You’ve likely been there.
The queue twists through a busy bank branch. You’ve been standing for what feels like an eternity. The screen above the teller windows flashes numbers that make little sense, no staff member is visible to help, and you’re left wondering if you’re even in the right line. Behind you, sighs grow louder. Someone mutters, then raises their voice. A teller shifts, unsure how to respond.
It’s a scene that plays out in crowded bank branches, customer service centres, and retail stores, places designed to serve but often leaving people frustrated, anxious, and sometimes aggressive.
When tempers flare, the instinct is to blame the person who snapped. To label them impatient or rude. But what if this anger is not only the failure of individuals? What if it is the predictable, even inevitable, result of design choices made long before anyone entered that space?
Want to dive deeper into how retail leaders can tackle customer aggression? Join our upcoming webinar, Behind the Counter: Rethinking Safety Amid Retail Violence.