Horror stories of rude customers have been circulating on social media for a while now. It’s no wonder that supermarkets like Woolworths have implemented security measures to ensure their staff don’t get abused while at work.

And while most customers are at least moderately respectful, a small number of people can be so unpleasant that they ruin everyone's day. And as seen in this incident, sometimes those people can even turn violent.

A horrifying video circulating online shows a female customer verbally and physically lashing out at staff at the Woolworths store in the Hibiscus Shopping Centre in Leanyer, Darwin.

The footage was uploaded to Facebook, and showed the moment a Woolworths store supervisor attempted to de-escalate the situation and hold back a customer as she yelled at one of the employees.

‘Don’t attack my staff!’ The supervisor warned.

The woman managed to break free from the supervisor’s grip and lunged at the staff and made more threats before another customer stepped in to help.

The supervisor blocked the customer from getting to her staff. Credit: The Mango Inquirer/Facebook

The clip also showed the supervisor yelling for security while the woman was confronting the staff. She was then restrained by a fellow shopper, who held her in place while waiting for store security to show up.

‘Get off me you gronk,’ the woman yelled at the man.

Security arrived and quickly intervened. The woman was then escorted outside.

‘Don’t come back! You do this every time,’ the supervisor said.

The security guard took the woman by the wrists and led her away from the store. He asked her to calm down as they stood outside.

‘Let go of me,’ the woman told the guard. However, he stood his ground and escorted her outside of the store.

One customer intervened as the supervisor called the security guard’s attention. Credit: The Mango Inquirer/Facebook

Woolworths confirmed that police were notified of the situation and that they planned to ban the woman from the store.

A spokesperson from the supermarket said: ‘There is no place for this kind of abusive behaviour anywhere in our community.’

They added that their team members deserve to be treated with respect on the job.

‘Woolworths offers ongoing support and counselling for all staff members.’

People who saw the video couldn’t hide their disgust at the customer’s behaviour.

‘Good on the manager for protecting her staff,’ said one.

‘The dude giving the bear hug is the real MVP [most valuable player],’ another shared.

One person said that this is the reality of people working in retail. They said it was a ‘challenging and often scary’ job because workers don’t know if shoppers have concealed weapons on them.

‘To stand up to that person takes courage,’ the social media user continued.

You can watch the original footage below:

​

Others said that maybe the supervisor should have waited for the police to step in rather than intervening herself.

‘The security guard needs to be stood down or properly trained. The staff and public don’t need to be the ones dealing with this,’ one commented.

‘Woolworths staff shouldn’t be taking matters into their own hands and instead leaving it for the police,’ wrote another.

Just last year, a Woolworths staff member was stabbed in the back in a ‘completely random attack’ by a woman. The armed customer used a big filleting knife she had bought hours earlier.

Sadly, retail workers are often subjected to verbal abuse and, less frequently, physical violence while working. Across front-line workers in retail stores, supermarkets, and restaurants, 85 per cent of staff said they’ve been verbally abused by a customer, and 14 per cent shared they’ve been physically attacked.

Customer abuse has become an increasingly common problem in the retail and hospitality industry, and its impact is significant. Aside from the primary victims (the retail workers), poor customer behaviour costs businesses both time and money, as it often involves needing to pay for staff and staff having to take extended breaks after the incident. These costs are then likely to be passed on to everyday customers.

Key Takeaways

• A woman was allegedly verbally abusive and attempted to attack staff while at a Woolworths store in Darwin.
• Video footage of the incident was posted to Facebook, showing the supervisor trying to restrain the customer while other customers stepped in to help.
• Woolworths has reportedly banned the customer from returning to the store, and the incident has been reported to the police.
• Many people have reacted to the incident on social media, praising the staff for standing up for themselves, while others have suggested that the staff members should have left it for the police to handle.

Have you ever witnessed an incident like this before? How did you handle it? Share your stories with us in the comments below.

 

[Tipsy]

Horror stories of rude customers have been circulating on social media for a while now. It’s no wonder that supermarkets like Woolworths have implemented security measures to ensure their staff don’t get abused while at work.

And while most customers are at least moderately respectful, a small number of people can be so unpleasant that they ruin everyone's day. And as seen in this incident, sometimes those people can even turn violent.

A horrifying video circulating online shows a female customer verbally and physically lashing out at staff at the Woolworths store in the Hibiscus Shopping Centre in Leanyer, Darwin.

The footage was uploaded to Facebook, and showed the moment a Woolworths store supervisor attempted to de-escalate the situation and hold back a customer as she yelled at one of the employees.

‘Don’t attack my staff!’ The supervisor warned.

The woman managed to break free from the supervisor’s grip and lunged at the staff and made more threats before another customer stepped in to help.

View attachment 11721

The supervisor blocked the customer from getting to her staff. Credit: The Mango Inquirer/Facebook

The clip also showed the supervisor yelling for security while the woman was confronting the staff. She was then restrained by a fellow shopper, who held her in place while waiting for store security to show up.

‘Get off me you gronk,’ the woman yelled at the man.

Security arrived and quickly intervened. The woman was then escorted outside.

‘Don’t come back! You do this every time,’ the supervisor said.

The security guard took the woman by the wrists and led her away from the store. He asked her to calm down as they stood outside.

‘Let go of me,’ the woman told the guard. However, he stood his ground and escorted her outside of the store.

View attachment 11722

One customer intervened as the supervisor called the security guard’s attention. Credit: The Mango Inquirer/Facebook

Woolworths confirmed that police were notified of the situation and that they planned to ban the woman from the store.

A spokesperson from the supermarket said: ‘There is no place for this kind of abusive behaviour anywhere in our community.’

They added that their team members deserve to be treated with respect on the job.

‘Woolworths offers ongoing support and counselling for all staff members.’

People who saw the video couldn’t hide their disgust at the customer’s behaviour.

‘Good on the manager for protecting her staff,’ said one.

‘The dude giving the bear hug is the real MVP [most valuable player],’ another shared.

One person said that this is the reality of people working in retail. They said it was a ‘challenging and often scary’ job because workers don’t know if shoppers have concealed weapons on them.

‘To stand up to that person takes courage,’ the social media user continued.

You can watch the original footage below:

​

Others said that maybe the supervisor should have waited for the police to step in rather than intervening herself.

‘The security guard needs to be stood down or properly trained. The staff and public don’t need to be the ones dealing with this,’ one commented.

‘Woolworths staff shouldn’t be taking matters into their own hands and instead leaving it for the police,’ wrote another.

Just last year, a Woolworths staff member was stabbed in the back in a ‘completely random attack’ by a woman. The armed customer used a big filleting knife she had bought hours earlier.

Sadly, retail workers are often subjected to verbal abuse and, less frequently, physical violence while working. Across front-line workers in retail stores, supermarkets, and restaurants, 85 per cent of staff said they’ve been verbally abused by a customer, and 14 per cent shared they’ve been physically attacked.

Customer abuse has become an increasingly common problem in the retail and hospitality industry, and its impact is significant. Aside from the primary victims (the retail workers), poor customer behaviour costs businesses both time and money, as it often involves needing to pay for staff and staff having to take extended breaks after the incident. These costs are then likely to be passed on to everyday customers.

Key Takeaways

• A woman was allegedly verbally abusive and attempted to attack staff while at a Woolworths store in Darwin.
• Video footage of the incident was posted to Facebook, showing the supervisor trying to restrain the customer while other customers stepped in to help.
• Woolworths has reportedly banned the customer from returning to the store, and the incident has been reported to the police.
• Many people have reacted to the incident on social media, praising the staff for standing up for themselves, while others have suggested that the staff members should have left it for the police to handle.

Have you ever witnessed an incident like this before? How did you handle it? Share your stories with us in the comments below.

As far as I am concerned everyone did the right thing in getting her out of the store.... maybe they should have a special room to "detain" them until police arrive.... unless their is a weapon involved they wont be in a hurry to attend to the matter.

 

[Bernice S]

Horror stories of rude customers have been circulating on social media for a while now. It’s no wonder that supermarkets like Woolworths have implemented security measures to ensure their staff don’t get abused while at work.

And while most customers are at least moderately respectful, a small number of people can be so unpleasant that they ruin everyone's day. And as seen in this incident, sometimes those people can even turn violent.

A horrifying video circulating online shows a female customer verbally and physically lashing out at staff at the Woolworths store in the Hibiscus Shopping Centre in Leanyer, Darwin.

The footage was uploaded to Facebook, and showed the moment a Woolworths store supervisor attempted to de-escalate the situation and hold back a customer as she yelled at one of the employees.

‘Don’t attack my staff!’ The supervisor warned.

The woman managed to break free from the supervisor’s grip and lunged at the staff and made more threats before another customer stepped in to help.

View attachment 11721

The supervisor blocked the customer from getting to her staff. Credit: The Mango Inquirer/Facebook

The clip also showed the supervisor yelling for security while the woman was confronting the staff. She was then restrained by a fellow shopper, who held her in place while waiting for store security to show up.

‘Get off me you gronk,’ the woman yelled at the man.

Security arrived and quickly intervened. The woman was then escorted outside.

‘Don’t come back! You do this every time,’ the supervisor said.

The security guard took the woman by the wrists and led her away from the store. He asked her to calm down as they stood outside.

‘Let go of me,’ the woman told the guard. However, he stood his ground and escorted her outside of the store.

View attachment 11722

One customer intervened as the supervisor called the security guard’s attention. Credit: The Mango Inquirer/Facebook

Woolworths confirmed that police were notified of the situation and that they planned to ban the woman from the store.

A spokesperson from the supermarket said: ‘There is no place for this kind of abusive behaviour anywhere in our community.’

They added that their team members deserve to be treated with respect on the job.

‘Woolworths offers ongoing support and counselling for all staff members.’

People who saw the video couldn’t hide their disgust at the customer’s behaviour.

‘Good on the manager for protecting her staff,’ said one.

‘The dude giving the bear hug is the real MVP [most valuable player],’ another shared.

One person said that this is the reality of people working in retail. They said it was a ‘challenging and often scary’ job because workers don’t know if shoppers have concealed weapons on them.

‘To stand up to that person takes courage,’ the social media user continued.

You can watch the original footage below:

​

Others said that maybe the supervisor should have waited for the police to step in rather than intervening herself.

‘The security guard needs to be stood down or properly trained. The staff and public don’t need to be the ones dealing with this,’ one commented.

‘Woolworths staff shouldn’t be taking matters into their own hands and instead leaving it for the police,’ wrote another.

Just last year, a Woolworths staff member was stabbed in the back in a ‘completely random attack’ by a woman. The armed customer used a big filleting knife she had bought hours earlier.

Sadly, retail workers are often subjected to verbal abuse and, less frequently, physical violence while working. Across front-line workers in retail stores, supermarkets, and restaurants, 85 per cent of staff said they’ve been verbally abused by a customer, and 14 per cent shared they’ve been physically attacked.

Customer abuse has become an increasingly common problem in the retail and hospitality industry, and its impact is significant. Aside from the primary victims (the retail workers), poor customer behaviour costs businesses both time and money, as it often involves needing to pay for staff and staff having to take extended breaks after the incident. These costs are then likely to be passed on to everyday customers.

Key Takeaways

• A woman was allegedly verbally abusive and attempted to attack staff while at a Woolworths store in Darwin.
• Video footage of the incident was posted to Facebook, showing the supervisor trying to restrain the customer while other customers stepped in to help.
• Woolworths has reportedly banned the customer from returning to the store, and the incident has been reported to the police.
• Many people have reacted to the incident on social media, praising the staff for standing up for themselves, while others have suggested that the staff members should have left it for the police to handle.

Have you ever witnessed an incident like this before? How did you handle it? Share your stories with us in the comments below.

Good on Woolworths for protecting and backing up their staff. Nobody deserves to be abused while doing their job. I worked for Woolies opposition petrol station for many years and we were told that we had to put up with being abused and smile while it was happening. No backup there.

 

[Rob44]

Why do people get angry? Frustration? Being treated like cattle in supermarkets? How long does it take standing in a long queue these days? What other frustrations do people have to put up with in daily life? Some of us are patient by nature, others less patient. When supermarkets measure the time it takes for their check-out staff to process purchases, both sides of the cash-register are operating under stress and anger is to be expected. Given how supermarkets operate these days to maximise through-put of customers buying essentials and hence profits for the supermarket chain, I am surprised at our politeness to each other.

 

[Macarj]

I have never seen anything like that before

 

[Suzanne rose]

Seriously disgusting behaviour by the customer.

3 years ago I was shopping at coles Hurstville I was next in line when a man and women pushed in front of me to get served first . I only had a few items. If someone asked me to go in front because they were in a hurry I would let them.
But not when they rudely push in. When I told them it was rude to push in and they needed to line up like everyone else they started swearing. The guy in line at the other register also told them to line up, still they continued to swear. When the checkout girl told them to line up they became more aggressive and the wife threatened to hit me with the broom she was buying , my anger built beyond my limit and I told her to try and she will be the one on the floor. Security came and removed them .

If they would have just asked I would have let them go in front of me

 

[Ricci]

I was once harangued by an angry customer who stood there calling me and my staff all the names under the sun. When I told him his attitude was not warranted and to please not use that language in my store he went ballistic, it was like lighting the touch paper. What did I know, I was female, totally irrelevant, had I never heard that the customer is always right (he wasn't) etc. etc. On and on it went until the police showed up and escorted him from the premises. Little did he know that this irrelevant, ignorant female had maneuvered him into the best spot for the security cameras to pick up all his threatening actions. He was prosecuted, fined and banned from the store. It couldn't have happened to a nicer bloke!!

 

[terri]

Why do people get angry? Frustration? Being treated like cattle in supermarkets? How long does it take standing in a long queue these days? What other frustrations do people have to put up with in daily life? Some of us are patient by nature, others less patient. When supermarkets measure the time it takes for their check-out staff to process purchases, both sides of the cash-register are operating under stress and anger is to be expected. Given how supermarkets operate these days to maximise through-put of customers buying essentials and hence profits for the supermarket chain, I am surprised at our politeness to each other.

Regardless of this, it is never ok to lash out at people trying to do their jobs under sometimes extreme conditions. And most stores do not have their own security. It is often the centre who supply this, so they are spread thin too. If our lives are so hectic, we have to get angry when we are made to wait, then perhaps we need to have a close look at our lives.

 

[Gaena]

Horror stories of rude customers have been circulating on social media for a while now. It’s no wonder that supermarkets like Woolworths have implemented security measures to ensure their staff don’t get abused while at work.

And while most customers are at least moderately respectful, a small number of people can be so unpleasant that they ruin everyone's day. And as seen in this incident, sometimes those people can even turn violent.

A horrifying video circulating online shows a female customer verbally and physically lashing out at staff at the Woolworths store in the Hibiscus Shopping Centre in Leanyer, Darwin.

The footage was uploaded to Facebook, and showed the moment a Woolworths store supervisor attempted to de-escalate the situation and hold back a customer as she yelled at one of the employees.

‘Don’t attack my staff!’ The supervisor warned.

The woman managed to break free from the supervisor’s grip and lunged at the staff and made more threats before another customer stepped in to help.

View attachment 11721

The supervisor blocked the customer from getting to her staff. Credit: The Mango Inquirer/Facebook

The clip also showed the supervisor yelling for security while the woman was confronting the staff. She was then restrained by a fellow shopper, who held her in place while waiting for store security to show up.

‘Get off me you gronk,’ the woman yelled at the man.

Security arrived and quickly intervened. The woman was then escorted outside.

‘Don’t come back! You do this every time,’ the supervisor said.

The security guard took the woman by the wrists and led her away from the store. He asked her to calm down as they stood outside.

‘Let go of me,’ the woman told the guard. However, he stood his ground and escorted her outside of the store.

View attachment 11722

One customer intervened as the supervisor called the security guard’s attention. Credit: The Mango Inquirer/Facebook

Woolworths confirmed that police were notified of the situation and that they planned to ban the woman from the store.

A spokesperson from the supermarket said: ‘There is no place for this kind of abusive behaviour anywhere in our community.’

They added that their team members deserve to be treated with respect on the job.

‘Woolworths offers ongoing support and counselling for all staff members.’

People who saw the video couldn’t hide their disgust at the customer’s behaviour.

‘Good on the manager for protecting her staff,’ said one.

‘The dude giving the bear hug is the real MVP [most valuable player],’ another shared.

One person said that this is the reality of people working in retail. They said it was a ‘challenging and often scary’ job because workers don’t know if shoppers have concealed weapons on them.

‘To stand up to that person takes courage,’ the social media user continued.

You can watch the original footage below:

​

Others said that maybe the supervisor should have waited for the police to step in rather than intervening herself.

‘The security guard needs to be stood down or properly trained. The staff and public don’t need to be the ones dealing with this,’ one commented.

‘Woolworths staff shouldn’t be taking matters into their own hands and instead leaving it for the police,’ wrote another.

Just last year, a Woolworths staff member was stabbed in the back in a ‘completely random attack’ by a woman. The armed customer used a big filleting knife she had bought hours earlier.

Sadly, retail workers are often subjected to verbal abuse and, less frequently, physical violence while working. Across front-line workers in retail stores, supermarkets, and restaurants, 85 per cent of staff said they’ve been verbally abused by a customer, and 14 per cent shared they’ve been physically attacked.

Customer abuse has become an increasingly common problem in the retail and hospitality industry, and its impact is significant. Aside from the primary victims (the retail workers), poor customer behaviour costs businesses both time and money, as it often involves needing to pay for staff and staff having to take extended breaks after the incident. These costs are then likely to be passed on to everyday customers.

Key Takeaways

• A woman was allegedly verbally abusive and attempted to attack staff while at a Woolworths store in Darwin.
• Video footage of the incident was posted to Facebook, showing the supervisor trying to restrain the customer while other customers stepped in to help.
• Woolworths has reportedly banned the customer from returning to the store, and the incident has been reported to the police.
• Many people have reacted to the incident on social media, praising the staff for standing up for themselves, while others have suggested that the staff members should have left it for the police to handle.

Have you ever witnessed an incident like this before? How did you handle it? Share your stories with us in the comments below.

My first reaction When reading the article and viewing the video was "White Trash" sorry if that offends anyone, no raceism was intended

 

[Sandy36]

Couldn’t watch the video, it won’t play so I can only imagine what it was like, I used to be a checkout operator and there are nasty people out there. Good on the supervisor and civilian who stepped in to help, well done.

 

[Maurie7]

I have never seen anything like that before

I haven't in a shop but i was a crowd controller for years and it was common place when alcohol is involved, but she was just a feral.

 

[Penny4]

Supermarket shopping isn't all fun & games, so why take their fury out on people who feel the same way. That's because the majority of us are self controlled, unlike these losers.

 

[TheBear]

Why do people get angry? Frustration? Being treated like cattle in supermarkets? How long does it take standing in a long queue these days? What other frustrations do people have to put up with in daily life? Some of us are patient by nature, others less patient. When supermarkets measure the time it takes for their check-out staff to process purchases, both sides of the cash-register are operating under stress and anger is to be expected. Given how supermarkets operate these days to maximise through-put of customers buying essentials and hence profits for the supermarket chain, I am surprised at our politeness to each other.

Anger and frustration does not give anyone the right to be abusive!