9781422276709

of Labor Statistics. Businesses in almost every city and town hire cashiers. Regardless of the employer, as a retail associate, you can learn the ins and outs of a business while playing an important role in providing specialized customer service and ensuring customer satisfaction. Although turnover can be quite high in this profession, those who stick to the job and perform their duties well can advance from trainee to manager in no time. Is This Job Right for You? To find out if being a retail associate or cashier is a good fit for you, read each of the following questions and answer “Yes” or “No.” Yes No 1. Do you enjoy helping people find what they want? Yes No 2. Can you take direction from others? Yes No 3. Can you be patient with a line of customers? Yes No 4. Are you capable of constant light lifting (possibly shelving products)? Yes No 5. Do you enjoy meeting people from many different backgrounds? Yes No 6. Are you comfortable with handling money? Yes No 7. Are you dependable and organized? Yes No 8. Are you flexible and willing to work nights and weekends? Yes No 9. Would you enjoy helping other coworkers as needed? Yes No 10. Are you good at doing simple math in your head (assuring that you can provide the correct change)? If you answered “Yes” to most of these questions, consider a career as a retail associate/ cashier. To find out more about this job, read on. What’s the Work Like? In a retail store, associates and cashiers are the first contact point for most customers. They greet shoppers, answer questions in the aisles, and take payments at the register, while also handling customer returns and exchanges. Good communications are essential at this job because you meet a wide variety of new people on a daily basis. Running a cash register and processing credit card transactions require attention to detail as you handle a stream of purchases. Often you do the same type of task over and over again. Depending on the nature of the business, cashiers and retail associates may get moved throughout the store during the day. Workers may be asked to return abandoned items

• sales, marketing & finance

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