Midsummer Place is backing a national campaign to promote kindness and respect towards retail workers, encouraging shoppers to make a small but meaningful difference by simply saying hello.
Running from 9th to 30th November, the Retail Trust’s Let’s Respect Retail campaign aims to improve the experiences of people working in retail, particularly as shops, restaurants and cafés prepare for one of the busiest times of the year.
The message is simple: say hello.
Research highlighted by the campaign shows that 93% of retail colleagues say small positive actions from customers can make a big difference. Something as simple as a friendly greeting can turn an everyday transaction into a positive human interaction.
Throughout November, Midsummer Place will be sharing the campaign message across the shopping centre, encouraging visitors to recognise the people behind their shopping experience. From a friendly hello to a simple thank you, even the smallest gestures can make a real difference to someone's working day.
Simon Martin, Centre Manager at Midsummer Place, said: “Our retail teams are at the heart of Midsummer Place. As we head towards Christmas, thousands of conversations and interactions will take place across the centre every single day, and behind every one of those is a person working hard to give our visitors a great experience.
“The message behind Let’s Respect Retail is brilliantly simple. Saying hello costs absolutely nothing, but it can completely change an interaction.
“We want Midsummer Place to be somewhere where people enjoy shopping, working and spending time, so this November we're asking our visitors to join us: say hello, say thank you and remember the person behind the counter.”
The Retail Trust is encouraging shopping centres and retailers across the UK to support the initiative by displaying campaign materials and sharing its message through social media and internal communications.
The campaign will culminate around Black Friday on 27 November, when the Retail Trust plans a national ‘moment of humanity’, bringing shoppers and retail workers together to celebrate kindness and positive interactions.
Simon added: “Christmas shopping can be busy and stressful, both for customers and for the people working in our stores. A little patience and kindness can go a very long way.
“So our message to Milton Keynes is simple: one small word can change a whole moment. Hello.”
