One of the first things I learned on my first official job in retail was to count change back. This should give you an idea of my age! ;-) We had to learn to do this because our registers did not figure the change for us.
Today, the cash registers do everything possible for you, except maybe wash your hands. The need to know this skill has been replaced with a "fake count-back". You know what I'm talking about...it's when the register tells the clerk it's $7.88 in change, so they "count" it back to you - "5, 6, 7 & 88 cents." What's the purpose of doing that? I wish I knew...I mean, I can clearly see that the register wants me to have that much. But what happens if the clerk puts in the wrong tender? I usually see the "deer-in-the-headlights" look on their face while they figure out what went wrong.
One of the reasons we had to learn to count cash back was for our own protection. Back in the "old days", we were responsible for any shortages that occurred on our bank, so we were extra careful in giving change. It protected us from customers that claimed that they gave us a certain amount, too, since we always called out what bill we'd been given. It was also protection for our customer, so they knew that they were getting the right change.
How do you count change back? Here's a short lesson:
1. When you tell the customer the total and they give you the money, you say, for instance, "$15.62 out of $20.00." At this point, you'll put the tender in and the register will tell you how much change comes back (if you put it in right).
2. When the drawer opens, put the bill in the right slot, but leave the spring arm up. That way if the customer says she gave you a $50, you'll know it was only a twenty, 'cause that slot's arm is up.
3. As you take out the change, count it to yourself, starting with the customers total, and adding pennies to get to an even amount..."$15.62, 63, 64, 65"
4. Now that you're at $15.65, you'd add a dime (because that's next denomination) to get to $15.75, then a quarter to get to $16.00.
5. At this point, you start adding dollars to get to $20.00..."$17, 18, 19, and $20.00."
Hopefully, that explanation wasn't too hard to follow. Try it yourself at home and practice a little...you'll get the hang of it. Remember, it protects you and the customer.
Just a little P.S. - if you press the wrong tender into the cash register, say, for instance, $200.00 instead of $20.00, it won't make your bank short, like you may think. It's only the payment or what they gave you. It has nothing to do with the sale of the merchandise, so therefore it won't mess with those numbers. But that is an instance where knowing how to count change back will be a big help!
ReplyDelete