Annual campaign reminds customers to treat shop workers better

As #ShopKind Week kicks off, the NIRC has called on the public to treat shop workers with kindness and respect.

ShopKind, the national campaign by the Home Office and ACS, is supported by the British Retail Consortium, and aims to raise awareness of the verbal abuse and violence that shop workers face.

Neil Johnston, Director of the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium, said the campaign is uniting the retail sector to tackle these issues by asking people to ShopKind when in stores.

“The ShopKind campaign has three aims. To encourage positive behaviours in shops. To acknowledge the important role of shop workers and to highlight the scale of the impact of violence and abuse against shop workers,” said Neil.

“I was delighted to meet with Philip Brett MLA, the chair of the Assembly’s Economy Committee in his North Belfast constituency to discuss the issues involved. Philip was very keen to endorse the ShopKind campaign.”

Chief Executive of the BRC, Helen Dickinson OBE added: “As retail crime continues to climb, #ShopKind remains an extremely important campaign.

“No-one should go to work fearing for their safety, yet our most recent crime survey showed that there were a shocking 450 incidents of violence and abuse against our retail colleagues every single day.

“People in retail are there to look after customers, help them find what they need, keep shelves stocked and deliver goods, being threatened or assaulted must not be part of the job.

“We remind customers to shop kind and be respectful and considerate to retail workers and fell customers.”

Throughout the week there will be activity across social media channels, with everyone encouraged to get involved and back the campaign. You can download assets to help show your support at: https://nbcc.police.uk/business-support/shopkind/shopkind-webpage