Customer abuse in retail: What the latest survey tells us and what employers should do now

Customer abuse is no longer an occasional issue in retail. It is a regular feature of working life for many customer‑facing staff and the latest Retail Trust survey puts clear data behind what employers have long suspected.

The survey, covering 1,669 retail workers between September 2025 and February 2026, shows that employees experience verbal or physical abuse on 15% of working days. In practical terms, that means abuse on around 1.5 days in every ten. While most days remain abuse‑free, the data highlights that exposure is not evenly shared. Certain roles, working patterns and demographic groups face much higher risk than others.

With new legal duties on third‑party harassment due to come into force in October 2026, this data provides a timely reminder that customer abuse is not just a wellbeing issue — it is also a growing legal risk.

Work area: the most significant driver of abuse

The strongest predictor of customer abuse is where people work.

Employees in frontline roles, including stores, customer services and call centres, report abuse on between 20% and 27% of working days. By contrast, colleagues in office‑based or back‑office roles report abuse on less than 1.5% of days.

For retail employers, this matters. The data shows that customer abuse is both foreseeable and concentrated in specific roles. Where exposure is this uneven, a single, uniform approach to risk assessments and wellbeing support may not meet legal or practical requirements. Frontline teams are operating in demonstrably higher‑risk environments, and that elevated risk needs to be explicitly recognised and addressed in employer controls.

Hybrid working significantly reduces exposure

One of the most striking findings is the impact of hybrid working.

Employees who work remotely some of the time experience abuse on just 4.3% of days, compared with nearly 18% for those who work fully in‑person. That is a 76% reduction. Interestingly, those who work remotely all the time do not see the same benefit, suggesting that a blended model provides the greatest protection.

While hybrid working will not be feasible for all retail roles, this data shows it can be a powerful risk‑reduction tool in contact centres, customer support functions and complaints handling teams, and should be considered as part of a wider prevention strategy rather than simply a flexible working perk.

Younger workers are disproportionately affected

Age also emerges as an important factor. Employees aged 16–18 experience abuse on more than a quarter of working days, with those aged 19–24 also experiencing higher‑than‑average exposure. Abuse rates fall steadily with age, dropping to around 11–12% for workers aged 55 and above.

This may partly reflect role allocation, experience levels or peak trading hours. However, from a legal and safeguarding perspective, it reinforces the need for employers to take extra care with younger workers, particularly where they are placed in high‑contact or high‑pressure roles.

Managers are not immune

The data also indicates that managers experience more abuse than non‑managers. Those in management roles report abuse on nearly 18% of working days, compared with 13% for non‑management staff. This likely reflects the reality that managers are often called upon to deal with escalated complaints or confrontational situations.

Employers should be cautious not to overlook managers when assessing wellbeing risks. Normalising abuse as “part of the job” for senior staff can create hidden stress, undermine reporting and increase longer‑term health risks.

Sexual orientation: concerning indicators of targeted abuse

The survey also highlights areas that warrant careful attention from an equality and inclusion perspective. Employees identifying as LGBTQ+ report slightly higher‑than‑average abuse levels. More concerning still, those identifying as an “other” sexual orientation report abuse on over 30% of working days.

Although this group represents a small sample, the disparity is significant and should not be ignored. Even where data sets are small, such patterns can act as early warning signs. Where abuse may be connected to a protected characteristic, employers face heightened legal risk, particularly with the ERA changes to employer liability for third‑party harassment.

Abuse levels vary by region

Finally, the survey shows material regional variation. In the highest‑risk region, abuse is reported on over one quarter of working days, compared with around 12% in the lowest‑risk areas. This reinforces the importance of localised risk assessments, rather than relying solely on national policies or averages.

What employers should do now

This data makes one thing clear: in some cases, customer abuse is predictable, measurable and unevenly distributed. That has practical and legal consequences. Retail employers should consider the following steps:

Conclusion

The survey data confirms what many retailers already know intuitively: customer abuse is not evenly spread across the workforce. It is concentrated in particular roles, locations and demographic groups, and the risks are now clearly evidenced.

With regulatory expectations increasing and new legal duties on the horizon, this data should be viewed as a prompt to act, not just to protect staff wellbeing, but to reduce legal exposure in an increasingly challenging customer environment.

If you'd like to know more about how we can help you to navigate the changes on the horizon, reach out to a member of our Employment Team today.