Be Kind, Shop Kind at Superdrug

We don’t know about you, but 2020 is certainly a year we won’t ever forget! Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have all had to adjust to a new way of living and we’re sure you will agree it is important, now more than ever, that we are kind to one another!

To encourage kindness within our Superdrug community, in July we launched our ‘Be Kind’ campaign online. This declared that all our social media channels were a safe place and that negativity, of any form, would 100% not be tolerated. And now, due to a worrying rise of aggression towards our colleagues instore, we have extended this campaign into our shops with the launch of ‘Be Kind, Shop Kind’.

Let us tell you more about this initiative and how you can do your part…

Be Kind, Shop Kind

As an essential retailer, many of our Superdrug stores remained opened during the lockdown, with safety measures in place to keep our staff, their families and our customers protected. This meant that the likes of key workers and those shopping for vulnerable people could have access to health and beauty items, such as toiletries and medication.

However, sadly, during these times our Superdrug employees experienced a growing number of negative reactions to safety measures that were put in place. In fact, aggressive behaviour instore rose by 21% during the pandemic! One of the main causes of rude and unacceptable behaviour has been down to the removal of testers. One staff member was subjected to a barrage of abuse and personal insults after telling a customer, who had opened a sealed product to test, that testers were not available due to current guidelines.

This is both saddening and worrying and which is why we’re pledging to support all our staff under the Be Kind, Shop Kind initiative.

Zero Tolerance Stance

It’s not just Superdrug staff who have experienced negative interactions while working in a store. The 2020 Retail Crime Survey found that on average 424 violent or abusive incidents occurred each day before March 2020 and the unbelievable trend has continued to rise throughout the pandemic.

To help protect our staff, we are pledging to adopt a zero-tolerance stance against any rude or aggressive behaviour shown towards our instore teams.

We actively encourage you to be respectful, mindful and stick to the rules; after all, they are in place to keep us all safe!

Do Your Part to Be Kind, Shop Kind

To ensure our staff and customers are always safe and happy, our Superdrug stores all have the following guidelines in place. Take a moment to have a read and keep them in mind when you visit your local Superdrug store:

We want everyone in our stores, both customers and staff, to be comfortable so please stick to social distancing rules when moving around the shop.
Abuse or assaults against the team or any of our customers will not be tolerated.
We reserve the right to refuse someone entry into the store.
CCTV will be in use throughout our stores for the safety of everyone inside (so don't forget to smile!)
Please avoid touching or opening products which you are not going to purchase. If you need any more info, our team will be happy to help!
We take acts of aggression and theft seriously and will push for the strongest action against anyone including prosecution.

Sign the Petition

As well as launching our own initiative, we're very proud to support a petition which is currently gathering signatures aimed at ending the abuse of all kinds against customer-facing staff. We invite you to stand with us and sign your name on the petition here: Protect Retail Workers from Abuse, Threats, and Violence.

For more information on how Superdrug are keeping their staff and customers safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, click the button below to go to our website.

Superdrug Coronavirus Update