Yes, that’s the way I do it, or did it – counting up. My mom taught me about 1974 when I got my first retail job (Garber’s Shoe Store in Country Club Mall). My son just got a job as a checker at Bi Mart. I’ll ask him tonight if he ever counts back change or just gives the customer what the register tells him. He’s had a stroke and has some memory and organizational deficits, so I would be surprised if he counts up change, or has even given it a thought unless a supervisor taught him.
Hmm, perhaps my 10 years in retail and 15 in banking were all for naught…:rolleyes:
The purpose is speed AND accuracy. One without the other is a recipe for a short career. Also, a good manager/coach recognizes there is often more than one way to accomplish a given task and, more importantly, there is no reason to force a person to change if the end goal is being met.
By the way, I never said how (or even if) I counted change back to the customer, that was your assumption. I only described how I retrieved the correct amount from the drawer.
Because most customers don’t care about change, since due to inflation, any amount under a dollar is now a trifling amount of money. So I would give them the bills first, since to the customer that’s the most important item, then the coins, and finally the receipt.
Think of it as finalizing the transaction in order of priority.
This is definitely the case. For both my cashier jobs I had the computer tell me what to do because it’s easiest, fastest and we can’t do anything without the computer anyway. I can give change back because I was taught it somewhere or another, but it’s not even a skill I need working the cashier because if I type it into the computer it’s what I HAVE to do.
Example: Your total is $14.34 and you gave me a $20. Once I type in that you gave me a 20, the register will tell me I owe you $5.66, which eliminates my need for mental math. Plus, because I told the register you gave me a 20, you can’t say “Oh wait! I have 34 cents, can I give you that to make it even?” No, because while the change may be right IRL, according the computer it won’t be. This trend will only continue.
I’ll also fully admit that I’m a pretty stupid person in general, but I’m ESPECIALLY stupid when it comes to math and ESPECIALLY ESPECIALLY stupid for mental math. I will literally freeze in place in fear if the total is 14.34 and you give me 20.19. I simply don’t know how to do that and I can’t imagine the next generation will be much better.
You may send me all of your change from now on. Once you pick it up off the floor. Or is it now a waist-high pile?
Honestly, the shipping would probably cost more than it’s worth, lol.
No argument here.
We used to do Take-a-penny/leave-a-penny trays at the retail joints I used to work; saved up enough to buy a replacement power cord for the store boom-box. Then the manager made us turn it off. 
Back when I worked at a drive-thru window, people would hold their hand out for their change. I would lean out over the chasm between our windows and cup their hand with my left, giving the change with my right. It was mostly to steady myself and keep either of us from dropping the change, but it had a nice side effect of making people realize I wasn’t a burger-dispensing robot. Most people would start when I touched them, then look in my eyes and smile.
And the register told me how much change to give.
The register would tell me what to give back and I would start with the largest coins down to the smallest (in value, not size :)), so I guess I didn’t do what the OP was taught. I don’t think I was taught any particular method, and I wasn’t told to keep the bill out until change was given.
Now that cash registers tell you what the change is there is no need for this system. I think they must give you the bills first so they are on the bottom. Just makes sense. but, yes, this is the way I was taught to make change when we used manual cash registers. But, now that in several years robots will be making change, I guess it doesn’t matter. I kind of worry about those people who depend on walmart and MacDonalds for jobs that don’t require experience. On the other hand, I’ve been in Taco Bells, MacDonalds, Wendys where the employees are rude, act like they are in their living rooms and could really care less about good service and cleanliness. From that side, I think the robots are a great idea. No more glass barriers between the customers and the prep area and no more holdups. NO CASH on the premises. I think I got off subject.
Adding some change to get back the minimum amount of coins does seem to confuse many cashiers. For example, if the total is 62 cents, adding two or 12 cents can get the desired change, but that confuses a few of them youngsters. What’s worse is when you get used to the denominations of coins in your new home country, and then go back and forget about quarters. :smack:
I feel I must have learned this in school, probably high school. The first time I operated a cash register was in a West Texas convenience store in 1975, and I know I did it the OP’s way then.
As far as making change that way, I learned simply by going shopping with my mother as a child, and watching the cashiers give change. Everyone did it that way.
When I was working in a retail store as a student, we did have a cash register which would calculate the amount of change. One of the other part time workers would simply hand that over, which upset some of the customers.