Cashier Responsibilities: Duties of a Cashier

Cashiers provide their services in a variety of industries, which means that cashier responsibilities and duties differ significantly. The primary duties of an individual who is employed at this post may include running a register, recording sales, and also doing some other money-related tasks. It is considered that cashiers are required to have the capability to handle money promptly and precisely, that includes receiving money from consumers or customers and returning the appropriate change. However, this is just a part of cashier duties; the cashier job description includes many other obligations.

Cashier Responsibilities and Duties

Besides the obvious duties of handling cash, the following may also fall under a cashier's job description. The place where the cashier is employed will play a great role in determining what duties are expected of him/her.

• Cashiers have to keep a record of how much money they had when they opened the store, how much money is earned when they closed the store, and the amount of change in a register drawer for the purpose of finding out when they are required to restock the change.
• The duties of a cashier do not invariably mean working with a cash register, few of these personnel also provide their services in very simple sales and marketing environment such as in farmers' markets or amusement parks, wherein they collect money and give the change.
• In situations where more complex registers are utilized, the duties of a cashier may consist of cash and check collection, and handling necessary tasks related to credit cards and other means of defrayal. The cashier has to have a thorough understanding of each of these processes.
• Giving change to customers and consumers is one of the most important duties of a cashier. Cashiers, after taking cash, need to calculate it to ensure if its total is correct, and then should decide on how much change needs to be given in return. There are a few cash registers which show the cashier the particular amount to give back as change, but others do not have this facility. In the latter case, the cashier needs to be very good in quick and precise math calculation.
• Those personnel who handle registers and routinely hand out the wrong change may be dismissed or may be suspected of stealing cash. For this reason, accuracy is absolutely necessary for the job of a cashier.
• While dealing with cash and finances may be one of the major cashier responsibilities, there are several others which depend on the location of work. A majority of cashiers who provide services in visible areas may get complaints or questions regarding the business, so they are necessarily required to know how to handle such situations and what company protocol is recommended.
• In several retail shops, cashier responsibilities may even comprise bagging the materials bought by customers, and rendering gift-wrap facilities as well. Few retail stores may have cashier responsibilities which constitute of not only staffing the cash register, but also taking care of other miscellaneous factors of a sales establishment, such as stocking or cleaning products, and to close out a shop at night and balance all receipts against sales. In some cases, cashiers might also be handed over the responsibility of depositing the money collected in the bank after closing the stores.
• At supermarkets and some stores, a cashier is also required to know the product codes, as most billing is done with the help of computers and product codes. A cashier needs to be efficient as well, else the risk of long check-out lines and disgruntled customers can quickly arise.
• Cashiers who work in an hospital or hotel environment also have to make sure that items or charges incurred by the patients or guests are properly entered against their room accounts. They also have to know the details of these entries so they can explain the bill when the patient is discharged or the guest is checking out.
• In several cases, cashier responsibilities include being one of the significant point of contact with consumers as they leave the store after shopping. With possessing the qualities of being efficient, cashiers are most importantly required to behave in a friendly way and have good manners while communicating with customers. They also carry out the responsibility of maintaining a neat and organized checkout area.
• At some point, their job description will also include training new or assistant cashiers or overseeing new cashiers to ensure that things are moving smoothly.

Pay Scale of Cashiers

The average per hour salary of cashiers may start somewhere around the $8 an hour mark, and increase with experience in handling the cash register and working efficiently in a sales environment. Cashiers who work in night shifts may get a per hour wage of $9. Few boutiques may bid a higher pay as well as some additional benefits for retail cashier jobs. A majority of these jobs start at $10-$11 an hour, and increase over time. A cashier may as well receive an employee discount which certainly is great if he/she wants to buy anything from the store he/she is working in. They may even get discount coupons which they can spend on discount shopping.

The salary largely counts on the cashier responsibilities and duties, depending on the location and workplace. If you want to become a cashier, you essentially need to be real quick with handling cash, and have good basic arithmetic and communication skills.