Cashier

Cashiers can work in a variety of job industries (e.g., restaurant, supermarket, retail store, movie theater, gas station) - pretty much any place that requires a customer to purchase items. If you are a cashier, you will have some clearly defined and repetitive tasks (e.g., using a cash register to ring in customer purchases, putting purchased items in bags). 

Education

This job sometimes requires a high school diploma and/or a GED certificate.

Previous Experience
Previous experience working as a cashier in any setting is preferred.
Although many employers prefer that you have previous experience in the same or similar area of employment, it is strongly encouraged that you apply anyways - everybody has to start somewhere!

Job Duties

• Greet customers entering the store, restaurant, etc.
• Collect customer payments by cash, credit cards, debit cards, gift cards, or checks and use a cash register and/or price scanner to ring up customer purchases.
• Give customers appropriate change and a receipt from their purchase.
• Bag, wrap, or box customer purchases.
• Complete customer transactions in a timely and efficient manner.
• Handle returns and exchanges of merchandise.
• Identify prices of merchandise and carefully read labels of merchandise.
• Count the money in your cash register and ensure you have an adequate supply of change before you start receiving customers.
• Sort and count currency and coins.
• Calculate daily transactions and total monies to see if it matches with sales data at the end of your shift.
• Request identification from the customers who use checks or call in for an authorization.
• Ensure your checkout area is neat and clean.
• Answer customers' questions and assist customer when they make complaints.
• Your employer may also ask you to carry out additional duties than those listed here.

What’s Your Scene?

This job requires that you are able to work "In the Scene." If you are working as a cashier, you will be working with customers on a regular basis.  You will be speaking with and interacting with customers daily and must have relatively strong social skills.  You will also need to interact with co-workers (e.g. other cashiers or co-workers in other departments) regularly.

Skills / Abilities

Customer Service Skills  - You will need to know how to provide excellent customer service.  This includes being able to determine if the customer is satisfied, and to meet their needs. It requires the ability to accept complaints from customers, and to calmly deal with high stress situations and angry customers. Displaying a pleasant and cooperative attitude is important.

Manual Dexterity - This job requires the repeated and coordinated use of your hands, wrists, and fingers to type on a cash register or computer, and to handle bills and small coins, requiring the use of fine motor skills. 

Cash Handling – This job requires the ability to handle monies and currencies (e.g., coins and bills).  You will need to be okay with touching other customers’ bills and coins.

Mathematics — You will need to be able to do basic addition and subtraction quickly and accurately.

Oral Expression - You will be required to speak clearly and effectively.

Attention to Detail — It is important that you are able to be accurate and precise for this job, as you are dealing with customers’ purchases and money.

Integrity - This job requires that employees are honest and ethical. 

Environmental Demands

Location - Most businesses will be located indoors in a climate-controlled setting. > Noise Level - The noise level will be moderate at most times, although it can get fairly noisy during busy times (e.g., lunch or supper time if you work at a restaurant, weekends and evenings if you work in a store). Lighting Level - Most businesses will typically use florescent lighting. Work Hours- This job often has short working shifts - and you will have to let your employer know what types of shifts you can work (e.g., mornings, afternoons, evenings). Amount of Movement –This job may require that you stand for long periods of time. You will need to be able to stand, sit, and walk for this job. Cleanliness and Odors - This job setting is typically quite clean, although part of your job will most likely include keeping your workstation and surrounding areas neat and tidy. Work Attire - Work attire will typically range from a uniform to business casual clothing. Some employers will require that you wear an apron, a hat, and / or a t-shirt with the company logo on it. Structure and Predictability - This job will typically have a lower degree of predictability and structure.  This means that you might not do the same tasks each day, and these tasks might be completed in a different order each day.  You might not always know ahead of time how long each task will take to complete. In addition, you might not work in the same areas or location each day, and you might not interact with the same people (i.e. particularly customers) each day.  What's the Pace? Steady:  In most cases, the work pace will be steady, which means that there will always be 1-2 customers waiting for you to check them out.  Peak:  There might be other times when the store is very busy and there are 4-6 customers waiting in line for you to check them out.  This may be a more stressful period because customers are waiting to be checked out by you.  Slow:  There may also be some "down time," when there are very few customers in the store or restaurant.  This may be a more boring period, where you are required to just wait until a customer arrives.

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