If you think being a cashier is a simple job, you are only half right in my own opinion. It’s simple provided you are experienced. However, if you are like me, no prior experience whether in wrapping complex and delicate items, or operating the register and processing NETS and credit card payments, Murphy’s Law will probably apply – “If anything can go wrong, it will.”
Last Saturday (4th Dec), I got a go at being a Cashier for about an hour… I’m pretty excited at the thought of a $500+ sale transaction that is going to take place at that time (the register ringing soon)… but seconds later, that excitement turns nervy when my mind started processing how I am supposed to remove that bulky but delicate item from the top-most shelf (as I figured out later, I need to use a ladder as I’m still a few centimeters short with the help of a chair), how to wrap (I must confess that I fumble at it but I didn’t make a mess…), and how to process credit card payment (I was only given a 5 minutes verbal tutorial and one NETS payment hands-on before the person-who-believe-in-me left)… well, well, everything seems to turn out reasonably well until I pass the receipt to the customer for his signature. Guess what, the receipt wasn’t aligned properly and hence, almost half the “cardmember signature” box was gone… “oops, how to void huh?”, I thought for a moment (why didn’t they teach me how before they leave?)… I reach for the phone immediately to call for help and luckily help was on its way back in less than a minute… well, I did continue helping out and other transactions were fine as "practice makes perfect".