Top Skills for This Career
BLS identifies these as the three highest-rated skills for this detailed occupation. TrustInEd adds the plain-language explanations so visitors understand what each skill means.
Understanding customer needs and providing helpful, professional service.
Working effectively with people by building relationships, understanding others, and responding appropriately.
Adjusting effectively when priorities, conditions, tools, or expectations change.
How Do You Prepare for This Career?
BLS describes the typical preparation for this occupation. Requirements can vary by employer, state, licensing rules and individual circumstances.
How to Become One
How to Become a Cashier Cashiers need to have good customer service skills. Cashiers typically have no formal
Education
requirement to enter the occupation. They are trained on the job. Education Although jobs for cashiers typically have no specific education requirements, employers may prefer to hire candidates who have a high school diploma or the equivalent. Cashiers should have a basic knowledge of mathematics, because they may need to count money, make change, or tally receipts from a cash register or point-of-sale system.
Training
Cashiers receive on-the-job training, which may last up to a few weeks. An experienced worker typically helps new cashiers learn how to operate equipment such as scanners or registers.
Your Next Step
Review training, certifications, apprenticeships, or employer-based preparation that may support entry into this career.
Pay
the median annual wage for all workers was $50,980.
Job Outlook
Job Outlook Employment of cashiers is projected to grow 6 percent from 2025 to 2035, decline. About 521,300 openings for cashiers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire. Employment Although retail sales are expected to increase over the projections decade, employment of cashiers is expected to decline because of advances in technology, such as the use of self-service checkout stands in retail stores and increasing online sales. Cashiers Percent change in employment, projected 2025–35 Total, all occupations 3% Retail sales workers -2% Cashiers -6% Note: All Occupations includes all occupations in the U.S. Economy.
What They Do
What Cashiers Do
Cashiers process payments and disburse money in retail settings using cash registers, point-of-sale systems, or related equipment.
Duties
Cashiers typically do the following:
- Greet customers
- Scan customers’ purchases
- Process payment from customers and give change and receipts
- Bag or wrap customers’ purchases
- Process returns and exchanges of merchandise
- Answer customers’ questions and provide information about store policies
- Help customers sign up for store rewards, credit cards, or other programs
- Count the money in their register at the beginning and end of each shift or tally transaction receipts from point-of-sale systems
Cashiers are responsible for processing sales transactions in retail stores, which also may include overseeing self-checkout stands. When selling age-restricted products, such as alcohol or tobacco, cashiers must verify the age of the purchasing customer.
In addition, cashiers may have duties related to customer assistance or store upkeep. For example, they may need to retrieve customers’ orders for in-store pickup or to stock shelves. They are usually required to keep their workspace neat and may have to do light custodial tasks, such as mopping floors or taking out the trash.
Work Environment
Work Environment
Cashiers held about 3.1 million jobs in 2025. The largest employers of cashiers were as follows:
| Food and beverage retailers | 30% |
| Gasoline stations | 19 |
| General merchandise retailers | 16 |
| Food services and drinking places | 11 |
| Building material and garden equipment and supplies dealers | 5 |
The work is often repetitive, and cashiers spend most of their time standing behind counters or checkout stands. Dealing with dissatisfied customers can be stressful.
Work Schedules
Cashiers’ work schedules may vary to include early mornings, late evenings, weekends, and holidays. In establishments that stay open 24 hours a day, such as gas stations, they may need to work overnight. Cashiers may pick up additional shifts in certain stores during holidays or other peak sales periods.
Part-time work is common.
Important Qualities
The following are examples of qualities that are important for these workers to perform their duties. For more information, visit the Employment Projections (EP) skills data page. Communication skills. Cashiers must pay attention to customers’ questions and explain pricing, promotions, and store policies. Customer-service skills. Cashiers must be courteous and friendly when helping customers. Dexterity. Cashiers use their hands to scan purchases and to operate registers, point-of-sale systems, or other equipment. Near vision. Cashiers need to see well enough to scan items, handle cash, and process transactions accurately. Physical stamina. Cashiers may need to stand for long periods.
More Information
More Information, Including Links to O*NET
Learn more about cashiers by visiting additional resources, including O*NET, a source on key characteristics of workers and occupations.
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Start with ED →Career data and occupational profile text are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook and Employment Projections program. Education requirements are typical entry-level requirements and may vary by employer, state, occupation or individual circumstance. View the official BLS profile.