Introduction
A cashier works in any commercial activity, equipped with a cash register for on-site payment:
The cashier records the customer’s purchases and also presents the amount to be paid.
She gives the payment receipt, thanks to the customer, and greets him courteously and professionally: To record and accept payments from customers, she uses a cash register, POS ( Point-Of-Sale ) terminals, computers, and other devices.
At the end of the shift, she verifies the amount collected and also ensures that the cash box contains the same amount indicated by the recorder.
Responsibilities
- Carry out ordinary cash and sales operations entirely independently
- Calculate the total amount of services or products purchased and also communicate it to the customer
- Tidy up the cash desk
- At the end of the shift, check the amount collected and also make sure everything matches.
- Cordially welcome customers
- Register the products using a barcode reader
- Announce the final price to the customer
- Collect payment from customers
- Ask for an identity document and write down the references in the event of payment by cheque.
- Check that the banknotes are genuine in case of payment in cash
- Give a ticket to the customer and thank him
The duties of a cashier or cashier may vary depending on the context.
A supermarket cashier, in addition, may take care of customer support. Such as providing information about promotions or helping people find certain items at the point of sale.
She is responsible for ensuring a positive and also satisfying shopping experience.
A cashier who works in retail has functions similar to that of a salesperson or sales manager.
She takes care of loading/unloading merchandise, stocking shelves, and also inventory
If working in a cafe, restaurant, or pizzeria, the cashier must take customer orders and manage payments (in cash or using the POS), at the counter or in the area dedicated to the cash register.
In a hotel or a reception structure, the cashier works at the reception or the front desk.
She calculates the total price of the stay, registers the additional services purchased by customers (guarded parking, drinks, etc.), and applies any discounts.
In addition to keeping the cash register, she often has other administrative and accounting functions.
Education and Training
Job offers for cashiers do not require a specific diploma: often, the basic training necessary to become a cashier is learned through on-the-job training.
Ahe learns to independently manage the activities of opening/closing the till, the handling of cash, and the use of the POS.
She also learns how to communicate with the customers professionally and to organize her work.
A high school diploma is, however, appreciated, as well as work experience.
In any case, a certain calculation capacity is very useful because of the specific operations required by the work.
Wage
The average hourly wage of cashiers is $12.03. It may, however, range from $9.06 to $15.69
Qualities
- Honesty
- Reliability
- Efficiency
Work Environment
The working hours of cashiers depend on the opening hours of the structure in which she works, which often include weekends and public holidays: in retail outlets, the hours are divided into day shifts, while in hotels, restaurants, and cafes cashiers and receptionists may also be required to work night shifts.
Skills
The skills and abilities to work as a cashier are as follows:
- Ability to manage the cash service independently
- Numeracy
- Basic computer knowledge
- Timeliness
- Accuracy and attention to detail
- Orientations to the customer
- Friendly and positive behavior
- Relationship and also good communication skills
- Predisposition to group work
- Flexibility
Career Development
In the retail sector, a person who works as a cashier may progress to other positions, e.g. salesperson, window dresser-decorator, or grow professionally and become responsible for supervising cashier activities
For large and structured contexts, she can be in charge of coordinating her colleagues as a shift manager or team leader and possibly make a career in the point of ale
In restaurants and hotels, the cashier works at the reception: in this case, the closest professional profile is that of the receptionist, while the positions of responsibility are those of the manager of the reception and customer relations service or room manager.
With skills learned in customer relationship management, the cashier also has good career prospects in customer support. For example as a customer service representative, up to the position of a customer service representative.
Job Opportunities
- Stores and supermarkets
- Bars
- Restaurants and pizzerias
- Hotels,
- Cinema and theater ticket offices
- Petrol stations, etc.
