Teenage girl working at Coles is abused by a furious customer for not wearing GLOVES at the checkout - as her mother issues emotional message to shoppers during coronavirus crisis
- A Coles employee was abused for not wearing gloves during Coronavirus crisis
- Hayley Evans, 16, told the Manly Coroso Coles customer she used hand sanitiser
- The shopper is understood to have phoned the police on the teenager
A teenage girl was abused by an 'aggressive' customer for not wearing gloves while working at the Coles checkout during the coronavirus pandemic.
Hayley Evans, 16, told the furious customer at Manly Corso Coles, in Sydney's northern beaches, she was following protocol by using hand sanitiser.
The shopper then phoned NSW Police to report the teenage shop assistant.
Hayley's mother, Kate Munn, said her daughter was harassed by the irate man at about lunchtime on Saturday.
Coles worker Hayley Evans (right) was abused for not wearing gloves at the checkout. Her mother, Kate (left), wrote about the incident on Facebook
'My daughter works at Coles in Manly, she's a high school student who has a part time job like zillions of other teens around the world,' she wrote on Facebook.
'Yesterday a customer harassed her for not wearing gloves, she patiently stated that gloves were optional and she'd been using hand sanitiser.'
The mother-of-three told Daily Mail Australia her daughter was working at the checkout when the incident unfolded.
'He was aggressive in his demeanour,' Ms Munn said.
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'They're following the most up-to-date guidelines.'
One of Hayley's colleagues overheard the man phone police, Ms Munn said.
Despite the verbal altercation, Ms Munn said her daughter had not experienced any other 'awful' clashes with customers.
'A few people have thanked her,' she said.
Ms Munn said Coles staff are 'following the most up-to-date guidelines' during the coronavirus pandemic. Pictured: Coles staff help customers
'All front-line, essential workers are exposing themselves to a higher risk than others to ensure that the world keeps turning during this period.
'A bit of extra care, a bit of extra appreciation... It's a big responsibility.'
Ms Munn also heaped praise on Coles management who have supported Hayley throughout the ordeal and during the coronavirus pandemic.
'She was well prepared [for Saturday's incident]. Disappointed but not overwhelmed because there has been so much support from the management.
'I just want to reiterate how well supported she was by the management team. She's very comfortable and confident with the way they're communicating and handling the situation.'
'It's reassuring as a parent to know that.'
Supermarket workers have been physically and verbally abused by customers during the COVID-19 crisis as panicked customers rush to the shops to stock up on goods.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Coles for comment.
Shoppers are seen waiting outside a Coles supermarket at Firle in Adelaide, Monday, April 6
Mother shares gutwrenching photos of her exhausted daughter, 18, breaking down in tears after a gruelling shift at Woolworths
By Brittany Chain for Daily Mail Australia
A mother has shared a photo of her teenage daughter fighting back tears after she was abused by customers during her shift at Woolworths.
Debara Nydrle's daughter, Jordyn is working overtime at the supermarket in Townsville, north-east Queensland, due to frenzied coronavirus panic-buying.
Her 18-year-old daughter comes home from work feeling drained, telling stories of how she was abused by angry customers throughout the day.
The mother posted a photo of Jordyn, red-faced and teary, after a particularly gruelling shift.
Jordyn Nydrle (pictured) works at a Woolworths in Townsville, and came home after a particularly gruelling shift and cried
'Thank you to all the a**holes who think its okay to abuse Woolies staff to the point where you break them, daily, multiple times a day,' she wrote.
She described the abuse her daughter received as totally un-Australian, and said customer complaints were things that Jordyn and her colleagues 'could not control.'
A friend of the family said they were in store when Jordyn was having a particularly difficult time and 'wanted to go give her a hug,' but were worried she would get in trouble or that it would make her more upset.
Other customers said they looked forward to Jordyn's service in stores, because of her usually friendly smile and demeanour.
Ms Nydrle urged her friends and family to be kind to all supermarket employees who are working throughout this difficult period.
'Perform a random act of kindness,' she suggested. 'Thank your supermarket worker, or give them a smile, take them flowers - you can even buy them in store.'
The most important thing, Ms Nydrle said, was that customers help staff help everybody.
Woolworths worker breaks down in tears at the checkouts after being abused by rude shoppers and is comforted by a customer
A photo of a Woolworths employee in tears captures the grim reality for many retail workers who are being abused by customers angry about shortages caused by coronavirus-induced panic-buying and hoarding.
The photograph shared on Facebook showed an exhausted worker in tears at the self-serve checkouts after she was treated horribly by rude customers, and summed up the anguish felt by staff at Australian supermarkets.
Supermarket chains have all imposed rationing to curb shelf-stripping over-buying.
The shortages and the rationing had infuriated many customers who were taking out their anger on staff and other shoppers, with several instances of physical fights in the aisles as they fought over scarce items.
One woman who shared the image demanded customers get a 'reality check'.
A picture of a Woolworths employee breaking down in tears has offered a heartbreaking insight into the impact panic-buying is having on supermarket workers amid coronavirus
'These poor workers are being brought to tears because of the way people are treating them, blaming them and abusing them for something they have no control of,' one woman said.
'They're humans just like the rest of us, trying to make a living, trying to do the best job they possibly can for everyone at the moment.
'Before you look for someone to blame for all of this mayhem, maybe try and think about the fact that these people are just trying to do their jobs and don't need to be abused every 10 minutes just because Woolworths and Coles is out of stock.
'Be a decent human in these time you never know what someone is struggling with in their lives and you're abusing someone over not being able to buy three packets of pasta or some toilet paper.'
Other retail workers responded to the photo of the crying worker with their own experiences of being rudely treated by customers.
'Walked into Woolworths wearing my Kmart uniform and got yelled at because they didn’t have toilet paper. Even though I didn’t work at Woolworths,' one woman said.
A second said: 'As a retail worker for Dan Murphy's, we are classed as "essential". We didn't ask for this pandemic. We certainly didn't ask for sh***y customers who can't buy their bottle of Gossips and Bowler's Run. Definitely blessed to have a job still.'
A third said: 'This is horrible. These poor workers are just trying to do their best. They don't have control over anything that is going on. They are there just to get your items through for you to pay. Please show some extra kindness to all retail staff, especially those working in the supermarkets at the moment.'
And another said: 'So sorry these hard working people are being disrespected. What is wrong with people, can they show some respect to theses people. Disgusting behaviour.'
One Woolworths employee said her store had barely opened its doors when it had to deal with an unruly shopper.
'Half an hour into the day and we already had to call security and the police. Enough is enough guys. Treat each other with respect. We are just doing our job,' she said.
An employee who works for Woolworths supply chain responded to the photo of a distressed colleague by praising the workers for being on the 'frontline' during this difficult time.
'Massive appreciation to all staff, some of whom are 15 to 18, putting in massive efforts and dealing with unspeakable behaviour, you are the true embodiment of the "everyday hero",' he said.
Hundreds of shoppers thanked the supermarket workers for working long hours to keep up with the high demand of essential items.
'I take my hat off to the people working for Woolies, Coles and Aldi. Would be bloody tough at the moment. And it's no ones fault that stores are out of stock. They're all trying their best,' one said.
Woolworths have been forced to introduce an elderly hour for shoppers to combat the crowds
Supermarket shelves have been left bare of the essentials - particularly toilet paper - since panic buying began
Panic-buying has sparked violent brawls in supermarkets throughout the nation as customers rush to get their hands on in-demand groceries.
Woolworths and Coles stores have seen sales soar in recent months, well beyond what is standard for this time of year.
As a result, Woolworths created 20,000 new jobs - many are short term contracts - designed to give people now out of work due to COVID-19 a lifeline.
The new roles across supermarkets, e-commerce, supply chain and drinks businesses will allow the retailer to better meet the unprecedented demand for groceries across the country.
The move will also allow the to supermarket giant to build up their online operations in a bid to support the changing shopping needs determined by COVID-19.
Woolworths Group CEO Brad Banducci said: 'These are uncertain times for many industries and we have an important role to play keeping Australians employed through this crisis.'
Similarly, Coles confirmed they would be hiring an additional 5,000 staff for the duration of the crisis.
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