A day on the job should never lead to harassment or violent assault. But more and more, retail workers are finding themselves victims of violence, or even murder, as they simply try to put in an honest day’s work to provide for themselves and their families.
Terrible workplace massacres make the headlines, such as the 2022 Tops supermarket shooting in Buffalo where 10 people were killed, including four workers, or the 2021 shooting at a Long Island Stop & Shop store where one employee was killed and two others were wounded. But retail workers face harassment and violence that the public never hears about on a much more frequent basis.
In a recent survey, our union, the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, found that a large majority of retail workers fear violent assaults at their workplace. And, it’s more than just fear and anxiety that fueled these survey results; members of our union are telling stories that should wake up anybody who is unaware of the dangers retail workers face.
At one department store, workers have reported being physically, and even sexually assaulted on the sales floor; being brazenly groped by customers in the store, and even being violently attacked by customers who have jumped over sales counters in a rage simply because employees weren’t processing sales fast enough.
Workers at a sporting goods store have also reported being groped and being screamed at by irate and possibly intoxicated customers, as well as non-existent training for how to escape an active-shooter situation, which is a terrifying prospect at any retail store in 2024. Workers who open or close stores, when fewer employees and no customers are around, have told of attempted break-ins, where in one reported case, a would-be burglar attempted to smash in a door to gain entry.
In all these cases, workers were poorly prepared and poorly protected. Store policies often amount to “page the manager,” which does nothing to help deal with rapidly deteriorating situations on the sales floor. Protocol regarding harassment and violence are often minimally stated or enforced. It all creates an unsafe, unhealthy environment for retail workers.
These stories lay bare the dangers of working in retail, where facing the public every day opens up workers to everything from daily microaggressions to mass shootings. We need to make stopping verbal harassment, physical assault and even the murder of retail workers a priority. We need to create safe workplaces for retail workers, who deserve to be able to do their jobs without working in fear, or worrying that they might not make it home after their shifts.
Retail workers need protection via legislation that takes into account the reality of daily life for New York’s retail workers. Every day, retail workers face the potential danger of verbal harassment and physical assaults; yet, there is virtually no training offered by employers in violence prevention, de-escalation tactics, or escape procedures.
Workers are rarely trained in how to deal with shoplifting while keeping themselves safe, other than being told to not engage with shoplifters. Few employers have actually assessed the risk of violence in the workplace, or developed a plan to reduce known hazards.
There is no formalized system to report violent incidents, assess their causes and develop better strategies for prevention. In many retail settings, security guards have been cut to save money, increasing the threat to workers. And at nearly all large retailers, employers have implemented self-checkout, which means less workers are present in stores, increasing the risk for those workers that remain.
Fewer workers, less training, and less security, coupled with self-checkout, creates an environment ripe for shoplifting, conflicts, and assault.
After more than a year of consultation with members of our union who work in retail, as well as experts in the field of workplace violence, we are proud to support the Retail Worker Safety Act in New York, introduced by state Sen. Jessica Ramos and Assemblymember Karines Reyes. This bill requires large retail employers to create a safe workplace for their employees.
By prioritizing risk assessments and worker training, the law will create a proactive environment for addressing workplace violence. This will make retail stores safer not just for workers but for the public too.
There is precedent for this approach. A similar law has helped protect public-sector workers in New York since 2006, and has not only resulted in workers feeling safer, but has actually made them safer.
All working people deserve to feel safe at work. Passage of the Retail Worker Safety Act in New York will help make that happen.
Appelbaum is the president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union.
How to keep safe retail workers
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31.01.2024
A day on the job should never lead to harassment or violent assault. But more and more, retail workers are finding themselves victims of violence, or even murder, as they simply try to put in an honest day’s work to provide for themselves and their families.
Terrible workplace massacres make the headlines, such as the 2022 Tops supermarket shooting in Buffalo where 10 people were killed, including four workers, or the 2021 shooting at a Long Island Stop & Shop store where one employee was killed and two others were wounded. But retail workers face harassment and violence that the public never hears about on a much more frequent basis.
In a recent survey, our union, the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, found that a large majority of retail workers fear violent assaults at their workplace. And, it’s more than just fear and anxiety that fueled these survey results; members of our union are telling stories that should wake up anybody who is unaware of the dangers retail workers face.
At one department store, workers have reported being physically, and even sexually assaulted on the sales floor; being brazenly groped by customers in the store, and even........
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