by Michele Mccullough

Created on: October 11, 2010   Last Updated: October 12, 2010

Being a cashier has its ups and downs. It's a more physical job than one might think while at the same time it can be really boring. Having worked in in the world of manufacturing where the daily set hours and repetitive work every day made me want to cry, being a cashier was a welcome relief for me.

You must be a real "people person" to enjoy this type of job and not mind being on your feet a lot. Although most places provide a mat to stand on, I would recommend very comfortable shoes and some type of  cushioned inserts to put in them.

Dealing with the public can often be very trying and some days take a huge amount of patience to get through. The thing to remember is not to take it personally. Most people that have a bad attitude are having some type of difficulty of their own and it has nothing to do with you, so don't let it get you upset. Paste on your smile and be polite, moving them out of the store as quickly as possible. The next person in line is usually much nicer.

Another upside to cashiering is the time flies by if you work in a store that stays busy. In my own experience, this type of environment is much more pleasant than the manufacturing jobs I've had and the people are usually happier as well, making a more pleasant environment to work in. If  the daily grind of having the same hours every day bores you, cashiering is a good job to try since the way most places do their schedule, you have different hours each week and work anywhere from four to eight hours. I've even had a few nine hour shifts.

One downside to being a cashier if that they don't pay much. Most people that work these jobs are in school and working on the side. However, there are opportunities to move up and into full time positions. If that is your goal, you can move from being a cashier to a front end person and see where that takes you. Of course, you will have more responsibility and headaches, but that would be with any job. Many of the assistant managers and others right below the manager are in their early twenties, so the move up can be rather quick.

And lastly, what I have learned from being a cashier is how to be a better customer! Understanding that the cashier deals with a huge amount of people every day and I am not special over anyone else, has made me a better customer.

Here are the 10 top things you should do as a good customer:

1. Have your courtesy card ready.   It is a COURTESY card which means it's a freebie given to you so you can get

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