AT THE CASH COUNTER

Have you ever stood in a long queue in front of a cash counter in a departmental store or a super market? How do you feel? This is the only activity which I hate while shopping in a store. Most of the times I have noticed customers standing in the queue get into minor arguments. The reason is plain and simple. They lose their patience at one level and then need to find a reason to vent their anger on someone or something. So they will come up with some weird reason to come up with an argument. It is more painful if you will come across stores where the cash counters are not well equipped or the cashiers are not trained properly as all these ads on to the delay in billing and lengthening the queue.
It is at the cash counter that the sale is closed. Most of the retailers are not aware of this important fact and hence ignore this important section or do not put much effort on improving the same. The staffs at the cash counter need to be much disciplined in their activities that they do and need to also concentrate a lot in their work. Cashiers have a tough job to handle as they have to handle daily transactions of around an average of hundred thousand per day. They need to be well verse with the system software and need to have proper training session’s at-least every six months in soft skills and technical skills. As they interact with maximum customers in a day they need to be very polite, helpful in their approach and carry a positive attitude every time.

Once the cashiers enter the store they get ready to collect the float money and the stationary required at the cash deskk

.Float money is a fixed amount of cash distributed to all the cashiers at the beginning of trading. It consists of currencies in smaller denominations. Every cashier need to sign on a register handled by the head cashier on receiving this float money. It also becomes the cashier’s responsibility to collect all the stationeries required at the cash desk during the collection of the float money from the head cashier. The head cashier assigns them the cash point for the day. The Head Cashiers are to maintain till allocation records for cashiers at all times.

What happens next at the cash counter?

The cashiers are then supposed to clean up the cash desk, check the phone lines and Electronic Data Capturing machines (EDC machines), arrange the float money providedcash in the cash till drawer, coins of different denominations in different slots, and notes of different denominations in different slots containing the hook to hold the cash, as this practise will help the cashier to provide exact change to a customer during the transaction process as well as to avoid shrinkage at the end of the day. They should cCheck availability of shopping bags, whether all sizes of shopping bags are available and sufficient enough to suffice for the day. In case any particular size falls short then the same has to be informed to the head cashier so as he will inform the person concerned to replenish the same.
Being proactive and preparing for the day in advance at the cash desk improves efficiency of customer service at the cash desk. At routine intervals and at the end of the day the cashiers are supposed to clear the cash counter of all the merchandise left by the customer due to change of mind, by returning it back to the relevant department through the helper or personally, and at change of shift or during closing need to do the reconciliation activity. They then have to hand over the day’s transaction to the head cashier and sign off for the day. All cashiers need to have basic knowledge of the products sold within the store and also need to update themselves on a daily basis the schemes or offers running in the store, the currency rate in the market as they have to deal with foreign currency transactions as well. They also need to have good communication skill and knowledge of the local language is an added advantage. The basic understanding of how to handle cash is expected from cashiers. A cashier is expected to process all transactions at the cash counter through his or her personal log-in ID only, as all data entered in the system will be recorded in individual log-in ID’s only.
The cashiers also need to be very smart and alert during cashiering process. They should be able to trace shoplifters, and customers indulging in malpractice. They should also be able to identify fake notes while handling cash at the desk.

Have you ever come across a cashier who greets you politely before accepting your goods for payment? Mostly you will come across a cashier who is either very aggressive in his actions, rude, or a very silent person. While your turn comes for payment you will never notice him looking at, forget about giving you a smile, nor will he acknowledge for the payment done. You will also notice him being very stressed out.
Whenever a customer approaches a cash counter for billing a cashier needs to at every moment look at the customer, smile at him and also greet him. It’s the cashier’s job to collect the merchandise from the basket or trolley with utmost care from the customer, and not wait for the customer to hand it over to the cashier.
He then has to scan each and every product carefully without committing any error. If a product does not have a bar code he should be able to enter the alternate item code (AIC). Simultaneously while scanning the products he should check for products carrying offers and observe if the same is being reflected on the screen or not. In case the offer does not reflect on the screen the cashier should call for an authorised person to apply the discounts manually.
After the last product is scanned the cashier is then expected to look at the customer with a smile on the face and inform the customer the final transaction total. He should then ask the customer for the mode of payment he would like to use for making the payment.
Payment is made by cash, credit cards, and vouchers/coupons and in some cases by credit notes.