You simply get your phone out, record video and hold it down by your side. Hardly covert. No one seems to notice it.
Does not matter where it points, it’s the audio that counts.
You can also just have it sticking out of a shirt pocket.
It also keeps you sane, you know they will **** up, and you know you must stay cool. People can be thick. I had a welsh idiot threaten me on the phone because his bender fender fell off. FFS. I talked to him on speaker phone, recorded it on the iPhone , asked leading questions… “So you are driving from Wales to swanage right now, with your mates, and you are going to beat me up?.”.. “Yes”. He even confirmed his name. Confirmed he would smash the shop window if he could not smash me. What a **** idiot..
I then emailed him the file and told him if I ever hear from him again, I will publish the file on youtube, share it with his employer and the police. If my shop gets damaged ever, I will also share it with the police.