THEY have been stabbed with broken glass, verbally abused and spat at.

These are only a few examples of loutish behaviour endured by York shopworkers in recent months.

Incidents of "retail rage" are increasing, according to a Retail Choice survey, while figures from the shopworkers' trade union, USDAW, indicate 69 per cent of Yorkshire shop staff were abused in a single week when it carried out a study.

Staff at city centre off-licences and convenience stores in York have learned to expect such behaviour.

Lynsey Wray, from Jackson's, in Bootham, said: "This sort of thing happens all the time. I've been spat at and been called numerous names, and my boss has had a bottle thrown at her before.

"On one occasion, we were forced to stay well back until the police came and arrested a drunkard.

"All shops which stay open late have these problems, but it happens during the day too. It's mostly males who cause trouble in this shop, but we do get some girls too."

One worker of another late-night chain convenience store has been involved in two incidents of physical violence in four months, and described one when a man attempted to stab him.

He said: "I stopped a shoplifter at the doorway and as I grabbed him, stolen goods were literally falling from his pockets and from under his jumper.

"A coffee jar smashed on the floor and he tried to stab me with the broken glass."

Other city centre stores reported minor incidents and shrugged them off as inevitable.

Catherine Savory, from Maynews, in Parliament Street, said: "Sometimes we get customers coming in and arguing between themselves.

"We had a guy and his mate chase each other behind the cash desk. I just threw them both out."

Janine Anderson, from Wine Rack, in Church Street, said: "One of the girls who works here was verbally abused because she refused to sell alcohol to a couple of under-age kids, but they both came in the next day to apologise."

Bill Atton, from Threshers, in Museum Street, said: "We get the odd drunk during the day, but it's just verbal abuse, or they open something and start drinking it in the store without paying.

"One time a guy threatened me with what he said was a gun, but he didn't actually have one."

North Yorkshire Police said: "We don't have any figures for this kind of low level yobbery committed in shops."

USDAW representative Paul Clarke said: "Every minute of every working day a shopworker suffers physical or verbal abuse."

Updated: 10:26 Friday, April 22, 2005