Retail workers face alarming surge in customer violence and abuse

The rates of customer violence and abuse against retail workers are at an all-time high, 9News can reveal.

One has told how he was confronted with a knife while simply trying to serve someone, and is calling on everyone to calm down, as it gets worse in the lead-up to Christmas.

A survey conducted this year revealed a staggering 87 per cent of retail and fast-food workers nationwide have been abused by customers this year.

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In South Australia, the situation is even worse, with 89 per cent of workers reporting abuse.

Jewellery store employee Adem Kadic is one of them.

"A customer got engaged, the person said no to the person that was proposing...and then they came back and threatened us with a knife," he told 9News. 

"So that's kind of the stuff that we face."

Joshua Sampson, a Target worker who confronted a shoplifter, is another.

"We noticed that they were shoplifting, so we asked to check his bag, and he pulled a shank out of his pocket… and threatened me," he said.

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"Then he kind of shoved me a bit and walked out the store," he added.

With extended Christmas shopping hours now under way, shoppers are being urged to stay calm at the checkouts so everyone can enjoy the festive atmosphere.

This article was produced with the assistance of 9ExPress.