Jobs in food retailing are recognised as precarious. Despite claims that food retail workers are crucial to organisational success, employers fail to address the insecure nature of these jobs, trapping workers in low-paid, unstable conditions. It’s also worrying that violence and abuse from customers increasingly has been accepted as part of the job. Although the Covid-19 pandemic forced us to think of food retail workers as ‘key workers’ and ‘heroes’ that kept society fed, the daily reality on the shopfloor remains bleak. During the pandemic crisis, we were bombarded with news of employers penalising front-line food retail workers for being absent from work, regardless of their need to self-isolate. Speaking to people in the sector, we discovered that those who remained at work to allow us to have food on our table were overworked. And those who kept our communities fed were facing verbal abuse by panicking customers. Worryingly, this mistreatment by customers seems to persist today. According to USDAW's 2023 survey, violence against shopworkers has doubled since the previous year, with 18% reporting they had been assaulted. A staggering 70% experienced verbal abuse, and 46% were threatened by customers. The data also reveals alarming levels of racial and gender-based harassment, with 54% of non-white workers facing racial harassment and 41% of women experiencing sexism. Much of this violence and abuse occurs when workers confront shoplifters, a situation exacerbated by the ongoing cost of living crisis.

These employees’ physical and mental health remains at risk. It is, therefore, time to re-evaluate the conditions of these ‘forgotten heroes’, allowing them to enjoy decent working conditions and dignity at work.