'Could end somebody's life': Retail worker warns of escalating violence

Supermarket giant Coles says incidents of abuse towards retail staff have increased by 85 per cent over the past two years in Victoria.

Exclusive CCTV has captured a customer armed with a hammer, and a security guard being thrown into a check-out machine by another customer.

Premier Ben Carroll says Workplace Protection Orders will be in place by July 2027, but there are calls for the laws to come into effect sooner.

For teenagers looking for their first job, an opportunity in retail is one of the most sought after gigs.

In exclusive video obtained by 7.30 and captured during the past four months, CCTV shows shocking incidents of aggressive behaviour towards Coles staff and, at times, other customers.

In one instance, a customer was armed with a hammer and threatens a staff member as they were leaving the store, and in a second attack, a security guard was physically thrown into a check-out machine by a customer.

Ruth Sumner, 70, has worked at Coles for 30 years. She said it was time the abuse against workers stopped.

"I enjoy my job. I'd just like to be able to do it without getting abused basically or worrying about whether somebody's going to come flying around the plaza with weapons," she said.

Last year, in a union survey of about 3,000 workers across Australia, 88 per cent of people said they had been verbally abused.

Ms Sumner says she feels anxious about her safety when she clocks on for a shift.

"The physical violence, irrespective of what anybody thinks, once is too much. Because once could end somebody's life," Ms Sumner said.

Coles's chief operations and supply chain officer Matt Swindells said there had been a dramatic increase in abuse towards staff in Victoria.

"We've had rising instances of what we would call threatening situations, particularly towards our team members and particularly in Victoria over the last two years," he said.

"To give you some idea, they've grown 85 per cent in Victoria over that period.