Sunita, 42, a make-up artist and beauty counter representative, Derby
“I take temp jobs now to move around because I got depressed working in a department store where I encountered the same rude customers again and again. Most people having make-up consultations are nice but not all of them. I was doing a colour match on one lady when her daughter stormed over and went off on one saying, ‘This lady doesn’t know anything, she’s not even from our country’ and started hurling racial abuse at me. You try to put a smile on your face when people mutter things under their breath, but it still hurts.
“I’ve had people asking what my qualifications are, I’ve been followed to the bus stop and one guy who was caught stealing perfume shouted, ‘You b***h, I’m going to come back and get you’. I genuinely enjoy my job but it can often feel like being an emotional punchbag. That takes its toll.”
