Cashiers process returns and exchanges of merchandise.
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.
Cashiers need to have good customer service skills.
Cashiers are trained on the job. There are no formal education requirements to become a cashier.
Education
Although most jobs for cashiers have no specific education requirements, some employers prefer applicants with a high school diploma or equivalent. Cashiers should have a basic knowledge of mathematics, because they need to be able to make change and count the money in their registers.
Training
Cashiers receive on-the-job training, which may last a few weeks. An experienced worker typically helps new cashiers learn how to operate equipment such as scanners or registers.
Note: All Occupations includes all occupations in the U.S. Economy. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics
The median hourly wage for cashiers was $11.37 in May 2019.
The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $8.73, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $15.04.
In May 2019, the median hourly wages for cashiers in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:
Pharmacies and drug stores
$11.94
Food and beverage stores
11.53
General merchandise stores
11.36
Gasoline stations
10.85
Restaurants and other eating places
10.73
Many beginning or inexperienced cashiers earn the federal minimum wage ($7.25 per hour as of July, 24, 2009), but many states set minimum wages higher than the federal minimum.
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.
Note: All Occupations includes all occupations in the U.S. Economy. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program
Employment of cashiers is projected to decline 7 percent from 2019 to 2029.
Although retail sales are expected to increase over the next decade, employment of cashiers is expected to decline because of advances in technology, such as the use of self-service checkout stands in retail stores and increasing online sales.
Job prospects
Job opportunities should be good because of the need to replace the large number of workers who leave the occupation each year.
Employment projections data for cashiers, 2019-29
Occupational Title
SOC Code
Employment, 2019
Projected Employment, 2029
Change, 2019-29
Employment by Industry
Percent
Numeric
SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program