DEALING with abuse from customers “must not be part of the job,” retail union Usdaw demanded today after two-thirds of shopworkers said that verbal and physical attacks are getting worse. 

One in three are being abused every week and nearly half are close to quitting due to the stress and anxiety they feel on the shop floor, according to disturbing research conducted by charity the Retail Trust.

Its survey, which consulted 1,000 retail staff nationwide, reveals a quarter do not report difficult incidents to bosses, suggesting the widespread issue is becoming normalised.

Nearly half of the 2,000 shoppers polled by YouGov on behalf of the charity admitted getting annoyed with a shopworker, while a whopping 81 per cent reported losing their temper or becoming aggressive.

Most blamed frustration on a lack of staff, slow service and items being out of stock amid ongoing supply chain issues.

But in a sign that the worsening cost-of-living crisis is putting unbearable pressure on some families, two-thirds said soaring food prices had pushed them to breaking point.

One supermarket worker who wished to remain anonymous described being attacked after approaching two women he believed were shoplifting.

“They began to throw stock at me, punched one of my colleagues and on the way out one of the women lunged at me and dug her nails into my head,” the employee in Yorkshire told the BBC. 

“That night I had to go home and explain to my two young girls why I had a massive cut on my head.”

Retail Trust chief executive Chris Brook Carter said that the problem is “having a devastating and long-lasting impact on real people’s lives.

“Many are extremely anxious about going into work and having to take time off or even quitting.”

Usdaw general secretary Paddy Lillis said that his union would redouble its efforts to “promote a culture of respect to the shopping public as well as urging retail staff not to suffer in silence. 

“In the run-up to the festive period, customers can be stressed and things can boil over.

“We are saying loud and clear — abuse is not a part of the job.”

The union is set to release the interim results of its own annual survey of threats and violence across the retail sector next week.