An elderly Kmart worker who was brutally assaulted by a customer says he suffered “no consequences” and that shoppers in the store are still aggressive.
It comes as retailers across Australia say there has been a rise in violent incidents against staff in the run-up to Christmas.
Christine Smith, 70, was checking receipts at Campbelltown Kmart in Sydney’s southwest in 2019 when she approached a shopper with a cart full of products.
But when she put her hand on the trolley, the woman, then 26, attacked without warning and hit Mrs Smith in the face before fleeing the store.
“I put my hand on the cart and she double hit me,” Mrs. Smith told the Daily Telegraph.
‘He hit me in the box, then he hit me between the eyes, he was like a boxer. And that was the end, I fell.’
Ms Smith was left with two black eyes after the attack and required four months of intensive physical and psychological therapy before she could return to work.
This prompted the NSW government to introduce new laws in 2023, creating a specific offense of violence against retail workers.
Mrs Smith, 70, was left with two black eyes after the attack (pictured) and spent several months recovering before she was able to return to work at Kmart in Campbelltown.
Ms Smith was sent flying to the ground after the woman punched her twice (pictured)
Mrs Smith (pictured on the floor) had been trying to check the woman’s receipt at the time.
Ms Smith’s attacker was initially given a nine-month suspended sentence but was able to successfully appeal it.
The 70-year-old still works at the same Kmart and said shopper behavior hasn’t improved.
“At least once a week someone tells you to fuck off and it’s just because you’re doing your job,” he said.
Some 62 charges have been laid since the new laws were introduced in 2023, but this year retail violence is back in the spotlight over the festive period.
In November, Bunnings released shocking CCTV footage including scenes of staff being threatened with knives and a shotgun.
In one clip, a man appeared to hold a knife to a staff member’s throat. Staff were also shown being harassed by a naked man, punched, pushed or manhandled.
The Privacy Commissioner recently ruled that Bunnings had breached privacy laws by using facial recognition technology on customers.
But the group maintains it was using the technology to protect both customers and employees from a rise in violent crime after recording a 50 percent increase in abuse, threats and assaults in stores in 2023.
In images released by Bunnings, a man wearing a balaclava appeared to threaten store staff.