Cashier Jobs: The Truth About Working Retail

I have worked as a cashier a couple times in my life. I enjoyed it, for the most part. The truth of the matter is, it's a thankless job, and it's repetitive and boring. I have worked for a "big box" store, and a department store. Both offered different experiences, but it boils down to the same thing. POS, or Point Of Sale, aka cashier, jobs are not for everyone.  Like every job, there are benefits, and drawbacks.  Unfortunately, the benefits of working retail are far fewer than the drawbacks, but in today's economy, a job is a job is a job!!

 Ok, as I said, there are not a lot of benefits to working retail.  But, there are a few!

The biggest, and best benefit to working as a cashier, or any retail job, for that matter, is the employee discount!  This is an added plus if you happen to like the store you work at!  Take an electronics store, for example.  Electronics stores mark up prices on smaller items a lot more than they do for larger ticket items.  This is a great savings when you have to purchase cables or various smaller items that you need to run your bigger ticket items, like televisions or computers. 

Employees of retail stores also have a heads up on what is being marked down, and how good of a savings it is.  This is helpful if you are on a budget!  You know when to buy things, and what is really a good deal, and what only looks like a good deal.  I remember working at a department store, and they advertised a big sale on one particular clothing item.  Truth was, this clothing item was always on sale, and always at that same price.  So, not really a great savings.

Another benefit of working retail is the clearance items.  You know where to find them, you know when they are marked down further, and you know the lowest the price is going to go.  Some stores mark their clearance items down to a certain point, and then mark it down further later on, in order to get it moving out of the store faster.  It is very helpful to know when this happens, how often it happens, and when the best time to buy these clearance items is. 

I know a lot of people claim to be a people person, but far fewer really are.  If you ARE a people person, then a job as a cashier is a great fit!  You are always around other people, whether it be co-workers or customers, and you are constantly interacting with other people.  This can be a great part time job for a parent, who is usually stuck at home, to get out, and interact with other adults.  Even if it's just a few hours a week, just to get out of the house and have something to do.

There is always a downside, right? There are a few disadvantages to working as a cashier, no matter how great the job is.

First of all, you are on your feet for hours at a time. You stand in one place for hours. I did work as a cashier for a total of about two years. Once, while I was pregnant. Trust me, standing on your feet for hours at a time while carrying around thirty to forty extra pounds is not as much fun as it sounds.

Some stores allow you to wear sneakers, or tennis shoes. But, a lot of them, mostly higher end, or boutique shops, require you to dress nicer, and thus wear nicer shoes. These shoes are usually harder on your feet than a decent pair of sneakers, but they are required. Where I worked, I was required to wear black dress shoes, but since I was pregnant, I was allowed to wear my sneakers. Why the requirement for nice shoes? No one sees your feet behind a counter, right? This is true, and I never understood it, either.

Second, the pay isn't great. As a cashier, you are lucky to make a little above minimum wage. So, unless you are desperate for any job that actually pays you money, you just need a little extra income every month, or you don't really need the money, a job as a cashier may not be right for you.

On top of that, cashier jobs, and any other retail jobs, are not recession proof. Retail stores across the country are downsizing, closing down stores, or going out of business all together. Job security is not very high in the retail environment. On the other hand, turn over rate in the retail environment is rather high, so the need for cashiers is usually pretty steady.

Lastly, people can be mean. No matter what, you will take the blame from an unhappy customer. You will have to listen, and often be berraded, for some policy, or problem that is not your fault. I have dealt with numerous customers who were unhappy for one reason or another, that had nothing to do with me, yet I had to hear about it, and somehow, in their minds, it was my fault.

Cashier: "I am sorry, you cannot use this coupon along with this discount. You have to choose one or the other."

Unhappy customer: "What??!! How is that fair? I qualify for this discount, and I have this coupon! Why can't I use them both?? This is crap!"

Cashier: "I am sorry. It is store policy. You cannot use two different percent off discounts together. It says it right there on your coupon. Percent off discount cannot be used with another discount."

Unhappy customer: "I have never heard of such a thing. This is rediculous! I am never shopping here again. I thought I would be getting a good deal, and all I have gotten is lied to. I want to speak to your manager."

I can't tell you the number of times I have had to go through something almost exactly like that. If you don't give a customer everything they want, even if it's against policy, and would mean you would get into serious trouble, or even loose your job, they can get very nasty! Being insulted by an angry customer is never fun, and it isn't for the

People try all kinds of ways to cheat stores out of money. From trying to combine discounts that they can't, to trying to pass off coupons from an entirely different store chain, to trying returning items purchased at another store chain, to all manners of decietful practices. Being able to sniff out these tricks, and resolving them without potentially insulting a customer who made an innocent mistake is difficult.