Supermarkets, department stores, gasoline service stations, movie theaters, restaurants, and many other businesses employ cashiers to register the sale of their merchandise. Almost all cashiers total bills on a cash register, receive money, make change, fill out charge forms, and give receipts. A few still use pencil and paper or an adding machine.
Although specific job duties vary by employer, cashiers usually are assigned to a register at the beginning of their shifts and are given a drawer containing a specific amount of money with which to start—their "till." They must count their till to ensure that it contains the correct amount of money and adequate supplies of change. Cashiers also handle returns and exchanges. They must ensure that returned merchandise is in good condition, and determine where and when it was purchased and what type of payment was used.
After entering charges for all items and subtracting the value of any coupons or special discounts, cashiers total the customer's bill and take payment. Forms of payment include cash, personal checks, credit cards, and debit cards. Cashiers must know the store's policies and procedures for each type of payment the store accepts. For checks and credit and debit card charges, they may request additional identification from the customer or call in for an authorization. They must verify the age of customers purchasing alcohol or tobacco. When the sale is complete, cashiers issue a receipt to the customer and return the appropriate change. They may also wrap or bag the purchase.
At the end of their shifts, cashiers once again count the drawers' contents and compare the totals with sales data. An occasional shortage of small amounts may be overlooked but, in many establishments, repeated shortages are grounds for dismissal. In addition to counting the contents of their drawers at the end of their shifts, cashiers usually separate and total charge forms, return slips, coupons, and any other noncash items.
Most cashiers use scanners and computers, but some establishments still require price and product information to be entered manually. In a store with scanners, a cashier passes a product's Universal Product Code over the scanning device, which transmits the code number to a computer. The computer identifies the item and its price. In other establishments, cashiers manually enter codes into computers and then descriptions of the items and their prices appear on the screen.
Depending on the type of establishment, cashiers may have other duties as well. In many supermarkets, for example, cashiers weigh produce and bulk food, as well as return unwanted items to the shelves. In convenience stores, cashiers may be required to know how to use a variety of machines other than cash registers, and how to furnish money orders and sell lottery tickets. Operating ticket-dispensing machines and answering customers' questions are common duties for cashiers who work at movie theaters and ticket agencies. In casinos, gaming change persons and booth cashiers exchange coins and tokens and may issue payoffs. They also may operate a booth in the slot-machine area and furnish change to people or count and audit money in drawers.
Work environment. Most cashiers work indoors, usually standing in booths or behind counters. Often, they are not allowed to leave their workstations without supervisory approval because they are responsible for large sums of money. The work of cashiers can be very repetitious, but improvements in workstation design in many stores are alleviating problems caused by repetitive motion. In addition, the work can sometimes be dangerous; the risk from robberies and homicides is much higher for cashiers than for other workers, although more safety precautions are being taken to help deter robbers.
Gaming change persons and booth cashiers can expect a safer work environment than cashiers in other industries. However, casinos are not without their hazards such as exposure to fumes from cigarettes, cigars, and pipes and noise from slot machines.
About 46 percent of all cashiers work part time. Hours of work often vary depending on the needs of the employer. Generally, cashiers are expected to work weekends, evenings, and holidays to accommodate customers' needs. However, many employers offer flexible schedules. Because the holiday season is the busiest time for most retailers, many employers restrict the use of vacation time from Thanksgiving through the beginning of January.
| 1. | Receive payment by cash, check, credit cards, vouchers, or automatic debits. |
| 2. | Issue receipts, refunds, credits, or change due to customers. |
| 3. | Count money in cash drawers at the beginning of shifts to ensure that amounts are correct and that there is adequate change. |
| 4. | Greet customers entering establishments. |
| 5. | Maintain clean and orderly checkout areas. |
| 6. | Establish or identify prices of goods, services or admission, and tabulate bills using calculators, cash registers, or optical price scanners. |
| 7. | Issue trading stamps, and redeem food stamps and coupons. |
| 8. | Resolve customer complaints. |
| 9. | Answer customers' questions, and provide information on procedures or policies. |
| 10. | Cash checks for customers. |
| 11. | Weigh items sold by weight to determine prices. |
| 12. | Calculate total payments received during a time period, and reconcile this with total sales. |
| 13. | Compute and record totals of transactions. |
| 14. | Sell tickets and other items to customers. |
| 15. | Keep periodic balance sheets of amounts and numbers of transactions. |
| 16. | Bag, box, wrap, or gift-wrap merchandise, and prepare packages for shipment. |
| 17. | Sort, count, and wrap currency and coins. |
| 18. | Process merchandise returns and exchanges. |
| 19. | Pay company bills by cash, vouchers, or checks. |
| 20. | Request information or assistance using paging systems. |
| 21. | Stock shelves, and mark prices on shelves and items. |
| 22. | Compile and maintain non-monetary reports and records. |
| 23. | Monitor checkout stations to ensure that they have adequate cash available and that they are staffed appropriately. |
| 24. | Post charges against guests' or patients' accounts. |
| 25. | Offer customers carry-out service at the completion of transactions. |
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