Cashiers process payments from customers purchasing goods and services.
Cashiers typically do the following:
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 3.4 million jobs in 2021. The largest employers of cashiers were as follows:
| Food and beverage stores | 27% |
| Gasoline stations | 18 |
| General merchandise stores | 17 |
| Restaurants and other eating places | 11 |
| Pharmacies and drug stores | 6 |
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.
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 are trained on the job. There are no formal education requirements to become a cashier.
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.
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.
Working as a cashier is often a means to advance to other careers in retail. For example, with experience, cashiers may become customer service representatives or retail sales workers.
Communication skills. Cashiers must pay attention to customers’ questions and explain pricing.
Customer-service skills. Cashiers must be courteous and friendly when helping customers.
Dexterity. Cashiers use their hands to operate registers and scan purchases.
Near vision. Cashiers need to see well enough to scan items and process transactions accurately.
Patience. Cashiers must be able to remain calm when interacting with customers.
Physical stamina. Cashiers stand for long periods.
Median hourly wages, May 2021
The median hourly wage for cashiers was $13.11 in May 2021. 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 $8.93, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $16.94.
In May 2021, the median hourly wages for cashiers in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:
| Pharmacies and drug stores | $13.85 |
| Food and beverage stores | 13.50 |
| General merchandise stores | 12.32 |
| Gasoline stations | 11.24 |
| Restaurants and other eating places | 11.13 |
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.
Percent change in employment, projected 2021-31
Employment of cashiers is projected to decline 10 percent from 2021 to 2031.
Despite declining employment, about 570,700 openings for cashiers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. All of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to other occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Although retail sales are expected to increase over the projections 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.
| Occupational Title | SOC Code | Employment, 2021 | Projected Employment, 2031 | Change, 2021-31 | Employment by Industry | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percent | Numeric | ||||||
SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program |
|||||||
Cashiers |
41-2011 | 3,371,600 | 3,036,000 | -10 | -335,700 | Get data | |
The Handbook does not have contacts for more information for this occupation.
For a profile highlighting selected BLS data on occupational requirements, see
Cashiers (PDF)