He works alone, doesn’t speak English and has only lived in the country for a couple of years - his community worries for his safety and is checking up on him regularly.
The owner spoke to The New Zealand Herald under the condition his name and shop weren’t revealed as he is worried his vulnerability will leave him exposed to more attacks.
Police were called to the eastern Christchurch dairy shortly before 9pm on Sunday, after receiving reports of an aggravated robbery.
According to the owner, speaking to the Herald via a translation device, three men in their 20s entered his store wielding weapons. One had an axe, the other two carried knives.
“Rob the counter,” one man yelled as the owner dashed behind the shop front to protect himself.
He wasn’t quick enough. An offender jumped on the store counter and hit the man on the head with a knife - cutting the top of his forehead.
As the offenders took a number of items from the dairy, the owner found himself surrounded by blood on himself, the counter and the carpet.
The owner received moderate injuries as a result of the attack. Police said he was “understandably very distressed” at the time of the incident.
A loyal customer of 13 years visited his shop shortly after the attack and found the owner with his wife returning to the store after receiving treatment for his wounds.
He said by 10am the next day, the owner was back to serving customers again.
“I looked at the situation [and asked myself] where was his back-up?” he said.
“You’re walking over the smoke dispensers, there were cigarettes on the ground and glass everywhere, and the door was smashed. I went home to get a broom but the poor guy was still serving people through it.”
The owner’s family now worries for his safety. At night, he feels worried about locking up and can tangibly feel the danger in his work since Sunday night.
“There has been a certain psychological shadow since the incident,” the owner said.
Now, the man is focused on selling his store, which was already at the forefront of his mind since new tobacco laws threaten the future of his shop’s viability.
He’s set a deadline of July 1 next year to make money off his business.
“If I can’t sell it, I plan to close the doors anyway,” he said.
His customer said the local community is concerned for the shop worker’s safety, he felt that way even before the attack.
“I’m keen to just give him a bit of support but he’s still here by himself,” he said.
“This guy is a sitting bird, he’s a target. You hope it will never happen again but you just never know. Many of the customers coming in feel really angry about what happened.”
