Responsibilities of a Cashier

A cashier is an integral part of industries and business, especially those that involve retail sales like service stations, departmental stores, grocery stores, movie theaters, restaurants etc. These cashiers are required to perform many activities. They handle cash and are also responsible for recording all transactions, receipts and payments. As their services are required by a lot of different stores, it is natural that the responsibilities also vary according to their specific requirements.

Apart from being able to handling money accurately, there are several qualities that are necessary in a cashier. The person should be able to handle customers cheerfully, should be clean in appearance, should have good communication skills, should be honest and reliable and should be able to stand for straight 8 hours and not get agitated. Though a cashier is not expected to have completed college, a high school degree is desirable to handle the cashier responsibilities. Good knowledge of basic math is also necessary while becoming a cashier. Pleasing personality, neatness and politeness will also help in career development as a cashier. Also, there is no prior experience that you need in order to work as a cashier. Some stores train the cashiers before they start working. The cashier responsibilities include -

• Capacity and capability of handling huge sums of money.
• Having good customer service skills to maintain a friendly environment and treating the customers properly.
• Having a thorough and complete knowledge of the policies followed by the store with respect to the discounts, credit policies, card payments etc.
• Asking for age-proof and identification proof while selling alcohol and tobacco are responsibilities of a cashier.
• Cashier responsibilities also include communicating the customer inquiries, suggestions and comments to the management.
• Answering the questions asked by the customers and if in doubt, directing the customer to the right person is one of the important cashier job duties.
• Having complete knowledge about the types of products sold in the store.
• Knowing all the details of the ongoing sales, discounts and promotion offers.
• Counting out the exact change and giving the customer a correct legitimate receipt for their purchases.
• Patiently handling the customer queries.
• Knowledge about the location of the merchandise to assist people quickly.
• Quick and accurate billing so that the customers do not have to stand waiting for their turn, for a long time.

If the cashier remembers faces and names of the regular shoppers, he/she should greet the person and make small talk. This is a skill where the cashier makes the shopper feel important and this helps the sales of the stores. A cashier is also expected to help in the inventory management, shelf stocking, display merchandise in an attractive way and other related jobs. They should also be able to perform other jobs that are specific to the stores and business they work for.

Restaurant Cashier

The cashier responsibilities in a restaurant are different. The restaurant cashier job description include -

• Being in charge of the register
• Handling all the cash and credit card transactions
• Balancing the register at the end of the day or shift
• Acting as the host/hostess of the restaurant
• Greeting the patrons when they come in and assisting them in finding the right table
• Booking reservations
• Responsibility of taking the food check from the customers or the waiters
• Tipping the waiter/waitress
• Cashier responsibilities include assisting the wait staff during rush hours
• Pacifying customers when they are annoyed
• Providing immaculate service to the patrons
• Acknowledging the regular patrons

A restaurant cashier needs to be able to handle cash efficiently in the rush hours and should not keep the patrons waiting for a long time for the settlement of their bills.

Cashier Supervisor

• Training the new and existing cashiers in the policies, procedures and guidelines followed but the store
• Giving the cashiers customer service tips to work better
• Educate the cashiers in the register routines followed and the ways for proper cash handling
• Overseeing the cashiers and the customer service executives
• Help the store to maintain good customer service
• Assist the other cashiers in quick and efficient processing of the sales
• Attend to the customer issues in bill settlement
• Preparing the cash drawer for the cashiers before the work begins
• Record refund returns and the daily cash on hand
• Calculate sales and crosscheck the cash counters amount against them
• Recording the sales and the cash amount at the end of the day or shift is one of the important cashier responsibilities
• Supervising over the others and ensuring that the store guidelines are followed

These were the responsibilities that a cashier supervisor needs to perform. He is responsible for proper training and working of the cashiers and also responsible to see that the store functions smoothly. This is one of the great career opportunities that you could think of taking up.

Salary

As mentioned above, you do not need particular educational qualifications to become a cashier. The hourly salary earned by a cashier with diplomas and no degrees is between $7 to $9. The hourly tips and overtime are less than $2 an hour. However, if you have certain experience you can earn a little more than the others. The best way to increase your salary would be by getting a higher degree. The people working in the groceries stores and restaurants, however can earn up to $11 an hour. The cashier supervisor can earn up to $30,000 yearly, based on his qualifications and years of experience. The cashiers working in a bank get paid more than the others.

I hope this article was useful for you to understand how to be a cashier and what are the duties and responsibilities of a cashier. If you are thinking of taking up this job, it is a lucrative careers that promises promotions and salary increase, if the job is done sincerely and honestly.