Cashiers

What Cashiers Do

Cashiers process payments from customers purchasing goods and services.

Work Environment

Most cashiers work in retail establishments, such as grocery stores, gasoline stations, and other general merchandise stores.

How to Become a Cashier

Cashiers are trained on the job. There are no formal education requirements to become a cashier.

Pay

The median hourly wage for cashiers was $11.37 in May 2019.

Job Outlook

Employment of cashiers is projected to decline 7 percent from 2019 to 2029. Advances in technology, such as self-service checkout stands in retail stores and increasing online sales, will reduce the need for cashiers.

Cashiers process payments from customers purchasing goods and services.

Duties

Cashiers typically do the following:

• Greet customers
• Scan or register customers’ purchases
• Accept payments from customers and give change and receipts
• Bag or wrap customers’ purchases
• Process returns and exchanges of merchandise
• Answer customers’ questions and provide information about store policies
• Help customers sign up for store rewards programs or credit cards
• Count the money in their register at the beginning and end of each shift

In some establishments, cashiers have to check the age of their customers when selling age-restricted products, such as alcohol and tobacco. Some cashiers may have duties not directly related to sales and customer service, such as mopping floors, taking out the trash, and other custodial tasks. Others may stock shelves or mark prices on items.

Cashiers use scanners, registers, or calculators to process payments and returns or exchanges of merchandise.

Cashiers held about 3.6 million jobs in 2019. The largest employers of cashiers were as follows:

Food and beverage stores	26%
General merchandise stores	21
Gasoline stations	17
Restaurants and other eating places	10
Pharmacies and drug stores	5

The work is often repetitive, and cashiers spend most of their time standing behind counters or checkout stands. Dealing with dissatisfied customers can be stressful.

Work Schedules

Cashiers’ work hours vary by employer. Cashiers often work during weekends and holidays. Some cashiers employed in establishments that operate 24 hours a day, such as gasoline stations, work overnight shifts. Part-time work is common.

Employers may restrict the use of time off from Thanksgiving through early January because that is the busiest time of the year for most retailers.

This table shows a list of occupations with job duties that are similar to those of cashiers.

	Occupation	Job Duties	Entry-Level Education	Median Annual Pay, May 2019
	Customer Service Representatives	Customer service representatives interact with customers to handle complaints, process orders, and answer questions.	High school diploma or equivalent	$34,710
	Retail Sales Workers	Retail sales workers help customers find products they want and process customers’ payments.	No formal educational credential	$25,440
	Tellers	Tellers are responsible for accurately processing routine transactions at a bank.	High school diploma or equivalent	$31,230
	Waiters and Waitresses	Waiters and waitresses take orders and serve food and beverages to customers in dining establishments.	No formal educational credential	$22,890
	Bartenders	Bartenders mix drinks and serve them directly to customers or through wait staff.	No formal educational credential	$23,680
	Food and Beverage Serving and Related Workers	Food and beverage serving and related workers perform a variety of customer service, food preparation, and cleaning duties in eating and drinking establishments.	No formal educational credential	$23,000

The Handbook does not have contacts for more information for this occupation.

O*NET

Cashiers