Zarah is a Co-op store manager in East London. Zarah sometimes feels frightened at work owing to an increase in retail crime.
“It is most frightening when the criminals clamber over the kiosks, and just tip the products into their bags. Sometimes colleagues are in there with them, it is terrifying.
“I have spent 20 years in retail, and it is worse now than ever before. It’s like you are stuck. Shoplifting has always been there, but this is different, they just sweep the products off the shelves. There is nothing you can do.
“They have even smashed our outer doors to get in. We call the police and have been told to call ‘101’.
“It is being normalised, and our families are worried for us every day that we come into work. We have even had people dropped off, in blacked-out cars, to steal, then picked back up again. It is organised. It is like looting. We need to make sure no one gets hurt; something needs to change.”
Would you put up with this?
Let’s respect retail and stop the intolerance epidemic.
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