Dear Vicki: ‘My customers are getting more rude and abusive – how can I help my staff to cope?’

Q As the owner of a small business, I am increasingly struggling to deal with the rise in extremely rude and abusive customers coming into my store. I’ve heard that bigger chains send their staff on training courses to show them how to handle difficult situations, but I can’t afford to do that. On the other hand, absenteeism among my staff has increased in the last two years, as has turnover, and I think the increasingly hostile environment is a factor.