I was a shopworker through the last decade of Conservative government. Working in retail for a decade, from 2013 to 2023, I experienced first-hand the truth of violence against shopworkers. Respect for Shopworkers Week is a crucial time to reflect on the roles we play as both customers and as communities. Violence, aggression, and shoplifting not only harm individual shopworkers, but also corrode our society.

Over the past ten years, incidents of violence against shopworkers have increased dramatically. This rise is more than just numbers in a report, just as shopworkers are more than faces of the faceless: it’s people living in fear, working with trauma, and, in some cases, enduring physical injury. On one occasion when I worked in food retail, I was working on the tills while a theft took place, and a customer reported it to the police. Just being present was enough to make me a target, as later on the person came back to the store and assaulted my colleague while looking for me, leaving them with an injury still present 10 years on.

We put shopworkers at risk when “lower scale” shoplifting is effectively decriminalised, as happened under the previous Conservative government. Shoplifting going unchecked can embolden perpetrators and fuel a ladder of crime that impacts not just individual stores, but entire communities. Early intervention and the abolition of the £200 limit for investigation is key to preventing minor shoplifting incidents from escalating to threats, and from threats to violence.

Working in department stores, where the price tags go substantially higher than in food retail, I saw firsthand that the threats could be even more intense. On more than one occasion, my colleagues had to be escorted home by police due to threats made against them during the day. Knives, needles, and sexual violence were all threatened against my friends.

You can tell a lot about a person by how they treat shopworkers and service workers, and you can tell a lot about our society at large through the same lens. Respect for shopworkers takes more than politeness: we must recognise their role as community caretakers, going the extra mile to help those in need or actively listening to the daily updates of people who don’t have anyone else to talk to.

Beyond transactions, shopworkers act as the face of their communities, regularly connecting with locals, helping customers, and being a familiar, reliable presence. They are the ones who listen, support, and they were depended on during the dark days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A significant driver behind rising violence and aggression is addiction, linked to two thirds of the 70% of assaults that began as shoplifting incidents. The challenges facing our country today, from addiction to poverty, contribute to crime in retail settings. Addressing these problems requires an holistic approach and community support to prevent crimes and ensure shopworkers’ safety. If we’re serious about tackling retail crime and the abuse of shopworkers, we need to create a fairer society and economy.

Respect for Shopworkers Week shines a light on an urgent issue, but respect shouldn’t last just one week. We need stronger support systems, early interventions, and a focus on the societal issues driving this violence. We must ensure that respect for shopworkers is part of our everyday lives, not just a once-a-year commitment.