Abuse Of Sussex Shop Workers Increases During Pandemic

Tuesday, 1 December 2020 11:42

By Charlotte Baker @Ch4rtweets

Shop workers and their families have spoken out about abuse during the pandemic as part of a new Christmas campaign.

The 'Keep Christmas Kind' Campaign has been launched with the help of Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner, Katy Bourne, to crack down on abuse against shop workers.

It comes as a survey by Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) found 76% of shop workers claim that abuse, threats and violence had gotten worse since the beginning of the pandemic.

The Co-op has backed the new campaign, and said it has around 730 incidents a day at its stores, and the Southern Co-op has seen an 80% rise in assaults and abuse over the last couple of months.

With uncertainty about family gatherings at Christmas after the current lockdown ends, we are going to see huge last-minute shopping sprees and potential tensions spilling over on the high street.

Three families in Sussex have featured in the film speaking about abuse their family members have experienced.

Steve has worked in retail for over 20 years and is now manager at a Southern Co-op in Hove.

His daughter Kayleigh said she really worries about her father and abuse has definitely gotten worse during the pandemic.

Steve said:

“I might be a store manager, but I am also a father.

"I still try to be upbeat but it's hard when you have someone shouting in your face or throwing beer at you.

"Life is incredibly difficult for a lot of people right now and we understand that but please don't make it harder for us."

Clive's wife Sammie is a Co-op Store Manager in Sussex, he describes how she takes it upon herself to do home deliveries for those who are self-isolating.

He said:

“I worry about Sammie most days when she goes to work, she had a flare pulled out on her recently, it’s so scary.”

Mrs Paleja has been the owner of a small newsagents for the last 32 years with her husband who recently was diagnosed with dementia. She is now a full-time carer whilst also managing the running of her much-loved family business.

In the campaign film, her daughter Mita describes her mother as a superwoman and tells of the abuse she has faced during the pandemic:

“My mum is just trying to do her job. She has been threatened with a knife, verbally abused and pushed. She fractured her wrist as a result of that. I’m worried about her safety.

"Please consider to be kind this Christmas, there is a family behind every business.”

Shop workers across Sussex are going above and beyond for their customers and, just like Mrs Paleja, they may have been mistreated and abused.

To watch the campaign film click here: #KeepingChristmasKind - full film - YouTube