Stuff Your Cashier Is Doing For You(without you even realizing it)

Not to get too uptight about my people, but cashiering is hard. It's a minimum-wage, minimum-experience-required kind of job, but I would say that it's actually a lot harder than anyone is given credit for(at least if you're a good cashier and not just one of those ones who bag things and grunt at anyone who speaks to them).

I mean, didn't most of the people we serve do some kind of service job at one point? If you went straight from school into some high-end office job, I'd really like to know how you got there.

So what is your cashier doing for you that you don't even see?

We're there.

Yes, it's part of our job to show up, to be present and paying attention, but doing the same transaction over and over like a robot, repeating the same script, and serving tons of thankless people is an easy way to lose brain cells. Just appreciate our showing up today. You ought to know how hard it is to get out of bed in the morning in the first place without knowing you're probably going to get railroaded by someone today.

We serve you.

As a cashier, I am a minnow in a world of whales. The little guy. Low on the totem pole, if you will. A lot of us look to help out each individual customer, and we try our best.

We fulfill your requests(no matter how weird)

We get some whacked-out requests in the customer service/retail/food industry. Some people are just weird, or sometimes it's just an unusual request. I've gotten five or so transactions out of one cart, for four different people in the group. I've opened tech boxes to make sure it's all there or that it can fit the customer's phone. I've measured the length of jumpsuits and jackets against myself so that a customer can know they're the right length for her daughter who's around my size. I've scanned ingredients lists and answered questions that are really above my qualifications and pay grade. Cashiering is always the easy job it's cracked up to be.

We find a way to get it done.

Like I said, it's not as easy as it's cracked up to be. Lots of times, I've got a long line to deal with and a woman in front of me who's demanding a refund for something she broke, and on top of that I'm being asked by the manager to clean something up and put out a box of jewelry all before the end of my shift in a half an hour. We're often a little frazzled, and for good reason. We're being asked to do a lot.

We keep a good attitude.

If you've never worked in any kind of service job, you have no idea how hard this is. Just try coming in to work when you're just getting past a cold, then act pleasant consistently for a minimum of five hours, even if you want to scream.

We go through a lot of physical strain.

Shoes, no matter how well made they are, are not designed to be stood up in for eight hours a day. Our feet are hurting, our backs are hurting, we walk miles and miles every day all around the store, we just carried a one-hundred-pound shelf to the front of the store because a customer built like the Rock asked us to, and right now we're also required to wear these things on our faces that make it impossible to get enough air.

We can't lose our cool.

This is at the heart of everything in customer service jobs. No matter how much physical pain you're going through, no matter if there's a toddler in the store that's been throwing a gale-force tantrum for the last hour, no matter if this is the fifth person in a row who lost their temper with you, no matter if your life at home is falling apart, you have to suck it in and keep smiling, because that's the job. Even if someone insults you, the best thing you can do is go have a good cry, then paste the smile back on and get back to work. That's a big thing to be doing for a crowd of people you don't even know.

Now, I don't want to leave on that note, because that makes it sound like customer service and retail is all bad. And while there are some spectacularly bad days(and this is a thorough list of some of the worst parts of retail), there are some beautiful things about it. Like the nice, considerate people who make you feel like all your effort is really seen.

So let's talk about some things you can do for your cashier since they're doing so much for you:

Get them a candy bar or drink.

This is totally not necessary, and no one expects it. But if you get something for the cashier, just to be nice and to show your thanks, trust me it's going to make their whole day. And they'll never forget you, either. But like I said, you don't have to.

Leave a tip if there's a tip jar.

Another way you can show your appreciation. Even if it's just some loose change, it's something. Drop the change from the stuff you bought in the jar if you want. It's just a nice thing to do.

Thank them.

It's a little thing, but so doable. Just meet the cashier's eyes and give them your earnest thanks. There are a lot of half-hearted thank yous, and we can tell if you really mean it. So please mean it. We're trying hard here.

Be kind and patient because we're being kind and patient with you.

I'm pretty sure most of you aren't the kind of person that's mean and inconsiderate, but we really appreciate it when people are patient with us. Don't get upset and ask to see the manager if your card is declined. That has nothing to do with us. If you do need the manager, ask with a calm voice, don't demand. Even if we did do something wrong, there's a strong chance it was just a mistake. We're not trying to ruin your whole shopping experience on purpose. You have no idea how much we just appreciate some patience. It's less common than you think.

Thank you for reading!

Tell me, have you ever worked in customer service? Got any fun stories from shopping anywhere? Let's hear them in the comments!