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Career

Cashiers

Typical education: High school diplomaLower pressure Bright Outlook

What they do

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.

Kinds of work

  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.
  • Enterprising: Leading, persuading, selling and starting new projects or businesses.

Lower pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $32,880 Median per year · $15.81/hr Most earn $24,530–$40,410

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Sort, count, and wrap currency and coins.
  • Receive payment by cash, check, credit cards, vouchers, or automatic debits.
  • Establish or identify prices of goods, services, or admission, and tabulate bills, using calculators, cash registers, or optical price scanners.
  • Answer customers' questions, and provide information on procedures or policies.
  • Calculate total payments received during a time period, and reconcile this with total sales.
  • Compute and record totals of transactions.

Job outlook

Bright Outlook Numerous Job Openings

United States
7% fewer jobs by 2035, declining · about 521,299 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Grocery and specialty food retailers27.7%
  • Gasoline stations19.1%
  • General merchandise retailers15.8%
  • Building material and supplies dealers4.6%
  • Pharmacies and drug retailers3.8%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 1 to 3 months

Some people start through an apprenticeship: paid training on the job, often with classes. Search apprenticeships on Apprenticeship.gov (opens in a new tab) ↗

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: High school diplomaExperience before this job: 1 to 3 monthsEntry-level

Cashier is a true entry-level job: most people start with a high school diploma and learn the work on the job, usually in a few months or less. Many cashiers move into related customer-facing or supervisory roles over time.

  1. High school diploma

    4 years

    Finish high school with basic math and reading skills, since cashiers count money, make change, and read prices and receipts accurately.

  2. Counter and Rental Clerk or Retail Salesperson (optional starter role)

    6 months to 1 year

    Some people first work at a store counter or on a sales floor, where they learn customer service and point-of-sale systems that make cashier work easier to pick up.

  3. Cashier

    1 to 3 months of on-the-job training

    Most people start here right after high school, learning the register, card payments, and check handling through short on-the-job training.

Where it can lead

  1. Customer Service Representative

    1 to 2 years of experience first

    You move from handling quick transactions to solving customer problems over the phone, online, or in person, which builds communication and problem-solving skills.

  2. First-Line Supervisor of Retail Sales Workers

    2 to 4 years of experience first

    You take charge of a shift or team, scheduling staff, training new cashiers, handling returns, and keeping the store running smoothly, which requires reliability and leadership.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take math classesStrong skills in arithmetic and percentages help you count change and check totals quickly and correctly.
  • Get a part-time job at a store or restaurantWorking a register or front counter gives you hands-on experience that employers look for in cashier applicants.
  • Join a school club that involves money or eventsRoles like treasurer for a club or helping with fundraisers build careful money handling and teamwork.
  • Practice customer serviceVolunteering at a school event or community activity helps you get comfortable being friendly and patient with many different people.

In college

  • Take a customer service or communication courseGood communication helps you handle difficult customers and advance into customer service or supervisor roles.
  • Work a campus job with cash or point-of-sale dutiesCampus dining, bookstore, or ticket-office jobs give you experience handling payments and busy lines.
  • Build accuracy habitsDouble-checking counts and balancing a drawer at the end of a shift shows employers you can be trusted with money.
  • Seek a leadership role in a student groupLeading a team or event prepares you for supervisory roles like shift lead or retail supervisor later on.

Tips for getting started

  • Practice accuracy and speed with money and numbers, since employers value cashiers who make few errors and move the line along.
  • Look for part-time or summer jobs at grocery, retail, or food stores to gain real register experience and a work reference.
  • Ask a cashier or manager at a store you visit what the job is like day to day, so you know whether you enjoy the customer-facing side of it.

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

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