Just another day in store

Clutching his haul of three crates of lager, the thief aim's a tirade of foul-mouthed threats & abuse at the staff who dare to confront him...

- NATASHA WYNARCZYK and TOM PETTIFOR 

HARDWORKING retail staff are abused and threatened by brazen shoplifters as they ransack high street stores, in shocking images revealed to the Mirror.

They come from videos filmed by members of the public, and show Co-op workers facing verbal threats of violence as well as homophobic insults as thieves fill bags full of goods.

New figures from Co-op record over 175,000 incidents of crime, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour in the first six months of 2023 - a 35% year-on-year increase.

In the first video, filmed at a London store, a man walks down the aisles filling a large bag with toiletries and laundry items.

As staff confront him, he initially ignores them before repeatedly saying: "I don't care".

Two more videos show a male and female pair, believed to be repeat offenders, filling bags with sweets, fizzy drinks and ice creams.

In one, the man yells at staff, threatening and swearing at them before the pair walk out.

The next and most shocking video shows them coming back to fill tote bags with items.

The woman tells the worker she will "dash" (slang for "hit") him in the "f***ing head", while the man pushes a staff member, repeatedly, swears at him and threatens to "smack" him before they leave without repercussions.

A fourth video shows a man brazenly walking out with three crates of beer, shouting a homophobic slur at an employee who tried to stop him. The videos reveal a snapshot of the frightening incidents thousands of retail workers face every day.

The major union for the industry, USDAW, says employees can be left suffering anxiety and physical harm.