Customer Abuse & Violence in Retail & Fast Food
Survey results highlight abuse towards retail and fast food workers is epidemic
Enough is enough. Too many retail and fast food workers are being abused at work from swearing and spitting to threatening and physical violence.
For more details about the campaign, go to No One Deserves A Serve.
If you need advice or support, please contact your SDA Branch.
SDA survey 2023
The 2023 survey of over 4,600 workers found that the prevalence of abuse and violence by customers has not improved since the previous surveys.
In the last 12 months:
- 87% of workers said they had experienced verbal abuse from a customer. Both 2016 and 2021 surveys recorded 88%.
- Workers experienced an increase in the frequency of verbal abuse over a sustained period of time, rather than just isolated events. Of those who experienced verbal abuse, 76% experienced it on a more regular basis (monthly, weekly, daily) compared with 54% in 2021.
- 12.5% of respondents said they had been the victim of physical violence from a customer, compared with 8% in the 2021 survey.
- 9% of respondents said they had been spat on.
- 10% of respondents experienced customer abuse online, double the results of the 2021 survey (4.75%).
- 17% of respondents reported that the incidents of customer abuse and violence they experienced were of a sexual nature, compared to 10.65% in the 2021 survey. The prevalence is higher among female workers (19%) compared to male workers (9%), with young female workers at particular risk.
- Repeat offenders is still a significant issue for workers, with 52% of workers reporting that the same customer was abusive or violent towards them on more than one occasion (compared to the 2021 result of 38.5%).
For the first time, the 2023 survey also asked whether workers had experienced abuse, harassment or violence from a customer that referenced their ethnicity, race or cultural background. 24% of workers responded that they had.
About The Campaign
In December 2017, the SDA officially launched the No One Deserves A Serve campaign to create awareness about retail and fast food workers facing constant abusive and violent behaviour from customers at work.
The initial survey which accompanied the launch of the campaign received responses from over 6000 workers about their experiences with customer abuse and violence.
The results were damning.
Customer violence and abuse was – and still remains – a serious health and safety issue for SDA members and workers in the retail and fast food industries.
No One Deserves A Serve began as a promotional tool used to remind shoppers and customers to treat retail and fast food workers with respect.
While our ads and promotional material on social media have continued and enjoyed success, the campaign itself has evolved and developed into an important part of the SDA’s work and a movement that actively secures measures effective in curbing customer abuse and violence – these include training, incident reporting, customer signage, banning notices and increased security.