EMPLOYEES OF SUPERMARKETS have reportedly been sworn, shouted at, and physically abused when asking customers to social distance and wear a mask.
The Abuse Experienced in Supermarkets.
An employee at a supermarket in Sheffield said: “I found that people get very angry about masks, I asked someone to put a mask on and they replied ‘f*** off, c***’.
Body cams for managers have been introduced at the supermarket because of the increase in abuse to employees.
She said: “Two of my managers have been punched in the face whilst asking people to follow Government guidelines on social distancing and wearing masks. Not one shift goes by where an employee isn’t abused.”
Complaints from Customers
Customers at super-markets have reported of difficulties carrying out their shop safely, following the Government guidelines.
Fenya McGovern, 19, student on Ecclesall Road, said: “The Tesco’s near me is chaotic. I’m too close to people all the time, there seems to be no social distancing. This makes my shopping extremely tiresome.”
How Sheffield City Council are helping
Sheffield City Council is visiting all of the city’s supermarkets (and smaller independent stores) to carry out unannounced Covid-secure compliance checks.
Greg Fell, Director of Public Health Sheffield, said: “We get a lot of complaints about people not sticking with the rules in supermarkets, and supermarkets not implementing
“It is commonly held that supermarkets are ignoring the rules. The aim of the drop in visits was to test and check compliance.
“As a rule – with minor exceptions – the evidence from those with boots on the ground was that 1) people are obeying and 2) supermarkets are enforcing.”
These drop-ins are to ensure that super-markets are following basic government guidelines – wearing face coverings, queueing, and social distancing.
Officers have now made a visit of up to 81 major supermarkets which were all compliant with Government guidelines so no follow-up checks were needed.
If stores are non-compliant or not following good practice, these issues are discussed with the manager and a return visit will be made to check that things have improved. If not then further action will take place.