@TopBitchoftheWitches. I understand what you mean. You may have chosen your words badly with the 'stop moaning' bit but I was really shocked when I went to the supermarket last week.
We live in a 'naice' UK town - the type of place where people say 'good morning' to you even if they don't know you, where people come together for community events, where there's a great sense of 'community' and people will help each other.
Except...I was reminded, very nicely, to stay behind the line when I was unpacking my trolley. I apologised and the cashier said 'you'd be surprised how rude customers can get when we ask them'. That opened up a chat. She told me that:
She'd had a 'gentleman' who refused to unpack behind the line. He wanted to unpack 'his way'. So she asked him again. Still no compliance. So she called over her supervisor, who asked him again politely. Nope. So security was called. He f'd and blinded at them then spat on the floor on the way out. It really shook her up.
When she and her colleagues had to tell people, at the beginning of the lockdown, that they had too many of certain items in their trolley she'd had items THROWN AT HER and people telling her to 'f'ing put them back herself'.
One student who had worked with them last summer came back to help as she'd enjoyed her time with them so much. She was sent home on her first day because a woman swore and screamed abuse at her because she couldn't find an item - none in stock. Again security was called because the woman just would not back off even when other customers told her to calm down.
And these are the same people who will turn out for our local music festival, help their neighbour with their shopping, be sweetness and light most of time. This is bringing out a nasty side of people and they are turning on others who are doing nothing more than their job.
So I definitely believe that you're scared to go to work. The woman in the supermarket told me that if she and her colleagues could find jobs elsewhere, they'd walk. They've had enough of being blamed for empty shelves or queuing times. They've had enough of the screaming abuse and threats they're getting.
One of my friends has lost her job but won't take one of the supermarket ones in our town - she's witnessed the abuse and she's not having it.
My DH and another man had to tell someone off the other week because they'd got a trolley from the bay, then saw how long the queue was and just shoved the trolley into the woman who was trying to clean them down. Security went and sorted him out but she'd already been hit by it. No apology, he just swanned off with a two fingered salute. Nice man.
These are supermarket workers who may get the odd person swear at them, may have the odd person throw a wobbly now and then. But to get things thrown at them, have people spit on the floor or shove a trolley into someone who is just doing their job? People need to look at themselves now and then.
Personally I think our supermarket people are doing a great job - and I tell them. It's not easy at the moment.