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Cashier Duties and Responsibilities

Cashiers do much more than process customer transactions. We researched several cashier job descriptions to procure the following list of core responsibilities:

Greet Customers In many work environments, cashiers are closest to the door. They are often the first and last employee a customer sees, so it is their responsibility to make the customer feel welcome.

Facilitate Transactions Without cashiers, customers wouldn’t be able to pay for their purchases. Cashiers navigate point of sale software to process transactions as fast and efficiently as possible.

Keep Track of Sales Data Tracking sales data is important in a commission-based sales environment. Cashiers find out which associate helped a customer and then enter this information into the database within the point of sale software.

Answer Customer Questions While cashiers don’t have to be as knowledgeable about products as sales associates, they do have to know enough to answer basic customer questions and be aware of current promotions.

Monitor Change and Cash Levels Cashiers pay attention to the number of bills and coins they have for each denomination and inform their supervisors when a change order is needed.

Add-on Items at Point of Sale Again, cashiers don’t need as much sales acumen as sales associates, but they need to know enough to add-on small items at the point of sale. These items are usually cheap and serve to drive up the company’s units-per-transaction.

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Cashier Skills and Qualifications

Cashiers rely mostly on soft skills to do their job, but they do need some technical knowledge. Here’s a list of hard and soft skills one needs to get a job as a cashier:

  • Basic Math – Cashiers rely on basic math skills to calculate prices after promotion and ensure accuracy when giving change
  • Communication Skills – Cashiers are the last point of contact for a customer. They rely on their patience and personability to provide an excellent experience for each customer
  • Organizational Skills – Cashiers use their organizational skills to keep the cash register clean and organized. The cleaner the cash register area, the higher the customer thinks of an establishment
  • Basic Sales Technique – Cashiers need basic persuasion skills to convince customers to add on additional sale items displayed by the register
  • Technical Skills – Cashiers aren’t required to use desktop software, but they need to be adept at navigating a POS system as well as handheld scanners
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Cashier Education and Training

There are no formal education requirements for cashiers beyond a high school diploma. Cashiers learn everything on the job, such as how to operate a cash register and talk about the company’s products.

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Cashier Salary and Outlook

According to the National Bureau of Labor Statistics, demand for cashiers is set to decline one percent through 2026. The national median hourly wage for cashiers is $9.70. Those in the top 10 percent make above $13.83, while those in the bottom 10 percent earn below $8.24.

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Cashier Resources

Many use the role of cashier to start their career in a specific sub-industry of retail. Check out some of the resources below if this sounds like a path you’d like to pursue:

The Retail Doctor – The Retail Doctor is a website run by Bob Phibbs, a retail expert consultant and speaker with over 20 years of experience. He maintains a blog that overs solid tips for cashiers looking to build a career within the retail industry.

Perfect Phrases for Customer Service: Second Edition – This book by Robert Bacal is a reference source for all types of customer service employees. It contains phrases that help diffuse dangerous situations and provide excellent customer service.

Retail Minded Magazine – Retail Minded Magazine is a publication that targets independent retail shop owners. While not specifically for cashiers, it does feature some relevant customer service articles.

Retail 101: The Guide to Managing and Marketing Your Retail Business – This is a book for those who are using the cashier position to gain front-line experience for when they open their own business. Authors Nicole Reyhle and Jason Prescott cover the basics of launching and maintaining your own retail store.

Retail Dive – Retail Dive is an online publication dedicated to covering the latest trends in the retail industry. While the articles are typically geared towards retail executives, it is good aspirational reading for those at the cashier level.