Cashiers?

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Anyone working as a cashier? I've done it before, but burned out. Now it looks like I might be going back to it. So, how do you handle the repetitive social courtesies?

I worked for a few years at McDonald's. Mainly I worked in the back and maintenance. There were those rare times, however, when the manager needed someone up front and in drive thru so I was often elected. It was tough for me because I have issues with eye contact. Also, I said inappropriate things up front that the manager didn't like and so scolded me. I had an affinity for the register itself, and actually taking care of peoples' needs wasn't that bad, but those lunch time rushes, though. Oy! Where do all these kids come from? We were selling burgers like crack in a ghetto. Eventually, they hired some new cashiers so I went back to the grill.

I kind of like the register itself too. It's very predictable. I think my strategy will be to focus on the task of accurate scanning and try not to encourage too much talking, but without being unfriendly. I truly dread this! But I need the money.

Cashiering is a stressful and hectic job for a lot of people. I was at Target and I got too aggressive towards customers and even started to get into arguments with them and also started to push them away. Customers aren't easy to deal with because they can be picky.

That each person is different and sees things in their own unique way is overwhelming for me. After a while it starts to feel like I'm drowning - like there's just too many people.

I don't think you could pay me enough for such a job. It's stressful enough waiting in lines just to pay, especially when it's during or before a holiday. Just this afternoon I went to a couple of stores and they were insane with last-minute Mother's Day shoppers. How can Mother's Day still sneak up on so many people when they've been advertising it everywhere since Easter? I can't imagine having to be stuck behind a counter on my feet all day with line of screeching little kids and their mothers who don't even attempt to quiet them, seniors who take 20 minutes to write a check, people who go way over the item limit in the express checkout, and having to smile and say "thank you, have a nice day", even when the customer is an obvious stinker.

I was a cashier at age 13 at a farm stand. It was extremely stressful. I had to memorize the prices of fruit (for example, 10 different types of apples many of which looked the same but were all different prices) which prices change daily, and deal with no air conditioning nor central heat in the winter. It was brutal. I don't remember making any attempts to be social. I remember believing that ringing up customers fast and accurately was what meant being the best cashier. I bagged groceries fast, fast, fast. Sometimes they got upset that I seemed to be throwing their stuff around a little too roughly. Sometimes I rang items up so fast they got upset they couldn't catch the price I was ringing up. Sometimes I said hi but couldn't care less who they were and could never remember repeat customers, even though I knew they came in. I don't think the bosses cared. I would offer to carry 30+ lb. watermelons to customers' cars because I knew that's what my family thought was a good employee, so I did it out of a need to be the Best Cashier. I would do that regardless if the customer told me not to, as I figured they must be just trying to be polite by saying No, because that's what my mother did. Unfortunately I wound up getting sexually abused while working there, but that's a whole other story.

What about working in a different department within a grocery store - bakery, deli?

Tomorrow I'm interviewing for the job ... it is at a grocery store too. The whole produce thing is a little overwhelming. I can't tell the difference between a Gala and a Spartan. Lol And the whole constant pleasantness thing makes me feel like a whore. I've mentioned this to people before and they don't get it. Apparently, being interested and kind to people you really don't care about or care to know is valuable. And can be traded for cash. Is this the 4th level of Hell or the 5th?

In grocery stores you probably won't have to worry about this. They have small labels on that have a 3- or 4-digit code that you input into the register which links to a central computer that knows what type of apple it is and how much it costs per pound (or ounce) and then calculates it automatically when the item is weighed. When I was working it wasn't like that, so don't worry.

Being a cashier can be hard. I always had a time navigating between the customer and the cash duties at hand. I never stayed anyplace long that involved cash, but I did get some tricks on the way. Always eave the cash on top of the till until you have given their change and receipt so that they cannot say that you shorted their change. Also, keep the small talk brief, relevant to whether or not they found what they were looking for or the weather. If they complain to you, do not get offended. Rather, listen, repeat back to them what you thought that they said so that they have a chance to clarify if need be (and it gives them the sense that they have been heard), and then follow store policy.

Good luck!

At least you'll be in a CANADIAN store where the customers are usually at least somewhat pleasant, as opposed to regularly rude or hostile.

It's not all that bad... as a customer, I prefer my cashiers to give a somewhat-pleasant greeting and thank you, but little else is needed in the middle. Just be careful of the neutral "aspie-face" we tend to make when concentrating... it often looks like a frown which will rub people the wrong way pretty quick!

It's hard to keep that "frown" away.


Customers expectations vary widely. That's the thing . . . every single person is different. I wish it was just about accurately checking out their material, but it's not. It's somehow more personal. Even your use of the term "my cashier." See what I mean?

OMG That is SO me LOL

Resurrection and Update:

I got the job and am now working as a cashier in a major retail grocery store. So far so good . . . the store is busy, so checking people out becomes fairly routine. Almost like working on an assembly line - one item after the next . . . scan, bag, smile. They actually track our items per minute through the scanner. lol But, there is not a lot of talking beyond "Hello" because the customers are busy fussing with their groceries. In fact, most people are in a hurry to get going, so they are not motivated to talk. And I'm starting to remember the produce codes.
It is a stressful environment though, and I couldn't do it full time.

I worked as a cashier for one day and I was so slow and I have bad fine motor skills so it was hard for me to be fast at handling the money and my basic math skills suck. I think that one job traumatized me and I'm scared of having to work on cash again. I was working at a donut drive-thru place.