Are retail workers experiencing more abuse in Australian supermarkets? A union survey of retail workers found widespread reports of verbal abuse and physical attacks, while Coles says threatening incidents involving staff in Victoria have risen significantly in recent years.
Exclusive CCTV footage obtained by 7.30 has captured shocking incidents of aggressive behaviour towards Coles staff in Victoria and, at times, other customers.
Coles's chief operations and supply chain officer Matt Swindells said there had been a dramatic increase in abuse towards staff in Victoria, with an 85 per cent rise in threatening situations over the past two years.
As reporter Alysia Thomas-Sam explains, stores across Victoria have more security measures than other states, like body-worn cameras on staff and motion detection cameras in aisles. There are also security guards who patrol the stores to keep the peace but only intervene in violent situations if it is safe to do so.
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