survation. ← Fieldwork

Topline — 20250611 Retail Survey

1100 respondents · Unweighted · 97 questions · generated 2026-09-21 10:45 UTC
Provisional: live fieldwork, 1100 interviews so far. Percentages are of each question's valid base (missing/not-asked excluded). Right-hand grey figure = count.

Device_1 Device - ** HIDDEN QUESTION TO STORE: Store device type ** Desktop

Base: 215
Desktop
100.0%
215

Device_2 Device - ** HIDDEN QUESTION TO STORE: Store device type ** Mobile

Base: 885
Mobile
100.0%
885

Changelog Change log

Base: 1100
1
100.0%
1100

Country In what country do you currently live?

Base: 1100
England
93.5%
1028
Wales
6.5%
72

Region_B These are the regions of England. Which Region do you live in?

Base: 1028
South East
19.0%
195
North West
13.8%
142
London
12.7%
131
West Midlands
12.2%
125
East of England
10.4%
107
South West
10.4%
107
East Midlands
8.5%
87
Yorkshire and the Humber
7.2%
74
North East
5.8%
60

Region_C *** Region

Base: 1028
South East
19.0%
195
North West
13.8%
142
London
12.7%
131
West Midlands
12.2%
125
East of England
10.4%
107
South West
10.4%
107
East Midlands
8.5%
87
Yorkshire and the Humber
7.2%
74
North East
5.8%
60

Employment_status Which of these best describes your current employment status?Note, if you are currently a student but also have a job, please select student

Base: 1100
Employed full-time (30 or more hours per week)
59.1%
650
Employed part-time (under 30 hours per week)
39.5%
435
Student
1.4%
15

Working_student You said you are currently a student. Are you currently also in any paid employment alongside your studies?

Base: 15
Yes, I have a part-time job
93.3%
14
Yes, I have a full-time job
6.7%
1

Sector Which of the following best describes the sector you work in?

Base: 1100
Retail and wholesale trade
100.0%
1100

Sub_sector Which of the following best describes the sub-sector you work in?

Base: 1100
Retail trade
100.0%
1100

Retailer_type What type of retailer do you work for?

Base: 1100
A supermarket or part of a supermarket chain
46.5%
511
A specialist shop (e g off licence, mobile phone shop, shoe shop, bakers, garden centre, DIY shop, electrical store, bo
19.6%
216
A department store or other non-specialist general shop
14.5%
160
A company selling goods mainly by mail order or via the internet
6.5%
71
Other
6.1%
67
A small local convenience store, not part of a larger chain
5.3%
58
A petrol station
1.3%
14
A market stall selling food or other products
0.3%
3

Sexuality What is your sexuality?

Base: 1100
Straight/Heterosexual
90.3%
993
Gay or Lesbian
4.3%
47
Bisexual
3.1%
34
Prefer not to say
1.6%
18
Other (please specify)
0.7%
8

Ethnicity What is your ethnicity?

Base: 1100
White
86.3%
949
Black/African/Caribbean/Black British
5.7%
63
Asian/Asian British
5.2%
57
Mixed/Multiple ethnic groups
1.8%
20
Other ethnic group
1.0%
11

White_ethnicity White: What is your ethnicity?

Base: 949
English/Welsh/Scottish/Northern Irish/British
96.3%
914
Any other White background, please describe
3.2%
30
Irish
0.4%
4
Gypsy or Irish Traveller
0.1%
1

Mixed_ethnicity Mixed/Multiple ethnic groups: What is your ethnicity?

Base: 20
White and Black Caribbean
40.0%
8
Any other Mixed/Multiple ethnic background, please describe
25.0%
5
White and Black African
20.0%
4
White and Asian
15.0%
3

Asian_ethnicity Asian/Asian British: What is your ethnicity?

Base: 57
Indian
36.8%
21
Pakistani
21.1%
12
Any other Asian background, please describe
21.1%
12
Chinese
14.0%
8
Bangladeshi
7.0%
4

Black_ethnicity Black/African/Caribbean/Black British: What is your ethnicity?

Base: 63
African
68.3%
43
Caribbean
28.6%
18
Any other Black/African/Caribbean background, please describe
3.2%
2

Other_ethnicity Other ethnic group: What is your ethnicity?

Base: 11
Arab
63.6%
7
Any other ethnic group, please describe
36.4%
4

Disability Do you have a disability?

Base: 1100
No
89.0%
979
Yes
9.2%
101
Prefer not to say
1.8%
20

q1_1 q1 - Which of the following types of behaviour, if any, have you experienced while working for your current employer? Hearing language of a sexual, racist, homophobic or otherwise very offensive nature

Base: 1100
Have not experienced
60.6%
667
Have experienced
38.4%
422
Prefer not to say
1.0%
11

q1_2 q1 - Which of the following types of behaviour, if any, have you experienced while working for your current employer? Unwanted touching or hugging

Base: 1100
Have not experienced
76.2%
838
Have experienced
22.7%
250
Prefer not to say
1.1%
12

q1_3 q1 - Which of the following types of behaviour, if any, have you experienced while working for your current employer? Inappropriate touching of a sexual nature

Base: 1100
Have not experienced
86.3%
949
Have experienced
12.6%
139
Prefer not to say
1.1%
12

q1_4 q1 - Which of the following types of behaviour, if any, have you experienced while working for your current employer? Physically aggressive or violent behaviour

Base: 1100
Have not experienced
70.5%
776
Have experienced
28.5%
313
Prefer not to say
1.0%
11

q1_5 q1 - Which of the following types of behaviour, if any, have you experienced while working for your current employer? Overseeing or overhearing inappropriate sexual content, such as pornography

Base: 1100
Have not experienced
78.5%
864
Have experienced
20.6%
227
Prefer not to say
0.8%
9

q1_6 q1 - Which of the following types of behaviour, if any, have you experienced while working for your current employer? Suggestive looks, staring or leering, sexual gestures or other conduct/behaviour of a sexual nature

Base: 1100
Have not experienced
72.5%
797
Have experienced
26.4%
290
Prefer not to say
1.2%
13

q2 Hearing language of a sexual, racist, homophobic or otherwise very offensive nature: Which of the following types of behaviour, if any, have you seen while working for your current employer?

Base: 1099
Have not seen
59.9%
658
Have seen
39.4%
433
Prefer not to say
0.7%
8

q3 You said that you had experienced or seen hearing language of a sexual, racist, homophobic or otherwise very offensive nature while working for your current employer Who carried out this behaviour?

Base: 356
A customer/customers
44.4%
158
Both
28.1%
100
A colleague/colleagues
24.4%
87
Someone else
2.8%
10
Prefer not to say
0.3%
1

q3_1 Do you think there was anything your employer could have done to prevent this happening?

Base: 356
No
44.7%
159
Possibly
32.9%
117
Yes
16.3%
58
Not sure
6.2%
22

q4 You said that you had experienced unwanted touching or hugging while working for your current employer. Who carried out this behaviour?

Base: 250
A colleague/colleagues
41.2%
103
A customer/customers
27.2%
68
Both
23.2%
58
Someone else
4.8%
12
Prefer not to say
3.6%
9

q4_1 Do you think there was anything your employer could have done to prevent this happening?

Base: 250
Possibly
36.8%
92
No
34.0%
85
Yes
21.6%
54
Not sure
7.6%
19

q5 You said that you had experienced inappropriate touching of a sexual nature while working for your current employer. Who carried out this behaviour?

Base: 139
A colleague/colleagues
44.6%
62
A customer/customers
24.5%
34
Both
20.9%
29
Someone else
6.5%
9
Prefer not to say
3.6%
5

q5_1 Do you think there was anything your employer could have done to prevent this happening?

Base: 139
Possibly
40.3%
56
Yes
29.5%
41
No
23.0%
32
Not sure
7.2%
10

q6 You said that you had experienced physically aggressive or violent behaviour while working for your current employer. Who carried out this behaviour?

Base: 313
A customer/customers
62.9%
197
A colleague/colleagues
16.0%
50
Both
15.0%
47
Someone else
3.8%
12
Prefer not to say
2.2%
7

q6_1 Do you think there was anything your employer could have done to prevent this happening?

Base: 313
Possibly
36.7%
115
No
31.9%
100
Yes
24.0%
75
Not sure
7.3%
23

q7 You said that you had experienced suggestive looks, staring or leering, sexual gestures or other conduct/behaviour of a sexual nature while working for your current employer. Who carried out this behaviour?

Base: 290
A customer/customers
40.7%
118
A colleague/colleagues
32.1%
93
Both
23.4%
68
Someone else
2.4%
7
Prefer not to say
1.4%
4

q7_1 Do you think there was anything your employer could have done to prevent this happening?

Base: 290
No
36.9%
107
Possibly
35.2%
102
Yes
23.4%
68
Not sure
4.5%
13

q8_1 q8 - What impact, if any, have your experiences mentioned above had on your mental health? Please select all that apply Stress

Base: 19
Stress
100.0%
19

q8_2 q8 - What impact, if any, have your experiences mentioned above had on your mental health? Please select all that apply Anxiety

Base: 23
Anxiety
100.0%
23

q8_3 q8 - What impact, if any, have your experiences mentioned above had on your mental health? Please select all that apply Depression

Base: 15
Depression
100.0%
15

q8_4 q8 - What impact, if any, have your experiences mentioned above had on your mental health? Please select all that apply Loss of self-esteem

Base: 12
Loss of self-esteem
100.0%
12

q8_5 q8 - What impact, if any, have your experiences mentioned above had on your mental health? Please select all that apply Lower productivity

Base: 10
Lower productivity
100.0%
10

q8_6 q8 - What impact, if any, have your experiences mentioned above had on your mental health? Please select all that apply Absenteeism

Base: 5
Absenteeism
100.0%
5

q8_7 q8 - What impact, if any, have your experiences mentioned above had on your mental health? Please select all that apply Other

Base: 2
Other
100.0%
2

q8_8 q8 - What impact, if any, have your experiences mentioned above had on your mental health? Please select all that apply None of the above

Base: 7
None of the above
100.0%
7

q9 Do you think your employer gives enough support to employees with mental health issues?

Base: 1100
Yes, there is enough support
42.2%
464
I am sure there is support but I would not know how to access it
21.1%
232
I am unsure if there is support
15.9%
175
No, there is no support
14.5%
159
Dont know
6.4%
70

q10 Do you feel as if there enough laws in-place by the government to protect retail/customer facing staff from harassment?

Base: 1100
No, there are not enough laws in place to protect retail staff
53.2%
585
Yes, there are enough laws in place to protect retail staff
33.8%
372
Dont know
13.0%
143

q11_1_1 q11_1 - Out of the options below, which are you aware of that your employer currently has/does in respect of harassment/sexual harassment? Please select all that apply. Company-wide communications on the employer's tolerance of harassment/sexual hara

Base: 332
Company-wide communications on the employer's tolerance of harassment/sexual harassment
100.0%
332

q11_1_2 q11_1 - Out of the options below, which are you aware of that your employer currently has/does in respect of harassment/sexual harassment? Please select all that apply. Anti-harassment or similar policy

Base: 474
Anti-harassment or similar policy
100.0%
474

q11_1_3 q11_1 - Out of the options below, which are you aware of that your employer currently has/does in respect of harassment/sexual harassment? Please select all that apply. Mandatory training sessions

Base: 370
Mandatory training sessions
100.0%
370

q11_1_4 q11_1 - Out of the options below, which are you aware of that your employer currently has/does in respect of harassment/sexual harassment? Please select all that apply. Risk assessments

Base: 325
Risk assessments
100.0%
325

q11_1_5 q11_1 - Out of the options below, which are you aware of that your employer currently has/does in respect of harassment/sexual harassment? Please select all that apply. Staff surveys

Base: 345
Staff surveys
100.0%
345

q11_1_6 q11_1 - Out of the options below, which are you aware of that your employer currently has/does in respect of harassment/sexual harassment? Please select all that apply. Open door policy

Base: 325
Open door policy
100.0%
325

q11_1_7 q11_1 - Out of the options below, which are you aware of that your employer currently has/does in respect of harassment/sexual harassment? Please select all that apply. Active encouragement of reporting of harassment concerns

Base: 393
Active encouragement of reporting of harassment concerns
100.0%
393

q11_1_8 q11_1 - Out of the options below, which are you aware of that your employer currently has/does in respect of harassment/sexual harassment? Please select all that apply. Other

Base: 8
Other
100.0%
8

q11_1_9 q11_1 - Out of the options below, which are you aware of that your employer currently has/does in respect of harassment/sexual harassment? Please select all that apply. None of the above

Base: 108
None of the above
100.0%
108

q11_1_10 q11_1 - Out of the options below, which are you aware of that your employer currently has/does in respect of harassment/sexual harassment? Please select all that apply. Don’t know

Base: 131
Don’t know
100.0%
131

q11_2_1 q11_2 - Out of the options below, which if any do you feel your employer could offer more of to deal with harassment from customers or staff? Please select all that apply Specific or increased training

Base: 306
Specific or increased training
100.0%
306

q11_2_2 q11_2 - Out of the options below, which if any do you feel your employer could offer more of to deal with harassment from customers or staff? Please select all that apply Clear guidance on how to report

Base: 494
Clear guidance on how to report
100.0%
494

q11_2_3 q11_2 - Out of the options below, which if any do you feel your employer could offer more of to deal with harassment from customers or staff? Please select all that apply Deterrent measures - screens

Base: 210
Deterrent measures - screens
100.0%
210

q11_2_4 q11_2 - Out of the options below, which if any do you feel your employer could offer more of to deal with harassment from customers or staff? Please select all that apply Deterrent measures - signs and warnings

Base: 437
Deterrent measures - signs and warnings
100.0%
437

q11_2_5 q11_2 - Out of the options below, which if any do you feel your employer could offer more of to deal with harassment from customers or staff? Please select all that apply Zero tolerance messages to customers

Base: 608
Zero tolerance messages to customers
100.0%
608

q11_2_6 q11_2 - Out of the options below, which if any do you feel your employer could offer more of to deal with harassment from customers or staff? Please select all that apply Other

Base: 18
Other
100.0%
18

q11_2_7 q11_2 - Out of the options below, which if any do you feel your employer could offer more of to deal with harassment from customers or staff? Please select all that apply None of the above

Base: 91
None of the above
100.0%
91

q11_2_8 q11_2 - Out of the options below, which if any do you feel your employer could offer more of to deal with harassment from customers or staff? Please select all that apply Don't know

Base: 97
Don't know
100.0%
97

q12 Do you feel as if there are enough HR protocols in-place by your employer to protect you/other members of staff?

Base: 1100
Yes, there are enough HR protocols in place
51.2%
563
No, there are not enough HR protocols in place
31.6%
348
Dont know
17.2%
189

q13 To what extent do you think your current employer cares about protecting staff from inappropriate behaviour in the workplace?

Base: 1100
Quite a lot
32.7%
360
A great deal
32.5%
357
Not that much
22.7%
250
Dont know
6.4%
70
Not at all
5.0%
55
Prefer not to say
0.7%
8

q14 In your opinion, how likely or unlikely are you to complain to friends about your current employer, either now or in the future?

Base: 1100
Neither likely nor unlikely
24.7%
272
Quite likely
21.3%
234
Quite unlikely
19.4%
213
Very unlikely
16.1%
177
Very likely
14.5%
159
Not sure
4.1%
45

q15 Have you accessed confidential human resources (HR) services such as an employee assistance line?

Base: 1100
No, but such services are available at my workplace
60.6%
667
No, and such services are not available at my workplace
21.4%
235
Yes
14.8%
163
Prefer not to say
3.2%
35

q16_1 q16 - Imagine confidential HR services were available at your workplace and you had experienced an incident you wanted to complain about. Would any of the following reasons deter you from using HR services? Please select all that apply. If I thought my

Base: 79
If I thought my complaint would not be dealt with honestly
100.0%
79

q16_2 q16 - Imagine confidential HR services were available at your workplace and you had experienced an incident you wanted to complain about. Would any of the following reasons deter you from using HR services? Please select all that apply. If I thought my

Base: 100
If I thought my complaint would make no difference to my situation
100.0%
100

q16_3 q16 - Imagine confidential HR services were available at your workplace and you had experienced an incident you wanted to complain about. Would any of the following reasons deter you from using HR services? Please select all that apply. If I thought th

Base: 74
If I thought the person I'm complaining about would be told who made the complaint
100.0%
74

q16_4 q16 - Imagine confidential HR services were available at your workplace and you had experienced an incident you wanted to complain about. Would any of the following reasons deter you from using HR services? Please select all that apply. If I thought th

Base: 67
If I thought the person I'm complaining about would figure out who had made the complaint
100.0%
67

q16_5 q16 - Imagine confidential HR services were available at your workplace and you had experienced an incident you wanted to complain about. Would any of the following reasons deter you from using HR services? Please select all that apply. Something else

Base: 4
Something else
100.0%
4

q16_6 q16 - Imagine confidential HR services were available at your workplace and you had experienced an incident you wanted to complain about. Would any of the following reasons deter you from using HR services? Please select all that apply. None of the abo

Base: 67
None of the above
100.0%
67

q16_7 q16 - Imagine confidential HR services were available at your workplace and you had experienced an incident you wanted to complain about. Would any of the following reasons deter you from using HR services? Please select all that apply. Prefer not to s

Base: 10
Prefer not to say
100.0%
10

q17 Have you raised any inappropriate behaviour from colleagues or customers as a grievance with your employer?

Base: 1098
No
79.4%
872
Yes
18.1%
199
Prefer not to say
2.5%
27

q18 You said you have raised inappropriate behaviour from colleagues or customers as a grievance with your employer. How satisfied or dissatisfied were you with the outcome of the complaint?

Base: 79
Quite satisfied
51.9%
41
Not that satisfied
26.6%
21
Very satisfied
11.4%
9
Not at all satisfied
10.1%
8

q19 How well do you think your employer has dealt with/or deals with harassment grievances?

Base: 1100
Quite well
32.3%
355
Dont know
21.9%
241
Very well
19.9%
219
Not that well
19.2%
211
Not at all well
6.7%
74

q20 How confident are you in your employer to properly deal with any grievances by staff?

Base: 1100
Quite confident
40.3%
443
Very confident
23.0%
253
Not that confident
21.3%
234
Dont know
7.8%
86
Not at all confident
7.6%
84

q21 How often do you have to deal with an angry customer?

Base: 1100
Less than once a month
29.6%
326
At least once a week
29.4%
323
At least once a month
23.9%
263
At least once a day
15.4%
169
At least once an hour
1.7%
19

q22_1 q22 - Which if any of the following behaviours have you experienced from angry customers? Physical violence

Base: 111
Physical violence
100.0%
111

q22_2 q22 - Which if any of the following behaviours have you experienced from angry customers? Pointing or getsuring

Base: 493
Pointing or getsuring
100.0%
493

q22_3 q22 - Which if any of the following behaviours have you experienced from angry customers? Swearing

Base: 673
Swearing
100.0%
673

q22_4 q22 - Which if any of the following behaviours have you experienced from angry customers? Raised voice

Base: 855
Raised voice
100.0%
855

q22_5 q22 - Which if any of the following behaviours have you experienced from angry customers? Personal comments

Base: 388
Personal comments
100.0%
388

q22_6 q22 - Which if any of the following behaviours have you experienced from angry customers? Leering, sexual gestures or other conduct of a sexual nature

Base: 116
Leering, sexual gestures or other conduct of a sexual nature
100.0%
116

q22_7 q22 - Which if any of the following behaviours have you experienced from angry customers? None of the above

Base: 119
None of the above
100.0%
119

q23 Based on your own experiences, or what you have seen/heard from others, which of these behaviours do you think is the hardest to deal with when it happens?

Base: 1100
Physical violence
41.5%
457
Raised voice
17.5%
192
Personal comments
15.0%
165
Leering, sexual gestures or other conduct of a sexual nature
11.3%
124
Swearing
10.8%
119
Pointing or gesturing
3.9%
43

q24 Does a typical angry customer have particular characteristics when it comes to gender?

Base: 1100
No, it varies
70.5%
775
Yes, they are typically male
20.7%
228
Yes, they are typically female
8.8%
97

q25 Does a typical angry customer have particular characteristics when it comes to age?

Base: 1100
No, it varies
59.5%
654
Yes, they are typically 35-44
12.2%
134
Yes, they are typically 45-54
8.6%
95
Yes, they are typically 25-34
7.7%
85
Yes, they are typically 55-64
5.5%
61
Yes, they are typically 65-74
3.7%
41
Yes, they are typically 18-24
2.1%
23
Yes, they are typically 75+
0.6%
7

q26 Is there a part of the store or the premises you work at where it's more likely you will encounter an angry customer?

Base: 1100
No, it varies
43.2%
475
Yes, counter/staffed checkouts
32.0%
352
Yes, self-service checkouts
12.2%
134
Yes, aisles/shelves
6.2%
68
Yes, front door
4.5%
49
Yes, other
2.0%
22

q27 Is there any particular time of day when you think it's more likely you will encounter an angry customer?

Base: 1100
No, it varies
69.4%
763
Afternoon
14.5%
159
Evening
12.3%
135
Morning
3.9%
43

q28 What are angry customers most likely to be complaining about?

Base: 1100
Returning a product
20.1%
221
Prices going up
14.2%
156
Queuing
14.1%
155
Lack of staff
10.9%
120
Age-related sales / asking for proof of age
10.9%
120
​​​​​​​Other
10.8%
119
Lack of stock
9.5%
104
Cant find something
5.8%
64
Shop staff are rude to them
3.7%
41

q29 What is the best way to deal with angry customers?

Base: 1100
Talk to them and de-escalate
54.5%
600
Involve my manager
21.1%
232
Call security
11.5%
127
Walk away
10.5%
116
​​​​​​​Other
2.3%
25

q30 What things would make you feel more supported when dealing with angry customers?

Base: 1100
Banning persistent offensive customers
24.8%
273
More security
20.7%
228
More support from my manager
16.7%
184
Signs to tell customers not to abuse staff
13.7%
151
​​​​​​​Prosecuting customers who harass staff
12.8%
141
More training
7.2%
79
Other
4.0%
44

human Thank you for your responses. Please can you prove your humanity by selecting “I am a human” below:

Base: 1100
I am a human
98.6%
1085
I am not a human
0.6%
7
Don't know
0.5%
5
Refuse to say
0.3%
3

QStatus ** HIDDEN QUESTION TO STORE: all statuses for tracking and ease of redirecting. **

Base: 1100
Completed
100.0%
1100