase in theft from UK grocery and convenience shops is often blamed on the cost of living crisis. But this situation has been building for many years because overburdened policing and criminal justice systems can’t cope with a rise in organised crime and drug-fuelled stealing.</p>
<p>I interviewed a shop manager who had been threatened by a customer for <a href="https://assets.ctfassets.net/5ywmq66472jr/22QfMejeWYbimJ9ykX9W9h/0e99f15c0ed24c16ab74d38b42d5129a/It_s_not_part_of_the_job_report.pdf">a 2019 report</a>. He said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Unless he comes back and does what he said he was going to do (slit my throat) then the police wouldn’t bat an eyelid so I didn’t report it. The police force in our area, well, it’s pointless even having a police force if I’m honest. All the time we report things and they don’t respond. They say they are so stretched that there is nothing they can do.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Retail crime is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZezBMgRCS8">woefully under-reported</a>, which makes challenging it even more difficult. In the year to March 2023, the police recorded just <a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/crimeinenglandandwales/yearendingmarch2023#:%7E:text=However%2C%20levels%20of%20theft%20have,other%20theft%20offences%20(19%25).">339,206 cases of shoplifting</a> across England and Wales. But other sources including the <a href="https://brc.org.uk/media/682083/crime-survey-report-2023_final_lowres.pdf">British Retail Consortium (BRC)</a> and <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/crime-against-businesses-findings-from-the-2022-commercial-victimisation-survey/crime-against-businesses-findings-from-the-2022-commercial-victimisation-survey">the Home Office</a> estimates it’s closer to 8 million incidents per year. UK supermarket Co-op saw <a href="https://www.co-operative.coop/media/news-releases/co-op-extends-use-of-anti-theft-dummy-display-packaging-to-deter-prolific">almost 1,000 crime-related incidents each day</a> in the six months to June 2023. </p>
<p>Incidents reported to the police halved last year “largely due to lack of confidence in any police reponse”, according to the BRC’s <a href="https://brc.org.uk/media/682083/crime-survey-report-2023_final_lowres.pdf">latest crime report</a>. But the resulting lack of police data also makes it difficult to identify who exactly is committing theft and where. </p>
<p>The term “shoplifting” prompts images of someone sneaking a chocolate bar into their pocket – it seems relatively trivial and victimless. But industry reports indicate that what is occurring in city centres is far from trivial, it’s organised and systematic looting. </p>
<p>Entire shelves of stock are being loaded into <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/sep/15/its-organised-looting-uk-in-grip-of-a-shoplifting-epidemic-say-store-owners">suitcases and wheelie bins</a>. Violence, threats and verbal abuse are also <a href="https://brc.org.uk/news/operations/brc-crime-survey-2023/#:%7E:text=Amongst%20our%20analysis%20we%20found,assaulted%20and%20threatened%20with%20weapons">becoming more common</a>. Encountering a thief is <a href="https://openaccess.city.ac.uk/id/eprint/23666/1/It_s_not_part_of_the_job_report.pdf">the number one trigger for violence in a store</a>. There are now around <a href="https://brc.org.uk/news/operations/brc-crime-survey-2023/#:%7E:text=Amongst%20our%20analysis%20we%20found,assaulted%20and%20threatened%20with%20weapons">850 violent or abusive incidents a day</a> against shop workers. Weapons such as knives, broken glass bottles and hypodermic needles are often threatened or used against workers. </p>
<p>Relatively high-value items that can be quickly resold for profit are the obvious choice for shop theft. This can include <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66784250">fresh meat, baby formula</a> and <a href="https://www.bigissue.com/news/social-justice/taking-on-hygiene-poverty-in-the-time-of-covid-19/">hygiene products</a>. Many shops now tag these items, lock them in protective cases or replace them with <a href="https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/convenience/co-op-rolls-out-dummy-display-packaging-to-prevent-shoplifting/682311.article">dummy packaging</a> to defend their stock. </p>
<h2>Is the cost of living crisis to blame?</h2>
<p>There are several motivations for regular stealing. Research shows <a href="https://www.centreforsocialjustice.org.uk/library/desperate-for-a-fix-using-shop-theft-and-a-second-chance-programme-to-get-tough-on-the-causes-of-prolific-drug-addicted-offending">70% of shop theft</a> is committed by frequent users of class A drugs. Those using shop theft to support a drug addiction report they typically generate around <a href="https://www.westmidlands-pcc.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Aptus-report-1.pdf?x59042">one third to a half of retail price</a> when they sell stolen goods. So they may need to steal double or triple the <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/882953/Review_of_Drugs_Evidence_Pack.pdf">approximately £19,000</a> reported annual spend of someone using both heroin and crack – that’s a possible £38,000-£57,000 of stolen goods per year. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.co-operative.coop/media/news-releases/criminal-gangs-with-a-freedom-to-loot-drive-spiralling-store-crime-out-of">Organised criminals</a> stealing in bulk to sell on for profit are also driving up retail crime. These enterprises consist of those who steal and their “fences” – people who will sell goods using the anonymity of online marketplaces. Retailers Against Crime estimate there could be <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-66868905">40 organised crime groups</a> targeting retailers across Scotland alone. Some offenders describe “stealing to order” from <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12435899/UKs-shoplift-order-epidemic-county-lines-style-gangs-hit-stores.html">shopping lists</a>. </p>
<p>Where the cost of living crisis might be contributing to the uplift in theft is in people’s willingness to buy stolen goods, particularly through online marketplaces, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/sep/15/its-organised-looting-uk-in-grip-of-a-shoplifting-epidemic-say-store-owners">or at car boot sales, pubs, clubs</a> and even in other shops. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Woman in a apron holding a device, taking stock, supermarket." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551426/original/file-20231002-29-2z3ksb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551426/original/file-20231002-29-2z3ksb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551426/original/file-20231002-29-2z3ksb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551426/original/file-20231002-29-2z3ksb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551426/original/file-20231002-29-2z3ksb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551426/original/file-20231002-29-2z3ksb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551426/original/file-20231002-29-2z3ksb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Supermarkets want to protect staff from threats or violence at work.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/young-shop-owner-using-digital-tablet-2168160369">Jacob Lund/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Systems in crisis</h2>
<p>Under-funding of both <a href="https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2018-03-28/debates/4FBF4BF4-9AE0-4699-A873-F31E16B3EE15/PoliceFunding">the police</a> and the <a href="https://www.barcouncil.org.uk/uploads/assets/c84a796e-ad5b-4398-bbe4b5a04063bee2/Small-Change-for-Justice-report-2020.pdf">criminal justice system</a> in recent years has only fuelled the UK’s shoplifting problem. </p>
<p>Co-op found police <a href="https://www.co-operative.coop/media/news-releases/criminal-gangs-with-a-freedom-to-loot-drive-spiralling-store-crime-out-of">failed to respond</a> to 71% of serious retail crimes reported. For offenders that are caught, <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/foi-releases-for-november-2020#:%7E:text=FOI%20201020025%20shoplifting%20%2D%20cautions%2C%20convictions%20and%20sentencing%20data%20tables">the average custodial sentence</a> for a shop theft is two months (<a href="https://www.gov.uk/leaving-prison">automatic release</a> means half of this is served in prison). Adults released from custodial sentences of less than or equal to 6 months have a proven <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/proven-reoffending-statistics-october-to-december-2020/proven-reoffending-statistics-october-to-september-2020">reoffending rate of 56.5%</a>.</p>
<p>Although the causes of prolific and persistent offending are complex and far reaching, there are some simple solutions. <a href="https://brc.org.uk/news/corporate-affairs/retail-leaders-call-on-home-secretary-to-take-urgent-action-on-retail-crime/">Retailers are calling for</a> new offences and for police to prioritise retail crime more.</p>
<p>But demand and ready markets for stolen goods should also be tackled. Businesses known to be in receipt of stolen goods need to be investigated and online marketplaces better regulated. In the USA, the recent <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/blog/2023/06/inform-consumers-act-takes-effect-june-27th-your-business-ready">Inform Consumers Act</a> <a href="https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/account/regulatory/understanding-regulations-when-selling-on-eBay?id=5393">requires online marketplaces</a> to gather information about high-volume, US-based sellers in an attempt to combat online sales of stolen goods.</p>
<p>Shops and retailers can also <a href="https://www.ecrloss.com/research/fortress-stores-keeping-the-most-at-risk-grocery-stores-trading">take action</a>:</p>
<ul>
<li>collect data on trends or new and emerging theft-related issues that can be shared with other retailers and police</li>
<li>invest in training and equipment like wireless headphones so staff can alert each other to suspicious situations</li>
<li>technology like CCTV can help detect repeat offenders, but data analysis tools can also track sales to spot where and when theft is most common</li>
<li>security guards can help but a community outreach worker could also assist with incidents involving people with social issues</li>
<li>partnering with nearby shops, law enforcement and the wider community could also help.</li>
</ul>
<p>Retailers must make sure awareness of the risk of shop theft is company-wide. But they should also accept that approaches might have to differ at store level, depending on location. Regardless, taking action to protect staff and products should be their top concern.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/213624/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Emmeline Taylor has published research funded by the Co-op and her podcast, Retail Crime Uncovered is support by Sekura Global. She is the Chair of the Business Crime Reduction Partnerships (BCRP) National Standards Board, a member of the National Retail Crime Steering Group (NRCSG), and Academic Lead on the Strategic Oversight Board for Business Crime (SOBBC) chaired by the NPCC Lead for Business Crime. </span></em></p>Shoplifting in the UK has become brazen, threatening to shop staff, and seemingly without consequence.Emmeline Taylor, Professor of Criminology, City, University of LondonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2116462023-09-18T14:54:06Z2023-09-18T14:54:06ZViolence against workers increased during the pandemic – our research shows how it affected them<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/548041/original/file-20230913-17-suyeb7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=117%2C96%2C4476%2C2961&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/female-supermarket-cashier-medical-protective-mask-1696616143">pixfly/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>For weeks of lockdown in the UK and beyond, people took part in <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-how-nightly-applause-saved-my-sanity-as-a-new-berliner/a-53700250">nightly applause</a> for <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/may/28/clap-for-our-carers-the-very-unbritish-ritual-that-united-the-nation">healthcare staff</a> and carers. Many expressed gratitude for other frontline workers: waste management workers, bus drivers, retail employees and others performing services that were deemed “essential” to a functioning society.</p>
<p>Despite this, many organisations reported an <a href="https://www.socialeurope.eu/gloves-off-aggression-towards-frontline-workers">increase</a> of violence and aggression against staff. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.hse.gov.uk/violence/employer/index.htm">Work-related violence</a> refers to abuse, threats or assault against a person doing their job. It can include physical acts, like hitting or spitting, but also verbal abuse such as threatening and yelling. It can occur in person, online, or over the telephone.</p>
<p>Along with Nadja Dörflinger and Jonas Wehrmann from Germany’s <a href="https://www.baua.de/EN/Home/Home_node.html">Federal Institute of Occupational Health and Safety</a> we at <a href="https://www.ashtoninstitute.ac.uk/research/social-change/">Alliance Manchester Business School</a> researched workplace violence against frontline workers between 2020 and 2022. </p>
<p>We wanted to understand the nature of this violence, its causes, the consequences, and what employers can do to reduce incidents. In our <a href="https://www.alliancembs.manchester.ac.uk/original-thinking-applied/original-thinkers/the-rise-of-work-related-violence-and-aggression/">ongoing UK study</a>, we interviewed managers and health and safety representatives from organisations including local government, social care, retail and waste management. The team in Germany <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41449-023-00364-8">interviewed workers</a>, managers, employee representatives and experts in retail, hospitality, public services, care, consulting and policing. Our parallel studies yielded very similar results.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Close up of a bus driver wearing a face mask and gloves while driving" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/548043/original/file-20230913-19-3u3tm9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/548043/original/file-20230913-19-3u3tm9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548043/original/file-20230913-19-3u3tm9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548043/original/file-20230913-19-3u3tm9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548043/original/file-20230913-19-3u3tm9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548043/original/file-20230913-19-3u3tm9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548043/original/file-20230913-19-3u3tm9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Transport workers were among those faced with rising abuse during the height of the pandemic.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/busdriver-mask-protecting-gloves-on-his-1697870203">Uliana_N/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>According to the <a href="https://www.usdaw.org.uk/About-Us/News/2022/Nov/Respect-for-Shopworkers-Week-2022-Usdaw-survey-fin">UK union</a> representing retail, food manufacturing and other service workers, nearly three-quarters of retail workers reported experiencing abuse in 2022, compared to just over half in 2016.</p>
<p>A <a href="https://visualisation.osha.europa.eu/esener/en/survey/overview/2019">2019 EU survey</a> showed that 59% of participating companies in the EU reported incidents with “difficult customers” as the biggest risk factor in work. According to our findings, the UK (68%) and Germany (65%) exceeded this number during the height of the pandemic.</p>
<p>Not only is workplace violence occurring at a high rate, but our findings show the nature of violence changed during the pandemic. People we interviewed shared stories of new behaviours, such as customers spitting or coughing on workers. Such acts were very rare prior to COVID, but were weaponised as public health advice highlighted their dangers. </p>
<h2>The impact of violence and aggression</h2>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-355520190000017006">Research</a> shows that targets of workplace violence report greater stress, physical health problems and job dissatisfaction. Mistreated workers are more likely to underperform and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-355520150000013002">leave their jobs</a>, which can be <a href="https://www.shponline.co.uk/workplace-violence/work-related-violence-and-aggression/">costly</a> for employers. </p>
<p>Our findings suggest that verbal abuse had a stronger effect on workers than experiencing physical abuse. Interviews from Germany and the UK described a “drip” effect where smaller, frequent incidents add up over time and can put immense strain on workers. </p>
<p>Workplace violence can have profoundly negative effects on one’s life outside work. One UK health and safety manager described how some employees who live in smaller communities are afraid of coming across their perpetrators in public. </p>
<h2>Why the pandemic led to more violence</h2>
<p>Dealing with stressors drains one’s limited physical and mental energy. The pandemic was a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13678868.2020.1779576">sustained, stressful event</a>, and <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmp2008017">research shows</a> that lockdowns negatively affected people’s mental and physical health.</p>
<p>People are <a href="https://journals.aom.org/doi/abs/10.5465/amj.2016.0646">more likely to engage</a> in harmful behaviours if they feel like they don’t have the resources to successfully address stressors. As people used their mental energy to adapt to changes like wearing masks and social distancing, they had fewer resources to confront new challenges. </p>
<p>You might remember the experience of being denied entry into a shop because of capacity constraints. While, in other circumstances, this may be seen as an inconvenience, during lockdown you may also have been worried about homeschooling your children, losing work and experiencing health anxiety over contracting COVID. The shop’s rules may have been the final straw leading to an overload of stress and anger – which some people, unable to regulate their emotions, might display in an outburst or aggressive behaviour.</p>
<p>In Germany, we found that frontline workers were often the enforcers of an ever-growing list of rules, such as wearing face masks, following social distancing and checking vaccine certificates. As the “messenger” of these rules, workers became the target of customers’ stress. </p>
<h2>Barriers to reporting</h2>
<p>If employees do not report their experiences of violence, it is difficult for employers to understand the nature of incidents or how to support their workers. But our research participants – both employees and managers – described barriers to reporting. </p>
<p>Certain work cultures normalise verbal violence as “part of the job”. This was the case in the hospitality industry in Germany, and particularly for female staff. Women often had to cope with a culture in which sexually offensive comments from guests were normalised and expected to be tolerated. </p>
<p>Some may also find it difficult to report verbal abuse. While physical violence can leave visible injuries, and most people would consider it harmful, words are subjective. Workers may worry about not being believed or seen as difficult for reporting verbal abuse.</p>
<p>Both workers and managers shared other challenges with the actual reporting tools, which can be complex and time-consuming to use, especially for workers with lower levels of tech literacy. And even when data and reports are collected, organisations often don’t have the resources or expertise to analyse the data. Health and safety managers in UK organisations spoke of reports sitting in hard drives for years.</p>
<p>While there is only so much organisations can do to end workplace violence,
our findings can help employers understand how their workers may have been affected, and how to support them in future incidents.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/211646/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Employees revealed a constant ‘drip’ of verbal abuse could be even more harmful than physical violence.Kara Ng, Presidential Fellow in Organisational Psychology, University of ManchesterSheena Johnson, Senior Lecturer in Organisational Psychology, University of ManchesterLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1798182022-04-13T12:15:56Z2022-04-13T12:15:56ZStore credit cards generate corporate profits and disgruntled workers<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/457697/original/file-20220412-12-1mbmq9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=45%2C81%2C5854%2C3954&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A smiling woman hands a dress to a clothing store cashier.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/woman-handing-dress-to-clothing-store-cashier-royalty-free-image/1153620614">Tom Werner/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Clothing retailers sell their shoppers more than jeans and sweaters. </p>
<p>Major apparel companies also sell credit, often with very high fees, like <a href="https://files.consumerfinance.gov/a/assets/credit-card-agreements/pdf/synchrony-bank_Gap%20Inc%20Credit%20Card%20Account%20Agreement%20and%20Pricing%20Information.pdf">The Gap’s</a> 21.7% starting interest rate, and US$27 to $37 late payment charge. In 2019, Macy’s store credit card revenue of $771 million accounted for more than half of <a href="https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/1-big-risk-for-macys-shareholders-2021-07-10">Macy’s operating income</a>. </p>
<p>As researchers <a href="https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520384651/walking-mannequins">studying retail clothing workers</a>, we never expected to learn about credit cards. When we asked the workers about the worst part of their jobs, we expected to hear about <a href="https://theconversation.com/walmarts-pay-raise-highlights-how-poor-weve-all-become-38019">low wages</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-on-call-and-irregular-scheduling-harm-the-american-workforce-46063">inconsistent schedules</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/retail-rage-why-black-friday-leads-shoppers-to-behave-badly-87647">rude shoppers</a>. </p>
<p>Those things matter, but many workers identified mandates to push credit card applications on customers as the worst part of their jobs. None of the retailers mentioned in this story responded to requests to explain their corporate policies on consumer store brand credit.</p>
<h2>Ethical dilemma</h2>
<p>Why do workers find this task so troubling? </p>
<p>Our research shows that they know – sometimes from personal experiences – how credit cards can ruin a person’s finances. </p>
<p>“The credit cards have a 25% interest rate, and people don’t always read that,” Elise, a woman who had worked at Target, explained. “They saw it as ‘something else I can use to pay later and not have to pay money now.’” </p>
<p>A Gap customer who buys $300 of clothing, and pays the minimum each month of about $25, will pay off that purchase in 14 months, and pay more than $40 in interest. If they miss just one payment, they will likely pay more than $75 in interest and fees.</p>
<p>Rachel has worked at American Eagle and pointed out how credit cards often hurt credit scores: “People, especially my age … don’t realize that. They’re 18 years old and a credit card sounds awesome.” </p>
<p>Gabe, another American Eagle employee, refers to his store’s credit card as “a Visa that has the American Eagle logo at an extremely high interest rate,” explaining that only “gullible” customers sign up.</p>
<p>Credit card debt can cause <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jill-Norvilitis-2/publication/237462075_Credit_card_debt_on_college_campuses_causes_consequences_and_solutions/links/0046353187b6115cdc000000/Credit-card-debt-on-college-campuses-causes-consequences-and-solutions.pdf">substantial problems</a>. Many people have to take <a href="https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/shoud-i-get-a-second-job-to-pay-off-debt/">multiple jobs</a> simply to manage their debt. </p>
<p>Getting behind on credit card bills often leads to higher interest rates and late fees – making it even more difficult to pay off the debt. Those who go into bankruptcy to discharge their credit debt may not be able to take out any loans to buy a car or a house for <a href="https://www.debt.org/bankruptcy/file-bankruptcy-for-credit-card-debt/">a decade or more</a>. </p>
<p>Credit also has the potential to exacerbate <a href="https://theconversation.com/did-artificial-intelligence-deny-you-credit-73259">inequality</a>. <a href="https://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/2017-economic-well-being-of-us-households-in-2016-banking-credit.htm">Federal Reserve data</a> on credit denials also shows that for people at the same income level, Black and Hispanic consumers are more likely to have their applications denied. </p>
<h2>How it works</h2>
<p>In about half of the 35 clothing retail stores we studied, cashiers are expected to prompt all customers to apply for a store credit card. Workers cannot refuse to sell credit cards when they are working shifts on registers. </p>
<p>During our research, we found that management keeps track of those sales by using electronic surveillance to identify exactly how many credit cards each worker sells during each shift. Management monitors how well individual workers and store locations sell credit through data from the <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-coup-des-gens-is-underway-and-were-increasingly-living-under-the-regime-of-the-algorithm-113900">cash register</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A man is seen using a credit card to purchase items from a cashier." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/456210/original/file-20220404-22605-15ptl3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/456210/original/file-20220404-22605-15ptl3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456210/original/file-20220404-22605-15ptl3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456210/original/file-20220404-22605-15ptl3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456210/original/file-20220404-22605-15ptl3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=527&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456210/original/file-20220404-22605-15ptl3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=527&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456210/original/file-20220404-22605-15ptl3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=527&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A shopper hands his credit card over to a cashier at a department store.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/shopper-hands-his-credit-card-over-at-the-checkout-counter-news-photo/95039919?adppopup=true">Chris Hondros/Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Tara, a shift lead at American Eagle, said she needed to sell 2.5 credit cards for every 10 transactions at the cash register. </p>
<p>Old Navy managers also expected cashiers like Danielle to sell two cards per shift. Special sales events intensify these goals. For example, Danielle was told to sell five to 10 credit cards during <a href="https://theconversation.com/have-reports-of-black-fridays-death-been-greatly-exaggerated-69267">Black Friday</a> shifts. </p>
<p>Our research found that those who perform above expectations – for example, selling five credit cards during a normal shift – may get a gift card, a bonus of $1-$5 or a pack of gum. Stella, a Macy’s worker, explained, “We get credit for people who don’t even get approved for the applications.”</p>
<p>Most of the workers that we interviewed said if they don’t sell enough credit cards they may find themselves off the work schedule and without a job.</p>
<h2>Corporate credit push</h2>
<p>Workers shared our surprise: Many didn’t expect clothing retailers to emphasize selling credit as much as selling clothes. </p>
<p>As Melissa, a sales associate at J.C. Penney, told us, “Surprisingly, our main focus is credit applications. They really drive that back at home. They want as many as possible.” </p>
<p><a href="https://money.usnews.com/credit-cards/articles/can-you-benefit-from-a-store-credit-card">Retailers tout</a> that the credit cards offer discounts on merchandise, are easier to qualify for than traditional credit cards and allow customers to build a credit history. </p>
<p>Yet managers rarely admit to workers that credit cards lead to profit. Nicole works at Nordstrom Rack and recalled her manager asking, “‘Do you know why we have a credit card?’ … I was just, like, ‘So you can make money on the interest?’ They were, like, ‘Well, a lot for brand awareness and to remind people if they have the card in their wallet they might come to our store.’” </p>
<p>While Nicole believed that the credit cards are aimed at increasing profits, her manager corrected her, emphasizing “brand awareness” instead. According to Nordstrom’s <a href="https://press.nordstrom.com/static-files/879478f9-0ee8-4b1e-a66a-3bc0eddc83b0">annual report</a>, credit card revenues brought in $387 million of revenue in 2021 compared with $14.4 billion of apparel sales </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A man is seen holding several different credit cards in his hand." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/456218/original/file-20220404-11-5iqaeg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/456218/original/file-20220404-11-5iqaeg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=370&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456218/original/file-20220404-11-5iqaeg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=370&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456218/original/file-20220404-11-5iqaeg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=370&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456218/original/file-20220404-11-5iqaeg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456218/original/file-20220404-11-5iqaeg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456218/original/file-20220404-11-5iqaeg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">In this photo illustration, a man holds up some credit and debit cards.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/in-this-photo-illustration-a-man-holds-up-some-credit-and-news-photo/78281926?adppopup=true">Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images</a></span>
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</figure>
<p>Many workers, like Carmen, a woman with almost two years of retail experience at Sears and Free People, finds it difficult to sell something that she believes can harm customers. In her view, credit cards “are the worst thing ever.” “It’s like trying to push something that you’re trying to make it seem like it’s something that’s so good,” she said. “But in the end, it’s not. It’s just another way to spend money.” </p>
<p>Workers realize, as did Grace, a T.J. Maxx worker, that financially “it makes sense but morally … it’s not what’s best for our customers.” She further explained, “If they want to buy our products, that’s their choice, but if we are going to charge them interest rates, that’s another thing. It just seriously pisses me off.” </p>
<p>Marty has worked at Target for 3½ years and similarly worried: “I just hear stories of … getting people who are on food stamps who sign up for these credit cards, which is going to hurt their credit, and they know they’re going to get denied … but (the managers) still, like, push it. And it’s just, like, was that ethical to do that?” </p>
<h2>Acts of resistance</h2>
<p>Some workers try to resist these mandates. Grace, the T.J. Maxx worker, recounted, “These women come in and they’re, like, ‘Well I’ve already been denied twice. Oh, I’ll just try again.’ And I’m, like, ‘No, don’t try again because that’s going to pull your credit down even further and that’s bad.’” </p>
<p>Corinne has worked more than five years at retailers including J.C. Penney and Forever 21. She also resisted pressure to sell credit, saying, “I preferred not to be on register … because I usually don’t ask people.” Corinne avoided the register rather than be disciplined for not asking customers to apply for credit cards. </p>
<p>Even Angela, who works at Old Navy and says she “rocks at selling credit cards,” emphasized, “It’s the one value of that store that I just don’t align with … the worst part of the job.”</p>
<p><a href="https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520384651/walking-mannequins">Our research</a> finds that retail workers, despite being in low-paid jobs with unpredictable hours, often see credit card sales as the worst part of their jobs. And that’s because they empathize with customers and want to help them – not lead them to financial ruin.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/179818/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kyla Walters received funding from the Labor Research in Action Network (LRAN). </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Joya Misra does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Retail employees are accustomed to long hours and low pay. What really upsets them are corporate policies to push store credit cards on consumers.Joya Misra, Professor of Sociology & Public Policy, UMass AmherstKyla Walters, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Sonoma State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1750652022-01-31T19:06:41Z2022-01-31T19:06:41ZThings look worse for casual workers than at any time during the pandemic<p>At the national Australia Day ceremony in 2021, Prime Minister Scott Morrison spoke of the contribution by frontline workers during the pandemic. </p>
<p>He <a href="https://www.pm.gov.au/media/australia-day-national-flag-raising-and-citizenship-ceremony">mentioned</a> health workers, the defence forces, the police and farmers, as well as “the truck drivers, the wholesale and the retail workers keeping our supermarket shelves stocked”.</p>
<p>In his <a href="https://www.pm.gov.au/media/remarks-2022-national-citizenship-and-flag-raising-ceremony">2022 Australia Day speech</a> only defence personnel and health workers got a mention – possibly due to the disappearing government support for retail and logistics workers during the Omicron wave.</p>
<p>With Omicron crippling supply chains and businesses being forced to shut due to lack of staff, eligibility rules for the last remaining COVID-related support payment (the <a href="https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/pandemic-leave-disaster-payment">Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment</a>) have been tightened, and the payments available cut. </p>
<p>The definition “<a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-09/critical-workers-blast-nsw-new-close-contact-iso-rules/100746816">close contact</a>” has been weakened and tens of thousands of workers have been made <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-13/national-cabinet-workers-covid-isolation-exemption-expanded/100753788">exempt from isolation protocols</a> by now being classified as “essential”.</p>
<p>Many frontline workers – namely those on casual contracts – are facing the toughest circumstances since the the pandemic began.</p>
<p>With no right to guaranteed minimum hours, sick leave or the other entitlements, those employed as casual workers or as subcontractors are likely to lose income – either due to having to take time off to get tested or self-isolate, or because their workplace hasn’t got enough staff to stay open. There is also a much higher proportion of casual workers in the retail sector, <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/labour/earnings-and-work-hours/characteristics-employment-australia/latest-release">than in the Australian workforce as a whole</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.policyforum.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Pandemic-Pressures.pdf">Our research</a> on the effects of the pandemic on income and conditions for workers between March 2020 and September 2021 shows 55% of those working in retail, fast-food and distribution were forced to take time off work for COVID-related reasons – with a significant percentage losing income as a result.</p>
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<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442418/original/file-20220125-23-px3bfq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442418/original/file-20220125-23-px3bfq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442418/original/file-20220125-23-px3bfq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=354&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442418/original/file-20220125-23-px3bfq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=354&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442418/original/file-20220125-23-px3bfq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=354&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442418/original/file-20220125-23-px3bfq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=445&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442418/original/file-20220125-23-px3bfq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=445&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/442418/original/file-20220125-23-px3bfq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=445&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<p>During this time just 1% of retail workers were diagnosed with COVID-19, and the the financial support available included the lockdown-specific <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/rp2122/Quick_Guides/COVID-19DisasterPayments">Covid-19 Disaster Payment</a>.</p>
<p>Now, with infection rates running significantly higher – a quarter of Coles warehouse staff, for example, have been reported <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/19/employee-in-coles-supply-chain-says-a-quarter-of-staff-on-leave-due-to-covid">absent due to COVID-19</a> – there’s less support. </p>
<p>Casual retail workers thus face losing hours, being put at greater risk of contracting COVID-19, and dealing with abusive customers over mask, QR code and other requirements. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/content-from-confrontation-how-the-attention-economy-helps-stoke-aggression-towards-retail-workers-173062">Content from confrontation: how the attention economy helps stoke aggression towards retail workers</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>What our survey showed</h2>
<p>The purpose of <a href="https://www.policyforum.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Pandemic-Pressures.pdf">our survey</a> of nearly 1,160 retail, fast-food and distribution workers was to gauge how the pandemic had affected employment and income.</p>
<p>Polling company Ipsos conducted the survey in September 2021, during the peak of Sydney’s Delta wave (which sparked suburb-based lockdowns in mid-July 2021) and the start of Melbourne’s Delta wave (with the Andrews government declaring a lockdown on August 5, 2021).</p>
<p>The survey was nationally representative. About 61% of respondents were women, 44% were younger than 30, and 19% were from a non-English-speaking background. About 39% were permanent full-time, 21% permanent part-time and 38% casuals (45% of women were casual, compared with 22% of men). </p>
<hr>
<p><iframe id="NlM87" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/NlM87/1/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<hr>
<p>Because it was nationally representative, about 40% respondents were not in an lockdown area (NSW, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory) at the time of the survey. This make the results even more stark compared with now.</p>
<p>From March 2020 to September 2021, 55% of retail, fast food and distribution workers had to take time off for a COVID-19 related reason: </p>
<ul>
<li>1% did so due to having COVID-19. Of these, about a third said they took unpaid leave.</li>
<li>7% did so due to being a close contact of someone with COVID-19. Of these, 51% of permanent workers and 78% of casuals took unpaid leave.</li>
<li>11% took time off because they had COVID-19 symptoms. Of these, 45% of permanent workers and 91% of casuals took unpaid leave.</li>
<li>10% were absent due to working at an exposure location. Of these, 27% of permanent workers and 60% of casuals took unpaid leave.</li>
<li>30% took time off because they had to take a COVID-19 test and isolate while waiting for a result. Of these, 42% of permanent workers and 89% of casuals took unpaid leave.</li>
</ul>
<p>Clearly while very few workers were actually sick with COVID-19, it had a significant affect on livelihoods. This a key point to reflect on now more workers have COVID-19 and an even larger number are (or should be) isolating. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/wheres-the-meat-employers-and-governments-should-have-seen-this-supply-crisis-coming-and-done-something-175144">Where's the meat? Employers and governments should have seen this supply crisis coming, and done something</a>
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</p>
<hr>
<h2>Short shift for precarious work</h2>
<p>At the time of our survey the risks of catching COVID-19 were relatively small, even for essential frontline workers.</p>
<p>Omicron has substantially increased that risk – along with the risk of losing work hours. </p>
<p>Registering a positive result is the only way ill, casually employed workers can access extra support when they aren’t able to work. But getting a test – <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-04/covid-testing-queue-test-results-stories-shared-pcr/100737438">and results</a> has been difficult, with workers in NSW and Victoria only been able to officially register positive RAT results since January 10. </p>
<p>The Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment is still available to those who don’t qualify for employer-paid leave. But to qualify you must be directed to isolate and stay at home due to having tested positive or been in close contact with someone with COVID-19. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/government-slashes-covid-payment-when-people-need-it-most-175146">Government slashes COVID payment when people need it most</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>You also <a href="https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/pandemic-leave-disaster-payment">only qualify</a> for the full $750 a week (for two weeks) if you lose 20 hours or more of paid work a week. If you lose 8-19 hours, you get $450 a week. If you lose less than eight hours, you get nothing.</p>
<p>This highlights the precarious and unsustainable position of Australians employed on casual contracts, especially those in the retail, fast food and distribution sector. Many unwell or at-risk precarious workers are likely to have gone without income while they struggle to get access to tests or lose paid work for other reasons.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/175065/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ariadne Vromen currently receives funding from the Australian Research Council for research into gender equality and the future of work. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Meraiah Foley is a Chief Investigator on two grants funded by the Australian Research Council. She has also received research funding from the Australia New Zealand School of Government. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rae Cooper currently receives funding from the Australian Research Council for research into gender equality and the future of work and as an ARC Future Fellow.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Briony Lipton and Serrin Rutledge-Prior do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Our research suggests the majority of retail workers – and casual workers even moreso – are being forced to take unpaid leave for COVID-related reasons.Ariadne Vromen, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National UniversityBriony Lipton, Postdoctoral research associate, University of SydneyMeraiah Foley, Senior lecturer, University of SydneyRae Cooper, Professor of Gender, Work and Employment Relations, ARC Future Fellow, Business School, co-Director Women, Work and Leadership Research Group, University of SydneySerrin Rutledge-Prior, PhD Candidate; Course Convenor; Research Officer, Australian National UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1624862021-07-18T12:28:09Z2021-07-18T12:28:09ZWhat Canada can learn from Sweden about creating middle-class retail jobs<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/410924/original/file-20210713-27-1q9sri0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C206%2C3212%2C1759&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Canadian grocery-store workers earn low wages compared to their counterparts in Sweden. Why?
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot </span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Grocery-store cashiers and other frontline retail workers have helped get us through the pandemic, but do we value them? Why are retail jobs middle-class in Sweden, but low-wage work in Canada?</p>
<p>These were some of the questions I tried to answer over several years of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/bjir.12596">published research</a> on grocery-store workers in different countries.</p>
<p>My research has shown that in the late 1970s, Canadian grocery-store jobs were middle-class union jobs. Full-time hours were common, and Canada’s grocery store-workers were well paid by global standards for the industry.</p>
<p>Major grocery chains held oligopolies in their respective provinces and had considerable discretion in setting prices, focused more on quality, and could use these aspects of their business strategy to justify high wages in the industry.</p>
<p>The opening of discount chains like Super Carnaval in Québec in 1982 and megastores like the Real Canadian Superstore in 1979 forced traditional grocers to rethink their human resources strategies. In addition to making profit margins narrow, many of these new discounters — like Walmart <a href="https://www.walmartcanada.ca/about-us/history">which entered Canada in 1994</a> — were non-union.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A man walks to The Real Canadian Superstore in Coquitlam, B.C." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/410926/original/file-20210713-21-1pfmuvm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/410926/original/file-20210713-21-1pfmuvm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=446&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410926/original/file-20210713-21-1pfmuvm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=446&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410926/original/file-20210713-21-1pfmuvm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=446&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410926/original/file-20210713-21-1pfmuvm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=560&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410926/original/file-20210713-21-1pfmuvm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=560&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410926/original/file-20210713-21-1pfmuvm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=560&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">A man walks to The Real Canadian Superstore in Coquitlam, B.C. in 2005.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(CP PHOTO/Chuck Stoody)</span></span>
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</figure>
<h2>Wages were reduced</h2>
<p>The chains demanded that the unions work with them to lower labour costs and prevent them from losing money. Fearing what would happen to their members’ jobs if the chains went bankrupt (and some did), most of the unions worked with major grocers to cut wages and erode other key conditions set in collective agreements.</p>
<p>The result was a drastic reduction in the real wages of unionized workers from 1980 to 2016. Today, <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2021/06/16/pay-premiums-for-grocery-store-workers-have-ended-did-their-essential-status-change-labour-rights-advocates-say-no.html">unionized retailers start at the minimum wage, or just above it</a>. </p>
<p>In Sweden, the wages of grocery-store workers in 1980 were good, but workers in some Canadian chains were better off. Like Canada, the Swedish grocery market was dominated by an oligopoly of players (until the early 2000s, when discounters like Netto and Lidl entered the market).</p>
<p>But unlike in Canada, working conditions did not erode with the rise of discount retailers in Sweden. In key areas, they improved.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/bjir.12484">Swedish wages grew by over 50 per cent</a>. Today, <a href="https://handels.se/pa-jobbet/lagstaloner/butiksanstalld/privata-och-kooperativa-butiker/">the starting salary in Sweden is just over CA$20 an hour</a>. But most workers earn more than this. The collective agreement ensures that they earn more than $31 an hour on evenings, and over $40 an hour on weekends. They also receive pay in addition to what’s stipulated in the collective agreement.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="People shop on a sunny Stockholm street." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/410928/original/file-20210713-19-1yj7bcl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/410928/original/file-20210713-19-1yj7bcl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410928/original/file-20210713-19-1yj7bcl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410928/original/file-20210713-19-1yj7bcl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410928/original/file-20210713-19-1yj7bcl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410928/original/file-20210713-19-1yj7bcl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410928/original/file-20210713-19-1yj7bcl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">People shop in Stockholm, Sweden.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Tomas Williams/Unsplash</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>What’s more, Swedish workers have substantial scheduling protections, including one month’s notice for schedules, strong rights to limit work performed on weekends and the right to be consulted on working hours. <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.13140/2.1.3612.5767">Swedish retail workers are also remarkably satisfied with their work</a>. </p>
<p>In Canada, the most employees get is usually the right to a few days’ notice on their scheduled hours.</p>
<h2>Sectoral bargaining is key</h2>
<p>So why do Swedish retail workers have remarkably superior working conditions? In a nutshell, their labour laws strongly support what’s called <a href="https://www.americanprogressaction.org/issues/economy/news/2020/03/02/176857/what-is-sectoral-bargaining/">sectoral bargaining.</a></p>
<p>Sectoral bargaining ensures every worker who works for a major retail chain in Sweden is covered by what’s called a sectoral bargaining agreement. This is a common agreement that stipulates working conditions for retail employees, and it applies across the entire sector.</p>
<p>Sectoral bargaining takes wages and other working conditions out of competition. In Canada, retail unions are always nervous that asking for high wages and significant improvements to other working conditions will hurt the profitability of their stores, which could lead to job loss. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/labors-rank-and-file-still-believe-in-collective-bargainings-power-to-bolster-middle-class-49160">Labor's rank and file still believe in collective bargaining's power to bolster middle class</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Since working conditions differ across stores, even across unionized outlets, unions are forced to accept wage concessions to help their employers compete for low prices.</p>
<p>In Sweden, the opposite is true. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/bjir.12484">Their retailers are not competing with each other by lowering labour costs</a>. Grocers want all their competitors to offer the same working conditions. That’s because sectoral bargaining prevents a non-union market entrant from gaining an unfair price advantage by operating with lower labour costs.</p>
<h2>All-encompassing agreements</h2>
<p>Employers want the union to organize workers and ensure that collective agreements are all-encompassing. <a href="https://portal.research.lu.se/portal/files/94935911/Unions_in_social_dialogue_Kjellberg_Workplace_Innovation.pdf">Approximately 70 per cent of the Swedish workforce is unionized</a>, more than double that of Canada.</p>
<p>Why is sectoral bargaining uncommon in Canada, and absent in retail? Basically, our labour laws don’t support it.</p>
<p>Swedish unions work in solidarity to force firms to sign collective agreements. For example, when <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/03/18/sweden-retail-unions_n_6888328.html">Toys “R” Us refused to sign a collective agreement in the mid-1990s</a>, unionized workers in other industries blocked the company from operating in Sweden. </p>
<p>Transit unions instructed their workers to stop delivering goods to the company. Bank unions told their workers to stop processing financial transactions for the company.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Shoppers in a Toys 'R' Us." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/411104/original/file-20210713-25-6gcyxb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/411104/original/file-20210713-25-6gcyxb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=428&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411104/original/file-20210713-25-6gcyxb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=428&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411104/original/file-20210713-25-6gcyxb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=428&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411104/original/file-20210713-25-6gcyxb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=538&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411104/original/file-20210713-25-6gcyxb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=538&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411104/original/file-20210713-25-6gcyxb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=538&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Toys ‘R’ Us faced an unfriendly reception when it entered the Swedish market.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">AP Photo/Alan Diaz</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In the end, the company had no choice but to sign the collective agreement. In fact, they turned these stores into a franchise operated by Scandinavians, since the American managers discovered that they did not understand how to operate in countries like Sweden.</p>
<p>Conflicts like this have set the stage for retailers wishing to operate in the country. For example, Lidl, a German discount food retailer known for its anti-union stance throughout Europe, signed the collective agreement when entering the Swedish market in 2002. </p>
<p><a href="https://handelsnytt.se/2021/02/22/vi-later-inte-amazon-komma-undan-utan-schyssta-villkor/">Amazon has entered the Swedish market but has yet to open its own warehouses in the country</a>. If it does, there’s little doubt the union will be successful in getting the company to sign a collective agreement. </p>
<h2>Patchwork unionization</h2>
<p>In Canada, the law encourages collective bargaining by store or chain. Sympathy actions aren’t part of the system. Among stores that are unionized, it’s not always by the same union.</p>
<p>The result is a fragmented system where working conditions diverge considerably. When unionized stores are operating under different collective agreements, their unions face immense pressure to compete with each other to lower labour costs and hence maintain poor working conditions. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A customer and a little girl look at the seafood counter at a Metro store in Ste-Therese, Que" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/410933/original/file-20210713-13-1ng7rz9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/410933/original/file-20210713-13-1ng7rz9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410933/original/file-20210713-13-1ng7rz9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410933/original/file-20210713-13-1ng7rz9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410933/original/file-20210713-13-1ng7rz9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=551&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410933/original/file-20210713-13-1ng7rz9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=551&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410933/original/file-20210713-13-1ng7rz9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=551&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A customer looks at the seafood counter at a Metro store in Ste-Therese, Que.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The existence of non-union operators like Walmart and Dollarama makes matters even worse. Many union officials argue that preserving modest privileges through collective bargaining is better than letting non-union chains dominate the industry, which would be considerably worse for workers. </p>
<p>Without providing Canada’s unions with legal supports to effectively extend workplace standards across all major chains, including Walmart and Dollarama, these workers will never win the conditions they deserve. </p>
<p>There are many benefits to supporting unionization in the grocery industry, including a wage scale, employee benefits and access to a voice for employees.</p>
<p>But if Canada wants to expand its middle class by substantially improving working conditions in sectors like retail, it must fundamentally reform its labour laws.</p>
<p>Sectoral bargaining is probably our best bet. In fact, <a href="https://cepr.net/documents/publications/low-wage-2012-01.pdf">we have long known that low-wage work is much rarer in countries where sectoral bargaining is encouraged and widespread</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://digitalcommons.osgoode.yorku.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1331&context=all_papers">We’ve had opportunities for such a reform in the past</a>. We need to create new opportunities and show our front-line workers that we truly value them.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/162486/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sean O'Brady receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), and has received funding from the Fonds de recherche du Québec en Société et culture (FRQSC).</span></em></p>If Canada wants to expand its middle class by substantially improving working conditions in sectors like retail, it must fundamentally reform its labour laws to be similar to Sweden’s.Sean O'Brady, Assistant Professor, Labour Relations, McMaster UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1516332020-12-15T15:23:11Z2020-12-15T15:23:11ZShopping for the holidays? Keep your distance from retail workers<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/374848/original/file-20201214-23-1cxaujq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C251%2C5245%2C3520&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">People wearing face masks to curb the spread of COVID-19 walk past a window display at a store in downtown Vancouver on Dec. 13, 2020. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source"> THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Maintaining social distancing inside retail stores during the COVID-19 pandemic has become a daily source of contention between retail workers and customers.</p>
<p>Yet this distance is more than a safety regulation to front-line retail workers. Inside the store, this two-metre space has become a sign of respect and an acknowledgement of their humanity.</p>
<p>Throughout the summer and fall of 2020, and as part of an ongoing research, we’ve been interviewing retail workers and customers in North America, asking them about how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected <a href="https://www.retailcouncil.org/coronavirus-info-for-retailers/">retail stores</a>, employees and customers. </p>
<p>One common story we kept hearing was how many customers disregard social distancing when in the vicinity of store employees. Here are some comments from retail workers:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“One thing that I found was quite interesting was when there’s recommendations for social distancing or physical distancing, you can see that customers would keep distance between them and other customers, but then they would disregard any sort of distance from staff member and employees.”</p>
</blockquote>
<hr>
<blockquote>
<p>“They get right up next to me, they’re showing me their phone, they’re handing me their stuff.… They don’t seem to respect us as employees; that we need our distance as well.”</p>
</blockquote>
<hr>
<blockquote>
<p>“It’s like they don’t see you as a person, they see you as a part of store so they can just interact with you as they normally would. I’ve had customers touch me. I’ve had customers come face-to-face with me. … It gets really tiresome having to keep backing away and they keep coming close to you. You ask them to stay back and they just ignore it. It makes you feel like you’re not a person, like they don’t see you as a human being. They see you as part of the store.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>One Costco worker complained that this isn’t just a problem with regular customers, but also with shoppers for the <a href="https://www.instacart.ca/">Instacart</a> personal shopping service:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Instacart will come and they have their list of what they have to shop for, but they want to get in and they want to get out as quick as possible. So, they approach a staff member and they have it on their phone, and they’ll put it right in your face like ‘Where’s this? Where’s this?’”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>While she sympathizes with <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/business/instacart-metrics-groceries-time-pressure-bathroom-breaks-jobs-20200831.html">Instacart shoppers who need to fulfil as many orders as they can</a>, she calls their attitude towards store workers disrespectful and “awful.” </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“A lot of these Instacart people are people that have lost jobs due to COVID and this Instacart is kind of what they’re supplementing their income for, right? So, you can’t really blame them. But at the same time, they’re a pain because they’re creating some of this anarchy that goes on during your shift.” </p>
</blockquote>
<p>When asked about whether she feels safe or not at work, one of the interviewees nearly cried. She said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Yes, we have to care about the safety of our customers and those who come to our stores, but we also have to care for us.” </p>
</blockquote>
<h2>A holiday gesture</h2>
<p>While many of the interviewed retail workers expressed gratitude for being able to continue working when so many are out of work, they highlighted the increased stress in their work lives. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/374833/original/file-20201214-15-1c4imj6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C6649%2C4194&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A woman in a mask looks in a mirror as she tried on earrings." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/374833/original/file-20201214-15-1c4imj6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C6649%2C4194&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/374833/original/file-20201214-15-1c4imj6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/374833/original/file-20201214-15-1c4imj6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/374833/original/file-20201214-15-1c4imj6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/374833/original/file-20201214-15-1c4imj6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/374833/original/file-20201214-15-1c4imj6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/374833/original/file-20201214-15-1c4imj6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A woman tries on earrings at the Swarovski store in Sherway Gardens Mall in Toronto.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>One of those major stressors is maintaining social distance with their customers during working hours. They also expressed concern about the limited compassion being shown by some of the customers.</p>
<p>In the midst of the holiday shopping season, <a href="https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/some-malls-extremely-busy-as-shoppers-leave-lockdown-zones-1.1534790">when many shoppers are flocking to shopping malls outside of lockdown zones</a>, we need to keep in mind that retail workers have all the same concerns about contracting COVID-19 as we do.</p>
<p>So whenever you enter a store, whether it’s a big box chain like Costco or Walmart or a small independent business, remember to “keep your distance.” It’s an important show of respect and compassion for the jobs retail workers do and the risks they face every day.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/151633/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nada Elnahla received funding from the Centre for Research on Inclusion at Work (CRIW) at the Sprott School of Business, Carleton University through their Covid-19 Special Funding grant.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Leighann C. Neilson received funding from the Centre for Research on Inclusion at Work (CRIW) at the Sprott School of Business, Carleton University through their Covid-19 Special Funding grant.</span></em></p>During the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing has become more than a safety regulation for those working in retail — it’s a sign of respect and an acknowledgement that they’re people too.Nada Elnahla, PhD Candidate, Sprott School of Business, Carleton UniversityLeighann C. Neilson, Associate Professor, Marketing, Carleton UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1396202020-06-04T16:59:43Z2020-06-04T16:59:43ZAbuse of shopworkers is on the rise – coronavirus brought it to our attention and now we need to act<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/339829/original/file-20200604-67377-7lvvum.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/angry-mad-face-asian-man-eating-1371855575">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>A well-known mantra, “the customer is always right” was once regarded by retailers as good customer relations, but now many fear it has led to a culture in which consumers can freely subject shopworkers to verbal and physical abuse with impunity.</p>
<p>In February of this year Boris Johnson <a href="https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/crime/violence-and-abuse-against-shop-workers-has-soared-figures-reveal-2071839">said</a> in parliament, “We should not tolerate crimes of violence against shopworkers,” after a survey by the <a href="https://brc.org.uk/about/">British Retail Consortium</a> (BRC) revealed <a href="https://brc.org.uk/media/674208/crime-survey-2020.pdf">an average of 424 incidents</a> of violence or abuse were reported by staff every day in 2019. </p>
<p>The COVID-19 crisis provides an opportunity for governments, trade unions and employers to change this pattern of behaviour. For the very first time, the problem has come under the spotlight. Abuse against retail workers has <a href="https://www.usdaw.org.uk/CMSPages/GetFile.aspx?guid=575d4419-a739-432b-ab54-10e84ad56e26">doubled since the outbreak</a> of the pandemic. Paradoxically, these shopworkers, once invisible to society, are considered key to keeping us all fed and supplied in times of crisis, and are now regarded with much appreciation.</p>
<p>It’s time to tackle this abuse and provide workers with the proper protections and respect that they deserve, especially given the current circumstances.</p>
<h2>Alarming statistics</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.usdaw.org.uk/About-Us/What-we-stand-for">The Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers</a> (USDAW), a trade union whose members are primarily (food) retail workers, launched the <a href="https://www.usdaw.org.uk/freedomfromfear">Freedom from Fear</a> campaign in 2003 in response to concerns raised by members about increasing levels of violence and abuse. As part of this ongoing campaign, USDAW carries out an annual survey which, alarmingly, shows that this kind of customer behaviour is <a href="https://www.usdaw.org.uk/About-Us/News/2019/Oct/Scottish-shopworkers-are-abused-threatened-or-assa">on the rise</a>. Even more concerning, recent <a href="https://assets.ctfassets.net/5ywmq66472jr/22QfMejeWYbimJ9ykX9W9h/0e99f15c0ed24c16ab74d38b42d5129a/It_s_not_part_of_the_job_report.pdf">research</a> suggests that it risks becoming the norm.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/339833/original/file-20200604-67347-nirmah.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/339833/original/file-20200604-67347-nirmah.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/339833/original/file-20200604-67347-nirmah.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/339833/original/file-20200604-67347-nirmah.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/339833/original/file-20200604-67347-nirmah.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/339833/original/file-20200604-67347-nirmah.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/339833/original/file-20200604-67347-nirmah.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Aggression against service staff should not be come the acceptable norm.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/hostile-angry-restaurant-client-couple-friends-1364480018">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Results from the USDAW survey have been consistent over the years, showing that <a href="https://www.usdaw.org.uk/CMSPages/GetFile.aspx?guid=ac12525f-fdc6-4b3b-b6cf-69f6529c4178">typically</a> in a 12-month period, 50%-60% of workers report at least one incident of verbal abuse and 30%-35% report at least one threat of physical violence. The 2019 results <a href="https://www.usdaw.org.uk/About-Us/News/2019/Oct/Scottish-shopworkers-are-abused-threatened-or-assa">reveal</a> that such incidences continue, while the BRC’s <a href="https://brc.org.uk/media/674208/crime-survey-2020.pdf">2020 Retail Crime Survey</a> shows a continuous increase in the number of violent or abusive incidents. </p>
<p>The BRC focuses on retail crimes, such as thefts, as the main reasons for violence and abuse by customers. But this fails to recognise the existence of a service culture that tolerates abuse. <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0950017012468501">Academic research</a> clearly shows that customer abuse is strongly related to the promotion of a service culture in which “the customer is always right”.</p>
<p>This encourages the perception that customers are superior to staff, whom many perceive as lesser citizens who should accept abuse as part of the job. This also allows customers to behave abusively to shop workers without fear of penalty. This is a fundamental and uncomfortable truth in retailing which needs to be confronted.</p>
<h2>The COVID-19 opportunity</h2>
<p>Academics and trade unions have challenged this truth, highlighting the seriousness of the situation and urging measures to address this unacceptable behaviour. In Scotland this led to the 2018 <a href="https://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/Bills/107499.aspx">Protection of Workers Bill</a>, which proposed that assaulting, threatening, abusing and/or obstructing a retail worker would be classed as a <a href="https://beta.parliament.scot/bills/protection-of-workers-retail-and-age-restricted-goods-and-services-scotland-bill">criminal offence</a>. Similar <a href="https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2020-03-16/debates/DF348155-F3D9-4E97-A1A9-0E9CA16FA987/AssaultsOnRetailWorkers(Offences)">bills</a> have been proposed in England, recognising the need to protect shop workers across the UK. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/339835/original/file-20200604-67383-eidfte.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/339835/original/file-20200604-67383-eidfte.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=449&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/339835/original/file-20200604-67383-eidfte.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=449&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/339835/original/file-20200604-67383-eidfte.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=449&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/339835/original/file-20200604-67383-eidfte.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/339835/original/file-20200604-67383-eidfte.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/339835/original/file-20200604-67383-eidfte.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">The coronavirus pandemic has created new pressures on retail staff.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/mansfield-uk-may-9-2020-white-1743926996">Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>USDAW has recently, again, urged both the <a href="https://www.usdaw.org.uk/About-Us/News/2020/May/Human-and-business-costs-of-retail-crime-and-viole">UK</a> and <a href="https://www.usdaw.org.uk/About-Us/News/2020/May/Scottish-Parliament-committee-scrutinises-proposed">Scottish</a> governments to protect retail workers, and called on MSPs and MPs to back the respective bills, especially during the current pandemic, where frontline shopworkers are facing health-threatening conditions.</p>
<p>USDAW’s latest survey on the <a href="https://www.usdaw.org.uk/CMSPages/GetFile.aspx?guid=575d4419-a739-432b-ab54-10e84ad56e26">impact of coronavirus on the workforce</a> shows that customers continue to abuse retail employees during this crisis. The social distancing measures introduced in stores, such as limits on the number of customers in a store, and restrictions on some products to reduce panic buying have contributed to some of the flashpoints for abuse. </p>
<p>Since the outbreak, one in six workers are currently experiencing abuse on every shift they work. Even more concerning is the fact that 196 out of 5,000 participants have been physically assaulted. USDAW also reports that many customers have <a href="https://www.usdaw.org.uk/CMSPages/GetFile.aspx?guid=575d4419-a739-432b-ab54-10e84ad56e26">refused to follow government guidelines</a> – or any safety precautions – and have harangued workers for carrying out their tasks required to keep the public, and themselves, safe. This is shocking but not surprising in a culture which has few consequences for aggressive behaviour.</p>
<p>Now is the time to re-evaluate how the staff in our shops and restaurants experience work, and for governments and employers to introduce the necessary measures to protect them from any kind of violence or abuse. And for us all, as customers, to reconsider our behaviour towards them, especially under unusually pressurised conditions for everyone.</p>
<p>The Thursday-night claps for key workers may be over, but there must be a legacy for shopworkers. This appreciation and respect must transform into an opportunity for radical change in consumerist culture. This can be supported with legislation that will protect workers from any type of abuse in their jobs. The proposed bills are crucial to ensure customers are always held accountable for their behaviour, and to assure retail staff that safety and dignity at work is their right.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/139620/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Anastasios Hadjisolomou receives funding from The Carnegie Trust for the universities of Scotland </span></em></p>Customer abuse is a serious and growing problem in the UK and incidents have doubled since the outbreak of the pandemic. It’s time to give shopworkers proper legal protections.Anastasios Hadjisolomou, Lecturer in Work, Employment and Organisation, University of Strathclyde Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.