"Customers in shops are getting more aggressive"
The organisation representing the trade sector, Comeos, says that an increasing number of clients is getting aggressive in times of corona. 3 in 4 shop owners have had to deal with verbal or even physical aggression lately, Comeos says.
It's especially the rule that allows only one person per family inside a shop that triggers frustration, because people don't see the sense of it, explains Deborah Motteux of Comeos. "It's hard for shop owners to explain this rule: sometimes the shop is empty and still two people can't enter together."
3 in 4 self-employed are complaining about a form of aggression: "It's often verbal abuse, but also physical aggression. Shop owners hardly have any tools to react. The only thing they can do is to call the police, but it often takes a while before these can intervene."
Comeos is asking the government to abolish the rule, because it is bad for turnover and because it causes aggression.