The real risks of working behind a counter

The Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees' Association (SDA) surveyed close to 3,000 retail and fast food workers for its 2025 research and found that 88 per cent had experienced verbal abuse and 25 per cent had experienced physical violence in the past 12 months. The union says the physical violence figure has doubled since its 2023 survey and tripled since 2021.

Victorian Crime Statistics Agency figures released by the Australian Retail Council show assaults in retail stores rose 5.1 per cent to 5,357 incidents in 2025, and stalking, harassment and threatening behaviour in retail settings rose 12.8 per cent.

The risk looks different depending on where you work:

• Supermarkets. Self-serve disputes, refunds, bag checks and someone walking out with a full trolley.
• Service stations and convenience stores. Late or all-night trading, often one person on, cash and cigarettes behind the counter, and fuel drive-offs.
• Bottle shops. Refusing service to someone intoxicated or underage is a legal requirement, and the person refused rarely takes it well.
• Community pharmacy. Pharmacists decline to supply medicines every day for clinical and legal reasons, including Schedule 8 medicines and opioid dependence treatment doses.

Pharmacy: when saying no is part of the job

In a national survey of Australian community pharmacists published in the International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy, 91 per cent had experienced or witnessed some form of violence in community pharmacy in the previous 12 months, and about a third were verbally abused at least once a month. Over half received no support after an incident. The data dates from 2007 and the response rate was low, but it remains one of the few Australian studies of pharmacy violence.

The trigger points are familiar: a script that looks altered, a request for early supply, a missed or refused dose, someone intoxicated at the dosing counter, or a customer who turns hostile when questioned about a pharmacist-only medicine. Handing over the medicine is not an option, so pharmacists need other ways to stay safe.

What a dangerous situation actually looks like

It is 9.40 pm at a suburban service station, with one console operator on. A man asks for a carton of cigarettes, then says his card has been declined. When you tell him you cannot hand the carton over, he leans across the counter, says he will wait for you after your shift, and walks out. Twenty minutes later his car is still parked near the air pump. You are due to lock up and walk to your car at 10.

Nothing physical has happened, but the most vulnerable part of the night is still ahead. What you do next, staying inside behind a locked door, calling your manager or police and refusing to walk out alone, matters far more than anything you could do with your hands.

Most incidents, from a shoplifter swinging a bag at the door to a customer following a pharmacy assistant toward the back room, begin with a refusal or a challenge, and most can still be turned around at that point.

Why store policies are not enough on their own

Employers have a legal duty to manage the risk of workplace violence and aggression, including from customers. Queensland Police's armed robbery awareness booklet reminds business owners that a person conducting a business has a primary duty of care for the health and safety of workers, and that this includes violence in the workplace. In Queensland, amendments made by the Respect at Work and Other Matters Amendment Act 2024 also mean a court sentencing someone for an offence involving violence must treat the fact that the victim was at work as an aggravating factor, unless there are exceptional circumstances. Helpful, but it only applies after the harm is done.

Retailers usually have sensible controls: CCTV, duress buttons, limited cash in the till, time-delay safes, two staff for opening and closing, and clear instructions not to chase or physically stop shoplifters. That last rule matters, and good self defence training reinforces it. As Queensland Police puts it: "No amount of money or property is worth risking a life!"

The gap is that every control relies on a person. Someone has to notice the customer who has walked past the counter three times, stay calm while being sworn at, choose not to follow the thief out the door, and keep thinking clearly with their heart pounding. Under stress, people freeze, argue or chase. A policy in a folder does not change that. Practice does.

The benefits of learning effective self defence

For retail and pharmacy staff, self defence is not about tackling shoplifters. It is about going home uninjured. Good training builds these skills:

• Reading the floor. Noticing behaviour that does not fit, someone loitering by the exit or a customer whose agitation is building, so you can call for support early.
• Using the counter and the space. Keeping the counter between you and an angry customer, staying out of arm's reach, and never being cornered in a storeroom, cool room or dispensary.
• De-escalation under pressure. A calm voice, open hands, a short clear explanation, and knowing when to stop explaining and step away.
• Letting it go. Building the habit of handing over cash or stock and complying in a robbery, so the offender leaves quickly and nobody is hurt.
• Physical skills as a last resort. Simple, reliable ways to break a grab, protect your head and get clear if someone attacks you. Australian law generally allows force that is reasonable and necessary to defend yourself, and good training teaches you to use only what the situation requires.
• Safer closing routines. Checking the car park before you lock up, walking out with a colleague, and knowing what to do if someone approaches you at your car.

Staff who have been threatened often carry that fear into every shift. Feeling capable of handling it helps them keep doing the job.

How Arakan helps retail and pharmacy teams

Arakan Martial Art has been teaching for more than 30 years and has trained tens of thousands of people, from children to executives, professional athletes, law enforcement and military personnel. A workshop for a retail or pharmacy team can focus on the situations your staff actually face:

• recognising escalating behaviour at the register, dispensary or dosing counter;
• positioning around counters, aisles, doorways and back rooms so you always have a way out;
• refusing a sale or supply calmly without inflaming the situation;
• staying composed and compliant during a robbery, then raising the alarm when it is safe;
• what to do if someone grabs you over the counter, blocks your path or approaches you in the car park.

Sessions are led by full time professional instructors, are trauma-aware and safety-first, and suit every age and fitness level, from a teenage casual to a veteran pharmacist. Formats range from 90 to 120 minute intensives to half day and full day workshops and ongoing team programs, and can be built into a team day, conference or wellness program. Executive private coaching is also available for owners and managers.

How Arakan differs from a traditional dojo or the ring

A combat sport is built around a fair contest. A robbery is not.

• Not a competition style. Arakan is a Burmese martial art that has never been a ring or competition style. There are no referees at a service station counter.
• Tight spaces and real obstacles. Training covers confined spaces, counters, doorways, vehicles and situations with more than one person.
• Principles you can adapt. Movement, balance, timing and positioning that work wherever you are standing, not set routines that only work on an open mat.
• Avoidance and responsibility first. Awareness, de-escalation and legal responsibility are central. The aim is to get everyone home, not to win.
• No egos, no aggression. Staff come away calmer and more confident with customers, not more combative.

This article is general information only and is not legal, safety or professional advice. Always follow your employer's safety and robbery procedures, never put yourself at risk to protect money or stock, and contact police on 000 in an emergency.