Retail workers are bracing themselves for increased customer aggression this Christmas as cost-of-living pressures intensify.
Thousands of retail workers reported in a survey by the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees' Association (SDA) that they feel unsafe at work, with 87 per cent experiencing verbal abuse from customers this year.
Brian*, from Cairns who has worked in retail since he was 19, had to resign from his position at one major superstore 18 months ago after 15 years because of regular verbal abuse he said was "just out of control".
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"The mental stress and anguish that most of these workers go through day in and day out is disgusting," said Brian.
"If I walked into your workplace and spoke to you the way I get spoken to on a daily basis, you would be on stress leave."
Brian claimed some major retailers have been "completely negligent" in responding to workers' complaints of abuse, creating unsafe and stressful workplaces.
He said regular retail worker abuse has worsened in recent years and is having a huge emotional toll on workers.
"I've had 16, 17 and 18-year-old girls on my shop floor have toasters thrown at them," he said.
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Brian detailed the verbal abuse he experienced when a customer needed their fridge replaced, growing angry as he followed company procedure.
"So he's come in absolutely screaming and shouting first thing in the morning demanding a replacement… he's just swearing his head off," Brian said.
Woolworths has seen a surge in reported incidents of "violence, threats and abuse" towards workers in stores, which has climbed to 3000 in the past year, according to a spokesperson.
"We take these matters very seriously, and are committed to taking action to address them," they said.
"We are rolling out initiatives to deter offenders, and we've welcomed reforms in New South Wales and South Australia to better protect retail workers."
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A Coles spokesperson said a range of security measures have been implemented in stores to protect workers, including electronic tags, security guards, CCTV and counselling services for employees.
A new safety council will soon be established in Australia to counter the rising abuse, with the SDA, the Australian Retailers Association, and other major retailers announcing plans in November.
"Employers need to be taking a zero tolerance approach towards customer abuse," said SDA National Secretary, Gerard Dwyer.
9News.com.au have also contacted Harvey Norman and JB Hi-Fi for comment.
