Cashiers

Receive and disburse money in establishments other than financial institutions. May use electronic scanners, cash registers, or related equipment. May process credit or debit card transactions and validate checks.

Sample of reported job titles: Cage Cashier, Cashier, Center Aisle Cashier, Central Aisle Cashier, Checker, Customer Assistant, Sales Associate, Store Attendant, Store Clerk, Toll Collector

Occupation-Specific Information

Tasks

back to top

Technology Skills

Hot technology
Hot Technologies are requirements most frequently included across all employer job postings.

back to top

Occupational Requirements

Work Activities

  • Getting Information — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Performing for or Working Directly with the Public — Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
  • Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships — Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
  • Communicating with People Outside the Organization — Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates — Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.

back to top

Detailed Work Activities

back to top

Work Context

  • Contact With Others — 96% responded “Constant contact with others.”
  • Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams — 79% responded “Every day.”
  • Telephone Conversations — 78% responded “Every day.”
  • Dealing With Unpleasant, Angry, or Discourteous People — 58% responded “Once a week or more but not every day.”
  • Frequency of Decision Making — 67% responded “Every day.”
  • Spend Time Standing — 51% responded “Continually or almost continually.”
  • Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team — 38% responded “Extremely important.”
  • Importance of Being Exact or Accurate — 46% responded “Very important.”
  • Indoors, Environmentally Controlled — 68% responded “Every day.”
  • Deal With External Customers or the Public in General — 52% responded “Extremely important.”
  • Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls — 46% responded “Continually or almost continually.”
  • Coordinate or Lead Others in Accomplishing Work Activities — 36% responded “Very important.”
  • Freedom to Make Decisions — 50% responded “Limited freedom.”
  • Importance of Repeating Same Tasks — 27% responded “Extremely important.”
  • Physical Proximity — 49% responded “Moderately close (at arm's length).”
  • Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions — 29% responded “Less than half the time.”
  • Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals — 32% responded “Limited freedom.”
  • Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results — 32% responded “Important results.”
  • Time Pressure — 35% responded “Once a month or more but not every week.”

back to top

Experience Requirements

Job Zone

Title
Job Zone Two: Some Preparation Needed
Education
These occupations usually require a high school diploma.
Related Experience
Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.
Job Training
Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Job Zone Examples
These occupations often involve using your knowledge and skills to help others. Examples include orderlies, counter and rental clerks, customer service representatives, security guards, upholsterers, tellers, and dental laboratory technicians.
SVP Range
(4.0 to < 6.0)

back to top

Training & Credentials

State training
Local training
Certifications
State licenses

back to top

Apprenticeship Opportunities

Start your career and build your skillset. Visit Apprenticeship.gov external site to learn about opportunities related to this occupation.

back to top

Worker Requirements

Skills

  • Service Orientation — Actively looking for ways to help people.
  • Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Social Perceptiveness — Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
  • Speaking — Talking to others to convey information effectively.

back to top

Knowledge

  • Customer and Personal Service — Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • English Language — Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
  • Sales and Marketing — Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

back to top

Education

How much education does a new hire need to perform a job in this occupation? Respondents said:

  • 44%
     
    responded: High school diploma or equivalent requiredmore info
  • 37%
     
    responded: Less than high school diploma required
  • 9%
     
    responded: Post-secondary certificate required

back to top

Worker Characteristics

Abilities

  • Oral Comprehension — The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Oral Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Near Vision — The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Speech Clarity — The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Written Comprehension — The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Information Ordering — The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
  • Problem Sensitivity — The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
  • Speech Recognition — The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.

back to top

Interests

Interest code: CE
Want to discover your interests? Take the O*NET Interest Profiler.
  • Conventional — Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources.
  • Enterprising — Work involves managing, negotiating, marketing, or selling, typically in a business setting, or leading or advising people in political and legal situations. Enterprising occupations are often associated with business initiatives, sales, marketing/advertising, finance, management/administration, professional advising, public speaking, politics, or law.

back to top

Work Styles

  • Integrity — A tendency to be honest and ethical at work.
  • Dependability — A tendency to be reliable, responsible, and consistent in meeting work-related obligations.

back to top

Workforce Characteristics

Wages & Employment Trends

Median wages (2024)
$14.99 hourly, $31,190 annual
State wages
Local wages
Employment (2024)
3,157,200 employees
Projected growth (2024-2034)
Decline (-1% or lower)
Projected job openings (2024-2034)
542,600
State trends
Top industries (2024)

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024 wage data external site and 2024-2034 employment projections external site. “Projected growth” represents the estimated change in total employment over the projections period (2024-2034). “Projected job openings” represent openings due to growth and replacement.

back to top

Job Openings on the Web

State job openings
Local job openings

back to top

More Information

Related Occupations

back to top

Professional Associations

Disclaimer: Sources are listed to provide additional information on related jobs, specialties, and/or industries. Links to non-DOL Internet sites are provided for your convenience and do not constitute an endorsement.

National Associations
Accreditation, Certification, & Unions

back to top