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I've noticed a lot of retail places in my area, are only looking for cashiers and I have never worked as a cashier before. My parents suggested taking a class to learn how to use one but are there even such a class? To learn skills like this one or similar one's?
It's all entry level, on the job training. They are looking for people who have great customer service skills (hard to teach) not necessarily someone who's 'register savvy' (very easy to teach/learn). Wow them with your personality and the rest will fall into place.
There are so many different types of registers out there; I can't imagine that they would expect you to know their unit, inside and out, if you've never used it.
Location: Just transplanted to FL from the N GA mountains
3,997 posts, read 4,140,525 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Larry Siegel
I hope you're not a cashier! I get wrong change all the time, and cashiers act like I am from Mars when I try to pay with something bigger than a $20. Cashiers need to be able to make change *without* the computer, which does not always work.
Thank you for saying what I was thinking. The cash register itself is nothing more than a bookkeeping function. A cashier should be able to do their job even without the cash register. What do you do if the power goes out? Learn to make change. Nothing more frustrating than having the clerk shove money in my hand, have to look at the register and recite the amount of change back. What happened to counting it out?
Thank you for saying what I was thinking. The cash register itself is nothing more than a bookkeeping function. A cashier should be able to do their job even without the cash register. What do you do if the power goes out? Learn to make change. Nothing more frustrating than having the clerk shove money in my hand, have to look at the register and recite the amount of change back. What happened to counting it out?
I agree that counting back change is a dying art. Most retail places have decided that it is better just to have the computer show you what change to give back to the customer and complete the transaction as fast as a possible. Why? Because most people want to get in and get out as fast as possible.
What do you do if the power goes out?
The place I worked at had a backup generator for the times the power would go out. The problem was that the store could process cash transactions, but for some reason Credit CARD transactions would not work. I never knew why.
Hardly anyone uses cash, and you don't even have to count it in your head now, you enter the bill denomination and it tells you the change amount.
REALLY? Cash is still used by a good number of people. You may not have to count coin in some places for having change dispensers but you will need to count change when getting the money from the customer and counting your draw down.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Larry Siegel
I hope you're not a cashier! I get wrong change all the time, and cashiers act like I am from Mars when I try to pay with something bigger than a $20. Cashiers need to be able to make change *without* the computer, which does not always work.
Well that is because in gas stations you are supposed to have no more than $100 more than you opened with. You start around $50 and you may not be able to break a $50, let alone a $100. Likewise, I also worked in places where it was rather easier to break $50s and $100s because you had $200 in your register to start.
Quote:
Originally Posted by aus10
Thank you for saying what I was thinking. The cash register itself is nothing more than a bookkeeping function. A cashier should be able to do their job even without the cash register. What do you do if the power goes out? Learn to make change. Nothing more frustrating than having the clerk shove money in my hand, have to look at the register and recite the amount of change back. What happened to counting it out?
I did because it was trained in me for a previous job. The next cashier job I was told I didn't need to count back change the way I did to keep things faster...
Quote:
Originally Posted by MNTroy
I agree that counting back change is a dying art. Most retail places have decided that it is better just to have the computer show you what change to give back to the customer and complete the transaction as fast as a possible. Why? Because most people want to get in and get out as fast as possible.
Yeah, I'd count back and it would work. We were just shown say $6.31 change not you need to give a five, a single, a quarter, a nickel and a penny. As I said, I was told not to count to make it faster...<_<
Quote:
What do you do if the power goes out?
The place I worked at had a backup generator for the times the power would go out. The problem was that the store could process cash transactions, but for some reason Credit CARD transactions would not work. I never knew why.
Most places would have back-ups. As for cards, I think they have a special link.
I worked at a gas station that the computer went out on Labor Day weekend. The pumps wouldn't produce receipts, it was painfully slow to get credit receipts, doing car wash receipts especially for police and firefighters was a pain and to top it off it slow even doing cash. Hardly any sales was reported so it made cigarette counts wacky. Overall, it wasn't fun and I know work isn't supposed to be fun but, this was a new level.
I've also seen it where the network for cash registers were down so outside registers didn't work..
I wouldn't worry too much about not having experience. A great attitude toward work is worth far more than some experience running a cash register. If you talk to the managers and express that you are willing to work nights (if you are able to), weekends and holidays you will probably find someone willing to take a chance on you.
Is it really that easy? Seems like there a so many weird situations that come up that have to be handled and the cashier needs help - or is it that they aren't authorized to do something and a higher-up has to step in?
Sometimes I'm actually in awe of them and how fast they can go and handle coupons, etc.! Of course, customers are so impatient, that can't help any.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,551 posts, read 81,085,957 times
Reputation: 57734
Quote:
Originally Posted by Larry Siegel
I hope you're not a cashier! I get wrong change all the time, and cashiers act like I am from Mars when I try to pay with something bigger than a $20. Cashiers need to be able to make change *without* the computer, which does not always work.
No, not since I left college for graduate school in 1975. I had to know the prices, enter them and the tax button, if applicable, and calculate the change in my head back then. My wife did a volunteer evening at McD for the school fundraiser recently and said they just press the button with the picture of the item on it, and 99% of people paid with debit/credit card. I don't know how much math they are teaching now, but it probably doesn't include making change. If I do pay cash, I watch carefully to make sure I get the right change. Perhaps the OP could practice that with a friend or family member, you have to be accurate but also fast.
OP, learn how to count change, even if you're not required to on the job. Just knowing that you CAN will be such a novelty it'll be a point in your favor during the interview (they ask what your strengths/weaknesses are, or some variation of that).
Why is it good? Well yes there's the whole power outage thing but that's SUCH a rare occurrence. Here's what's much more common:
There's a line, it's lunch time. You ordered your #4 with cheese, medium, and it comes to $7.33 with tax.
You open your wallet and pull out a $20. The cashier puts in $20 and is all set to give you the $12.67 change. Except he was faster than you were, because you were digging around your wallet to give him a nickel and 3 pennies. So you tell him - I have 8 cents. And he just stares at you. Because he doesn't know how to count. He can't think that way, because no one taught him, and his job doesn't require him to. He doesn't understand that 33 - 8 = 25, and 25 cents is a single coin, also known as a quarter. He doesn't understand that this is how to count change.
So now you hold up the line for an extra 30 seconds to explain to him that he needs to give you 3 quarters instead of 2 quarters, a dime, a nickel, and two pennies. He STILL stares at you and calls for the manager.
The above, with or without calling for the manager, is common.
OP, learn how to count change, even if you're not required to on the job. Just knowing that you CAN will be such a novelty it'll be a point in your favor during the interview (they ask what your strengths/weaknesses are, or some variation of that).
Why is it good? Well yes there's the whole power outage thing but that's SUCH a rare occurrence. Here's what's much more common:
There's a line, it's lunch time. You ordered your #4 with cheese, medium, and it comes to $7.33 with tax.
You open your wallet and pull out a $20. The cashier puts in $20 and is all set to give you the $12.67 change. Except he was faster than you were, because you were digging around your wallet to give him a nickel and 3 pennies. So you tell him - I have 8 cents. And he just stares at you. Because he doesn't know how to count. He can't think that way, because no one taught him, and his job doesn't require him to. He doesn't understand that 33 - 8 = 25, and 25 cents is a single coin, also known as a quarter. He doesn't understand that this is how to count change.
So now you hold up the line for an extra 30 seconds to explain to him that he needs to give you 3 quarters instead of 2 quarters, a dime, a nickel, and two pennies. He STILL stares at you and calls for the manager.
The above, with or without calling for the manager, is common.
Perhaps the person running the register is not able to open the cash drawer once a sale has been finalized and has to call over the manager to open it manually. The place I worked at, the cashier could open the cash draw up without tendering a sale, but opening too many times raises a red flag.
But I do understand your point. I have been on both sides of the register. Tendering the amount too quickly when I was working as a cashier and not having all my money ready for the cashier. If I do have cash on me and some change, I will say to the cashier that I have the 35 cents with the $5.00.
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Cash is still used by a good number of people. You may not have to count coin in some places for having change dispensers but you will need to count change when getting the money from the customer and counting your draw down.
