Sainsbury’s has joined the the Retail Trust’s ‘Lets Respect Retail campaign’, which asks shoppers to treat retail workers with kindness and respect.
The supermarket chain is the largest retailer to join the cause and will ask its customers to treat its staff fairly and with respect from next month.
Tracey Clements, chief retail, logistics and supply chain officer at Sainsbury’s, said: “No colleague should come to work worrying about abuse, threats or violence, which can have a serious and lasting impact on their wellbeing.
“We are taking action to keep colleagues and customers safe by investing in a range of measures across our sites but no retailer can tackle this alone, which is why we’re backing the Retail Trust’s Let’s Respect Retail campaign and calling on everyone to treat retail colleagues with the kindness and respect they deserve this Christmas and beyond.”
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The campaign also aims to raise awareness of the impact of crime and abuse on shop workers. As part of the campaign messaging will appear in-store, online and on receipts in the run up to Christmas reminding consumers to show respect to staff.
The Retail Trust has also partnered with trade union Usdaw, the Association of Convenience Stores and the National Business Crime Centre to highlight the extent of retail abuse and crime. According to the Retail Trust, more than three quarters of shop workers reported facing abuse last year.
Chris Brook-Carter, chief executive of the Retail Trust, added: “Some of the UK’s biggest retail and leisure businesses have been getting behind Let’s Respect Retail, showing the industry’s determination to end the unacceptable abuse and violence plaguing our shops and shopping centres and provide more help to those at risk.
“Sainsbury’s support will allow us to reach millions of shoppers as we work together to ensure everyone working in retail is treated with respect. A greeting or a thank you is the very least anyone serving on our high streets should expect, but too many shop workers dealing with daily hostility and aggression are being denied even those smallest and simplest acts of courtesy.”
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1 Comment. Leave new
What was seen as a basic job to in lockdown and staff where seen as an essential bit of keeping safe. To back to a everyday almost meaningless job. It’s in general now almost a no chat environment. Staff in food shops have headphones on and almost never acknowledge someone as they may be chatting on the headset. Especially now most are none interactive with staff as you scan and load your shopping etc. It’s all going contactless and that will lead to less interaction. Thats the world now, only speak if its beneficial. We are all told to not interrupt is someone is talking on a phone or conversation and wait. Companies want this once great interaction, but the complain to staff they are not meeting targets or behind on picking. It’s no wonder you wrong my doing right and right for doing right. It is very much take the money and don’t get involved. Times change, even customers see it as a meaningless job. Shame but the times we are in.