Cashiers total the cost of merchandise, handle payments, and may assist with inventory and returns. They must troubleshoot technical issues and comply with laws regarding age-restricted items. Cashier jobs are available in various establishments, and may lead to better opportunities. Self-checkout lanes do not eliminate cashier positions entirely.
A cashier’s job description includes totaling the cost of merchandise purchased, paying for items, changing and delivering receipts. If applicable, cashiers should also be able to calculate the value of coupons, sales and special promotions against the customer’s total bill. For establishments that sell alcohol or tobacco, a cashier must remember to request identification to comply with laws that prohibit the sale of these items to minors. Depending on the establishment, cashiers may be asked to help with tasks such as completing inventory, returning unwanted merchandise to shelves, or counting money at the end of a shift.
At one point, it was common for tellers to use pen and paper or an adding machine to do their jobs. Today, bar codes and computerized scanners make it much faster to complete customer orders. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean the cashier’s job description has gotten any easier. Cashiers must be able to troubleshoot common technical problems with their equipment, memorize codes to perform certain operations on the system, and have a general idea of whether or not an item’s scanned price is the correct amount.
Cashier jobs are available in a wide variety of establishments. Fast food restaurants are big employers of clerks, as are discount stores, movie theaters and gas stations. The work environment at these establishments can be very fast-paced, however. For a less stressful job opportunity, you can look into cashier jobs at specialty boutiques or smaller family businesses.
While cashier jobs are generally plentiful and many places hire people with no prior experience, these jobs tend to be part-time and fairly low-paying. However, teller careers often lead to better opportunities. Many companies try to promote qualified cashiers to positions such as supervisors or store managers. Customer service skills and strong work ethic need to be successful as the cashier will function well in a number of other employment opportunities.
Many people have concerns that stores that implement self-checkout banners are reducing the job opportunities available to people who want to be a cashier. However, it should be noted that most stores must still employ people to maintain self-checkout lanes and provide assistance to customers who are having difficulty working the scanning equipment. Also, since the elderly, the disabled, and shoppers with young children would prefer someone else to check their wares, it’s unlikely that cashier positions will disappear completely.
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