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Midsummer Place says “Hello” to national campaign supporting retail workers
-Milton Keynes shopping centre backs Retail Trust’s Let’s Respect Retail campaign ahead of the busy Christmas shopping season-
Midsummer Place is calling on shoppers to remember the people behind their shopping experience this Christmas as it throws its support behind the Retail Trust’s national Let’s Respect Retail campaign.
Running from 9 until 30 November, the campaign aims to encourage greater kindness and respect towards people working in retail, particularly as stores enter one of their busiest periods of the year.
And its message couldn’t be simpler: ‘say hello’.
Research highlighted by the campaign shows that 93% of retail colleagues say small positive actions from customers can make a big impact, with something as simple as a friendly greeting helping to turn a transaction into a positive human interaction.
Throughout November, Midsummer Place will be helping to spread the message across the centre, encouraging visitors to take a moment to recognise the people serving them in stores, restaurants and cafés.
Campaign materials will also encourage shoppers to think about how even the smallest gestures like a hello, a thank you or simply treating someone with kindness can make a difference to somebody'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 campaign is encouraging retailers and shopping destinations across the UK to display campaign materials from 9 November, as well as sharing the message through their social media and internal communications.
It will culminate around Black Friday on 27 November, at the start of one of the busiest shopping periods of the year, with the Retail Trust planning a national “moment of humanity” to unite shoppers and retailers around the campaign.
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.”