How would you prepare your dc for a retail job?

[BamaTanya]

It has been a long long time since we covered the "money" unit in math. Is there a systematic way to practice making change? Or just take out handfuls from the coin jar?:D

 

I have a feeling swiping is the popular method of payment in most establishments.

[Ria]

These days, any place your dc are going to work is going to have a cash register that tells them exactly how much change is due. They don't have to count it "backwards," just hand it out.

 

I work retail (pharmacy technician) but the register makes it easy for me. :)

[katilac]

It's still a skill worth having! Believe me, if I were hiring, I'd definitely hire the person who didn't NEED the cash register.

 

Mental math is a wonderful thing. Back in the day, my siblings and I were among the few who were able to take orders when the cash register went out - almost no one could figure out totals and change quickly enough, even with pencil and paper.

[bbmom]

I saw the thread title and thought "yell at them about stupid/unimportant stuff and randomly ask them stupid questions" but I guess that's not super helpful :D I would do a money refresher though-always a good skill to be able to do mentally-even if it's just to keep track of your own change.

[Sasharowan]

Brain Age 2 for the DS has a mini game that does change. It helped my dd a lot. When she sold cookies with girl scouts, she was able to count change back. Her leader was surprised.

[LaxMom]

I saw the thread title and thought "yell at them about stupid/unimportant stuff and randomly ask them stupid questions" but I guess that's not super helpful :D I would do a money refresher though-always a good skill to be able to do mentally-even if it's just to keep track of your own change.

 

Yeah, that was my thought, too.

 

I do think change counting is a valuable skill. It's shocking to me how few people can do it. And, all joking aside, how to withstand an angry person and serve them is something that has to be learned... I have no idea how you do that, though. I had a book 20 years ago - Guerilla Customer Service - that was excellent resource for modeling exceptional customer service.

[vonfirmath]

These days, any place your dc are going to work is going to have a cash register that tells them exactly how much change is due. They don't have to count it "backwards," just hand it out.

 

1. Registers don't always work

2. It makes the customer feel better when change is counted out backwards.

[Wheres Toto]

Counting back change can be a valuable skill if the registers go down but otherwise, they don't want you to count back the change to every customer. It takes too long. Basically, you hand the customer their change (cash and coins) along with their receipt in one shot.

 

Familiarity with a calculator/number pad set-up, good memorization skills to remember where the buttons for cash/check/charges are and how to process all of them. The ability to work quickly but accurately while maintaining a pleasant smile and saying a cheerful "hello, how are you today?" over and over and over again. Counting the start-of-day money into your register quickly and accurately (won't involve counting coins, which will be rolled). In a supermarket, being able to memorize the codes for produce and bakery items, so you don't have to look them up every time is good. It's all about speed and accuracy.

 

For advancement opportunities - computer skills, ability to not go crazy when pulled in a million different directions (work check-out supervisor right before Christmas or service desk/returns right after Christmas), the ability to make decisions when the unusual happens. Trustworthiness (but this has to be demonstrated, not learned).

 

My last retail job (and I've had more than a few) I had to take a test pre-hire that included simple math, spelling and a personality test ("What would you do if one of your friends came into the store and came to your register?", "Is stealing ever okay?"). The "correct" answers were usually pretty obvious.

[Lisa in Jax]

Tanya,

 

I was a retail store manager for several years. Here are the things I wish my teenaged/young adult workers knew:

 

1. Everyone should know how to count change, b/c there are times when the power is out, or when the customer decided to hand you a nickel when the transaction has already been rung up (making the change shown incorrect), etc. I'm not sure if you were asking "how" to count it back, so I'm writing it out. If you already knew, ignore this. ;-)

 

If the bill is $11.59 and the customer handed the cashier a $20, the cashier would "count back," by saying "$11.59" (reiterating the cost of the items in total), then hand the person a penny, saying "$11.60," then a nickel, "11.65," a dime, "$11.75," a quarter, "$12.00," then ones -- "$13, 14, 15," then a five, "and $20."

 

I was taught to put the change in the person's had first, then add the bills. This allows the customer to avoid that sometimes-awkward "slide the bills out from under the coins" shuffle when they put their money in their wallet.

 

Also, talk about ways a customer might give a penny/nickel/dime, etc., to get back whole bills (or fewer coins), so that they know how to figure it out. For example, if the bill is $5.27, a customer might give the cashier $20.57 so that he gets a ten and a five back, not a ten and four ones. Alternatively, what happens if the customer gives the cashier $20.07, to avoid getting pennies? (He'll get $15.50.) Being able to understand how this works is a real help, b/c people often add the change AFTER the cashier has entered the initial payment. If it's rung up that way as a $20, for example, and the customer decided to hand the cashier the change (or part of it) to get back larger bills or avoid pennies, it's good to know how to do it.

 

2. Good retail workers greet every customer as she enters, and state their names, "Hi, welcome to County Seat. If you need help, my name is Lisa." This is done for two reasons: one, to show good customer service, and two, to decrease "shrinkage," or loss of product due to theft. If the customer knows he's been noticed, he's less likely to steal, if that was his intent.

 

3. A good worker is always looking for something to do. Remind your children to have a mental list of chores that must be done at the store -- cleaning, stocking, straightening, folding, etc. -- and start doing them whenever there are no customers or the customer is not in need of help at that moment. There is ALWAYS something to be done. Standing around at the register is not productive unless they're ringing someone up.

 

4. Never ignore a customer. If you're in the middle of a sale or are helping another customer, make eye contact with the person waiting and let them know you'll help them as soon as possible. This applies even when you're on the telephone with a another customer and one walks in. Make eye contact, smile, and mouth "be right with you," or show one (index, lol) finger to indicate that you'll be right with them.

 

5. Have them practice the "happy" voice. Many teens use the quiet, mumbly and/or surly voice and don't mean it or don't realize it. Help them understand how to use a pleasant, upbeat, clear voice when talking to customers and *especially* on the telephone. Have them smile when they answer the telephone - it sounds different, and the customer can hear the "smile."

 

6. BE ON TIME. If you're supposed to start work at 10, be there at 9:50. If you're going to be late, CALL.

 

Workers who do all of the above get promoted. Workers who don't do the things above are let go when things are slow.

 

HIH,

 

Lisa

[mandymom]

My dh owns a retail business that routinely hires young people. While counting money is very important (a math test is part of the hiring process for my dh's business), I would start with interview skill...how to dress, how to carry yourself, how to answer questions. And then, I would talk to your child about customer service and reinforce what it means to have a job. I guarantee that a young person with the right attitude about his or her job (I'm here to work and do a good job and not to goof off on the clock) will get him advancement and raises faster than anything else will.

[Photo Ninja]

Good attitude, self motivated, work ethic, and approachableness (is that a word?). Look the person you are speaking to in the eyes. Speak clearly. Be thick-skinned and choose to remain calm and reasonable when another person is rude or angry. Pay attention to details. Honesty.

 

Depending on where you live, being bilingual could be a huge advantage.

[Rosie_0801]

Know something about the items he will be selling. Seriously, we used to have people who didn't know what broccoli was apply for work in a greengrocer shop.

 

Rosie

[kalanamak]

 

5. Have them practice the "happy" voice. Many teens use the quiet, mumbly and/or surly voice and don't mean it or don't realize it. Help them understand how to use a pleasant, upbeat, clear voice when talking to customers and *especially* on the telephone. Have them smile when they answer the telephone - it sounds different, and the customer can hear the "smile."

 

 

Don't forget phone skills. I cannot tell you how many times I clearly and slowly say "I am X, I am calling about Y" and am asked "who is this?" It is as if they don't hear the first minute of the conversation. Catch the name! Practice getting all the info needed: call back number, best time to call, a sense as to the urgency.

 

As for the rest, my old auto-mechanic teacher (keep in mind he taught hundreds of boys before he met me) used to say, "getting a job is like getting a girl: go hat in hand, and look like you aim to please."

[katilac]

Know something about the items he will be selling. Seriously, we used to have people who didn't know what broccoli was apply for work in a greengrocer shop.

 

Rosie

 

True story: I once asked a cashier at Publix where a certain item was located. Her response? "I don't know, I don't shop here."

[Ria]

1. Registers don't always work

2. It makes the customer feel better when change is counted out backwards.

 

In our store (Wegmans), if the power is out, there's no money exchanging hands. The registers are electronic. While it might make the customer happy to have the change counted backwards, there is simply not enough time to do this with the volume of customers we see in our store. It's a great skill to have, but not one that is often practiced (or practicable).

 

The best skill for working retail? Learn to have a hard skin...be able to be yelled at and treated like dirt and still smile and give awesome, polite customer service.