Woolworths is calling on shoppers to show respect and courtesy for its team members in the lead up to Christmas, after a staff member was hit in the eye with a metal scooter during a recent attack.
The Woolworths Group has now stepped up its de-escalation training for staff and installed better security cameras.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Shoppers asked to show respect to retail workers following dramatic rise in attacks.
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CCTV released by Woolworths shows several attacks on staff.
In one attack, a staff member is kicked repeatedly by a shopper who has invaded a staff-only area.
In another attack, a staff member is set upon in the self-serve checkout area and punched in the head.
One worker in another incident can be seen covering their face with their hands after being hit in the head with a metal scooter, thrown at them by a youth who then runs away.
“There’s never an excuse to take out this sort of behaviour on the person who’s there trying to help you,” Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association NSW branch secretary Bernie Smith said.
A confronting number of attacks on retail staff have occurred across the country, with Woolworths and Big W reporting 420 incidents a month.
This is a 50 per cent increase on incidents in 2022, according to the Woolworths Group.
“There’s psychological scarring in that,” Woolworths Group CEO Brad Banducci said.
“It’s happening all the time.”
Employees of the Woolworths Group now receive specialised virtual reality training to help them deal with aggressive situations, and the company has spent more than $40 million upgrading its CCTV across the country.
The company says it will follow-up all reports of serious incidents and pursue action when necessary.
Offences involving assaults on retail staff carry large fines and possible jail time.
“Be patient, be understanding of our team,” Big W Store Manager Rohan Dennis said.
“They’re just doing their jobs, they’ve got processes they need to follow.”
-With Grace Fitzgibbon