Work and Travel USA’07 (My Job at the Gift Shop)

On the first day of my work, I was assigned to the Gift Shop. Apparently, they need MAN-power to deal with the stockings. So, I started with simple tasks like getting stocks from the stock room and fill them up at the shop (physical) and memorizing all the prices of items we have in the shop (mental). Well, items in the shop includes:

T-shirts, books and souvenirs.
Snacks.
And beverages.

Not only those, we also have films, disposable cameras, medicines and sundries. Some items like tobacco products, souvenirs, and sodas come with tax, while others like sundries and sugar-free snacks are non-tax. And I have to remember this too. After memorizing all these. My supervisor lets me have a go on the cashier, and that's when I really learn some new things.

As a start of the day, a cashier has to (of course) get money to put into the drawer. However, one must always remember to count the money upon receiving then from the cash room. Otherwise, he or she will be accountable for any shortage.

So, each cahsier will be givien USD300 to start a drawer.

• USD70 in tens,
• another USD70 in fives,
• US100 in singles,
• USD40 in quarters (25 cents),
• USD20 in dimes (10cents),
• USD10 in nickels (5 cents),
• and the rest in pennies (1 cent).

So, you've put in your money. The next thing to do is to make sure you press the category button each time you ring up an item. And for those who has never been a cashier before, what does it mean by "ring"? Well, it simply means to register the cash that you've collected upon each sale. If you rang the sale with a wrong amount or wrong item code (over-ring), you'l have to get a authorized personal to do a re-ring for you. Over-rings are nothing unusual or serious offences. Supervisors normally expects up to 20 over-rings from a freshy cashier like me. However, as times goes by, my number of over-rings per shift decreases, and sometimes, none at all. I was also trained on how to make transactions using credit cards.

As cashiers, we are also provide with some guide-lines on how to provide good service. For example;

• Eye contact with the customer,
• Speak in a polite manner,
• Up-selling (suggesting to the customer if he/she would like to purchase any other items)
• Put purchased items into a shopping bag of suitable size, if only 1 item is purchased ask if customer would like a bag.
• Always remember to give customers their receipt.
• And finally, end the transaction with a nice gesture or wishing phrase.

Apart from that, we are also given a few tips on safety and security.

• At all times, never put more than 5 USD20 bills in your cashier. If you do, drop them into the safe box.
• If received a credit card which has been reported stolen, how to deal with the situation.
• When being rob, it's always safety first, just remember how the robber looks like, and give him whatever he wants.

Well, that's a whole lot of things a cashier has to remember. But after awhile, I've got used to it and they've became a habit for me. For once every 2 weeks, we'll have a "inventory day", where we count every item we have in the shop.

Here's me, counting postcards on one of our "inventory days".