Secrets Of The Cashier!

[Janice Johnson]

As a cashier, I will tell you some secrets of the job.

1. If you want to pay with your debit card, the payment key you press is ATM, not EBT. A lot of my customers press, "EBT," thinking it's short for DEBIT. EBT is food stamps. I've had countless customers look at me with confusuion when the register askes them about food.

2.PLEASE stop giving me CVS Extra Care Cards. Walgreens and CVS are interchangeble, but we're not THAT interchangeable.

3. If I ask you a personal question, please understand that I don't mean to be rude, I'm just trying to be friendly.

4. The worst time to give me $100.00 bills is when my managers pick up my money, because I am basically broke. The best time to give me $100.00 is when I have a surplus of $20.00, and will be glad to give you my 20's.

5. A mention to the post above. I am sick of the $20s! I see them too much. The only time I want 20's is when lot of people are asking for cash back from their debit.

6. About cashback, the limit in Walgreens is $40.00. It used to be $100.00, but the Walgreens Headquarters limited it to 40.00. When it was 100.00, customers would by a pack of gum for 1.39, and then ask for 100.00 back. Then they'd buy four more of those packs of gum, and ask for 100.00 each time. As you can see, that ended up giving them 500.00. Not good. Now, cutomers don't want to do the same thing for just 40.00 each time. They usuaully stop after two times, giving them 80.00. Good.

7. Please do NOT put your items across my scanner. Always let ME pass your items for you. Because when you pass the items, you run the risk of making me do a void(because of a double scan). Voids are the bane of every cashier. With a void, I have to "erase" what I scanned so that you don't get charged.

8. Total voids. Post voids. I like the total void and post voids. I'd rather have a total/post void than a regular void. Total voids happen when there are too many "voids" to do them one by one. Let's say, I ring up 20 items, and the customer complains that each of those items were on sale, but the register rang them up as regular priced, but there is no coupons for them.(turns out, the register was wrong, and those items were on sale. Do you think I am going to "void" all those itmes one by one? Especially when there is a HUGE line? NOOOOOO! I just call for a "total" void, and a manager uses his or her key and total voids the whole transaction. A Post Void means that the manager couldn't make it to void the transaction at the time, so I punch in the exact amount, and keep the receipt until the manager can do the post void. I am never supposed to leave a post void undone, because the register will be short.

9. Reference to post above. I will sometimes need to "price modify" the item to the sale price. PM is basically overriding the item so that you will get the sale price. This is usually done after a regular void. Sometimes, I need a manager's permission to "override."

10. Credit cards. In the Walgreens where I work, if the amount is 25.00 or over, I will need to see your ID, and you will need to sign your name. If the itmes are 24.99 or less, , you do not need an ID, nor do you need to sign your name. If the items are 50.00, I need to write down your driver's license or ID number. About something else, American Express cards sometimes require you to give me your BILLING Zip Code to verify that you are the owner of the card. Please do not give me the zip code where you LIVE if it's not where the bill goes too.

11.Suggestive Sales. If you see me pushing one particular item, that is my suggestive sell. I used to be really agressive and pushy, until my co-workers told me that "begging" people to by my suggestive sales was bad customer service. I stopped "begging" so hard and just casually pointed out the "cheap" item)(my SS )

12. Tax. When the total is a bit high, I usually tell the customers why it's a bit high in one word. Tax. They usually understand. But some don't. Some ask"How is there tax on food?" Easy. Candy has tax. Soda has tax. Cake has tax. Cookies have tax. Do you see the patten here? Junk food uslly has tax. But healthy foods tend not to have tax on them. The only junk food that doesn't have tax on it is the 99 cent chips.

I have some more, but I will come back with them later.

[junecleaver]

I have never been a cashier, but one thing i wish people would understand is that just because you are a cashier, doesn't mean you make rules or products. My fiance is guilty of this. He bought me a necklace at a famous jewelery chain, it was a little heart with saphhires on it. Well, I got it for Christmas, and 2 weeks later, one sapphire fell off. I told him and we went to the jewelery store, and they exchanged it for me. So this next one, it took less than one week before a sapphire fell off. Needless to say, we went back, and he started yelling at the poor cashier. I was so embarrassed. I explained to him, she doesn't make any of the rules or the jewelery, she merely sells them and is working under a bunch of people. In other words, if you have a problem with a product, don't yell at the cashier about it. If you feel the need to yell at someone, call the heads of the company, they deserve it more than someone who has absolutely no control over their products.

[Hollow]

Originally Posted by junecleaver

I have never been a cashier, but one thing i wish people would understand is that just because you are a cashier, doesn't mean you make rules or products. My fiance is guilty of this. He bought me a necklace at a famous jewelery chain, it was a little heart with saphhires on it. Well, I got it for Christmas, and 2 weeks later, one sapphire fell off. I told him and we went to the jewelery store, and they exchanged it for me. So this next one, it took less than one week before a sapphire fell off. Needless to say, we went back, and he started yelling at the poor cashier. I was so embarrassed. I explained to him, she doesn't make any of the rules or the jewelery, she merely sells them and is working under a bunch of people. In other words, if you have a problem with a product, don't yell at the cashier about it. If you feel the need to yell at someone, call the heads of the company, they deserve it more than someone who has absolutely no control over their products.

my dad yelled at a cashier once and said we were never coming back to the place again because the bathrooms were temporarily out of order. as we were leaving the poor lady gave an awkward laugh and told him to have a nice day.

[PZelda]

Another good thing to know... I've never been a cashier, but I'm sure they explain this to customers.

If you pay via debit card, press the CREDIT button instead of DEBIT. If you press DEBIT, the bank will put a hold on a certain amount of money in your checking account until your payment clears. This won't happen with credit, and your payment will get cleared in a few days.

[Ireneparalegal]

I totally hated when #7 (above) happened to me as a cashier. I would tell people, please, let me scan the items. The customers got a kick out of swinging their item across the scanner and it would ring up 3 or 4 times on the cash register. So guess what? I HAVE TO CALL A MANAGER YOU STUPID, IGNORANT BASTARD BECAUSE I CAN'T VOID OUT MORE THAN ONE ITEM!!!!!!! Two voids or more require a manager and by the time the manager walks to your register, you get a long line of people. While I would wait for the manager, I would tell the customers in line, "Sorry folks, I have to wait for a manager because this gentleman (it was always a man who would do that crap!) scanned his item across the scanner and caused it to ring up more than once. I need my manager to void it out." I loved how the customers would look and glance over at the customer who caused the whole mess.

[junecleaver]

Originally Posted by Ireneparalegal

I totally hated when #7 (above) happened to me as a cashier. I would tell people, please, let me scan the items. The customers got a kick out of swinging their item across the scanner and it would ring up 3 or 4 times on the cash register. So guess what? I HAVE TO CALL A MANAGER YOU STUPID, IGNORANT BASTARD BECAUSE I CAN'T VOID OUT MORE THAN ONE ITEM!!!!!!! Two voids or more require a manager and by the time the manager walks to your register, you get a long line of people. While I would wait for the manager, I would tell the customers in line, "Sorry folks, I have to wait for a manager because this gentleman (it was always a man who would do that crap!) scanned his item across the scanner and caused it to ring up more than once. I need my manager to void it out." I loved how the customers would look and glance over at the customer who caused the whole mess.

Man, where the hell do these idiots come from? I never heard of people scanning their own items until this thread. Too bad you can't just say "sorry, but since you were foolish enough to scan your item 70 times, you have to pay for it." Or at least tell the person to go back to the end of the line while the manager comes. Ridiculous. Not only does it make you look like a d*****bag, but it makes the people behind you mad and that makes for an awkward moment, lol. Your job as a customer: put the products on the conveyor belt. Cashier's job: SCAN the items

Just like one of my teachers said, The problem with common sense is the fact that it isn't so common anymore.

[Ireneparalegal]

Originally Posted by junecleaver

Man, where the hell do these idiots come from? I never heard of people scanning their own items until this thread. Too bad you can't just say "sorry, but since you were foolish enough to scan your item 70 times, you have to pay for it." Or at least tell the person to go back to the end of the line while the manager comes. Ridiculous. Not only does it make you look like a d*****bag, but it makes the people behind you mad and that makes for an awkward moment, lol. Your job as a customer: put the products on the conveyor belt. Cashier's job: SCAN the items

Just like one of my teachers said, The problem with common sense is the fact that it isn't so common anymore.

Yes, that is a great comment abt common sense.

It is true. I don't miss my days as a cashier for that reason above and many more. And it was ALWAYS A MAN who would do that sh*t. IDIOTS!
They thought it was fun or funny. That is until they had to wait for a manager to come. Not to mention sometimes it didn't look good on your record since VOIDS were frowned upon.

[sara]

Originally Posted by Janice Johnson

As a cashier, I will tell you some secrets of the job.
12. Tax. When the total is a bit high, I usually tell the customers why it's a bit high in one word. Tax. They usually understand. But some don't. Some ask"How is there tax on food?" Easy. Candy has tax. Soda has tax. Cake has tax. Cookies have tax. Do you see the patten here? Junk food uslly has tax. But healthy foods tend not to have tax on them. The only junk food that doesn't have tax on it is the 99 cent chips.

I have some more, but I will come back with them later.

This is not true every place. None of those foods are taxed in Michigan. Although for pop we do have a bottle deposit. The only food that is taxed here is prepared food, like something hot from the deli.

[OH Nuts!]

I never was a cashier but I can tell its not a fun job so:

* I always try to be nice and polite to the cashiers. 99.9% of the mistakes are NOT their fault. And 99% of the time when a pricing mistake happens they are quick to correct it. My understanding is price screw ups are usually the fault of the data entry person who puts in the prices to the computerized system - not the cashier.

*Regarding nutty customers who attempt to do your job by scanning their stuff maybe the store should have a simple sign in large print telling customers not to do this and WHY. The only thing I do, if I have the time, is turn the items up with the bar codes facing.

*I think cash back s/b limited to $20 or $25. You're a cashier not an ATM machine. Every major chain should have an ATM in the store. That's where you go when you need significant amts of $.And/or make a rule that you can only get back up to what you spend. Which takes care of the $1.39 crap business.

*Have a MAJOR problem with merchandise costing lots of $-like the jewelry mentioned above--For something like that I go straight to the mgr. He/she should be aware of the quality breach and may want to do something abt it. Call the vendor who made it, charge them back, consider switching vendors, alert headquarters etc.

[Lodee]

3. If I ask you a personal question, please understand that I don't mean to be rude, I'm just trying to be friendly.

Just curious, what kind of personal question would you ask that would make the customer think you were being rude?

[Ireneparalegal]

Originally Posted by Lodee

Just curious, what kind of personal question would you ask that would make the customer think you were being rude?

"How big of a bastard are you for wanting to scan your own items?"

[AB]

Makes me glad I'm not a cashier, how they manage to hold their tempers & say have a nice day after some of that crap is beyond me. I doubt I'd last a day as one. lol!

[Hollow]

Originally Posted by rich p

*Regarding nutty customers who attempt to do your job by scanning their stuff maybe the store should have a simple sign in large print telling customers not to do this and WHY. The only thing I do, if I have the time, is turn the items up with the bar codes facing.

lol, i think i'd die laughing if i saw a "please don't scan your own items" sign. i admit there have been a few times when the scanner was so close that i was tempted to do it myself, but i knew it probably wasn't a good idea.

[Karen64]

What about at a grocery store when it's busy and all the sackers are elsewhere?

---sometimes I will take the scanned items and start sacking them myself (in the bags right there at the end of the checkout). Some cashiers seem to appreciate it, and some others seem annoyed with me and say "oh, I'll do that".

[junecleaver]

Originally Posted by Karen64

What about at a grocery store when it's busy and all the sackers are elsewhere?

---sometimes I will take the scanned items and start sacking them myself (in the bags right there at the end of the checkout). Some cashiers seem to appreciate it, and some others seem annoyed with me and say "oh, I'll do that".

I dont think i'd be annoyed by that. I have done that several times, mostly when i have a large amount of items, but it's not to be rude, i just feel since i'm not doing anything while he/she is scanning my items, i'll go ahead and sack my things to save time and give them a break. As long as you're not in the way and messing up the cashier, i dont see why a cashier would have a problem with it.