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What is a Cashier?

Brad Cole
Brad Cole

A cashier is a person who has the job of dealing directly with customer monetary transactions. In a store, he or she adds up a customer’s bill and takes payment. In a bank, the cashier — sometimes referred to as a bank teller — takes deposits and distributes funds for withdrawal. In a casino, the cashier exchanges money for chips and vice versa. Cashiers can also work in other businesses, including restaurants, bars, car dealerships, and currency exchange centers. All of these positions have different responsibilities, but share the common aspect of handling money and other forms of currency.

There are a few specific qualities that make for a skilled cashier. First and foremost, a cashier must be able to accurately count money and other forms of currency. A cashier who accidentally takes too much or too little payment from a customer creates a serious problem for the business, and may be responsible for making up any losses. Next, a cashier must be knowledgeable in how to process non-cash payments such as those made to a credit card.

A cashier totals up a customer's purchases.
A cashier totals up a customer's purchases.

Businesses specifically train their employees in how to process these payments, as they may differ from one company to another. In addition, a cashier must have decent customer service skills. Cashiers always deal with customers, and so must properly and respectfully represent their employers. In addition, knowledge of a business’s policies, an understanding of transaction systems, the ability to spot counterfeit currency, and a solid grounding in mathematics may all be important.

A cashier takes cash from customers and distributes change.
A cashier takes cash from customers and distributes change.

Cashiers in a store are employees who specialize in determining a customer’s bill and taking payment. In most modern stores, this job involves entering items into a computerized register system through either scanning bar codes or entering product codes. These computerized systems add up the amount owed after applying the appropriate taxes, and also tell the cashier what change to give when payment is received. A few stores do not use these modern systems, relying on the math skills of their employees to properly add up the bill, apply applicable taxes, take payment, and make change.

Computer graphic design programs allow counterfeiters today to print high quality bills that are harder for cashiers to identify as counterfeit.
Computer graphic design programs allow counterfeiters today to print high quality bills that are harder for cashiers to identify as counterfeit.

Bank tellers take deposits and disperse funds. These transactions usually deal with customer accounts, but may also include non-account holders cashing checks, foreign currency exchanges, and making change for larger bills. These transactions are recorded by the teller using a computer terminal that is hooked into the bank’s computer system. Bank tellers may also hold additional customer service responsibilities such as assisting customers with opening accounts, describing bank services, and clearing up customer issues and complaints.

Casino cashiers must be constantly on the alert for fraud.
Casino cashiers must be constantly on the alert for fraud.

Casino cashiers specialize in exchanging traditional currency for casino tokens and casino pre-paid game cards. Gamblers exchange their currency for tokens or cards when they enter the casino and then trade the tokens or cards for currency when they leave. While all cashiers are expected to be on the look-out for counterfeiting and fraud, casino cashiers make this an extremely high priority.

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Discussion Comments

sunshine31

Mutsy-A cashier salary is usually minimum wage, but many tellers that work in banks start off at significantly higher wages than that.

Most start at about $10 an hour or so, but many banks offer premium pay of $12 to $13 per hour for tellers that can work part time peak hours when the bank is busiest.

These cashiers do not usually get benefits as those are reserved for full time employees. However, there is a lot of upward mobility potential in a bank as part time tellers can be promoted to full time tellers and then head teller.

In addition, they can continue their career and be promoted to a platform associate. The platform associate is the sales representative that opens new accounts and tries to sell other banking products.

These positions pay about $40,000 to start and have bonus potential as well as advancement possibilities.

Many platform associates move on to become branch managers, or specialize in a specific area in banking such as securities investments or insurance sales. Banks often offer tuition assistance for jobs that entail additional educational training like this.

mutsy

Sunny27-A cashier qualification involves demonstrating prior satisfactory cash handling experience. Often cashiers will be subjected to criminal background checks because they are dealing with money and often peoples credit cards.

A cashier counter at a supermarket will involve a check cashier that cashes payroll and personal checks, much like a teller would.

A teller is a bank cashier position in which the cashier responsibilities may include offering information on current bank promotions. For example, many banks offer quarterly promotions.

Sometimes the promotions involve deposit accounts like CD’s while other times it includes loan products or financial investment services.

Usually most banks offer referral bonuses if their customers refer someone to the bank that happens to open an account. These are ongoing promotions that are promoted heavily by cashiers and assistant cashiers alike.

Sunny27

Cashier jobs are plentiful in many different types of retailers. There are cashier positions in gas stations and convenience stores as well as supermarkets and general retailers.

Cashiers can also be found in restaurants and in service industries like banks and doctor’s offices. A cashier description is simple. Cashier tasks include handling the cash for the customer oriented transaction.

Many cashiers will place a bill on the till horizontally so that they can remember what the original bill was that the customer provided them.

It is really important to keep track of this because otherwise it will be easy for the cashier to make a mistake and give out too much money and not balancing her till at the end of the day.

Another method that cashier’s use to keep track of the bills given by the customers is to say it out loud. They will often say, “Out of twenty” to indicate that a twenty dollar bill was given to them. If a cashier follows these procedures they will never have a problem balancing.

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    • A cashier totals up a customer's purchases.
      By: manipulateur
      A cashier totals up a customer's purchases.
    • A cashier takes cash from customers and distributes change.
      By: Kadmy
      A cashier takes cash from customers and distributes change.
    • Computer graphic design programs allow counterfeiters today to print high quality bills that are harder for cashiers to identify as counterfeit.
      By: Africa Studio
      Computer graphic design programs allow counterfeiters today to print high quality bills that are harder for cashiers to identify as counterfeit.
    • Casino cashiers must be constantly on the alert for fraud.
      By: Igor Mojzes
      Casino cashiers must be constantly on the alert for fraud.
    • A cashier at a grocery or convenience store may be paid by the hour at minimum wage.
      By: michaeljung
      A cashier at a grocery or convenience store may be paid by the hour at minimum wage.
    • A cashier should have good math skills as well as an upbeat personality.
      By: bst2012
      A cashier should have good math skills as well as an upbeat personality.