9 lessons I've learned about people while being a cashier.

Our lives are constantly surrounded with people. Whether through face to face interactions or digital ones. 

These people are not always kind. And I don’t have a magic wand to make them go away, but I do have 9 things I have learned from working with people all day.

1. Sometimes people just need you to listen.

Because I work in a craft store there is no shortage of people working on projects and making decisions. Sometimes I am headed to do one of my tasks when someone wants to ask a question. Some of these shoppers want to talk for awhile. They just need a friendly ear to listen and validate to them while they think out loud.

Here are some tips on this from a Harvard Business Review on how to learn to listen.

2. Not everyone is going to be kind to you.

Sometimes people are just going to be butts. Mega jerks. They are going through things and they forget you have feelings too. Don’t let them determine how your day, month, or life is going to go. Because your life is not about them, but not letting those little comments take over your mind.

Here is an article from Psychology Today.

3. Everyone is allowed to have breaks and bad days.

It’s okay if you aren’t feeling it today. Sometimes calling in is really what you need. Sometimes getting through the day is what you have to do but either way it is okay. When I work I can see what co-workers feeling the same way. Here are 52 ideas for break time.

Don’t be afraid to take breaks to build up your energy or better yet, go on a vacation!

4. Don’t take offense other’s bad days.

“Customers were found to have a great degree of immediate influence while cashiers are on the job; management's influence on the other hand, was legitimate, but remote.”

This is something I have noticed in the store I work at. Coworkers get the most riled about a customer.

We are all gonna have bad days so be compassionate when it’s someone else’s turn. And you never know maybe your positive interaction you have could make both of your days better. 

5. It’s okay to have cool things, but don’t let money affect your relationship negatively.

Of all the ladies that come to my register I would say 50% tell me something along the lines of “I am going to be in trouble when I get home”. They have to hide it from their partners because of what they are spending money on. 

One time a couple came in. I rung up the items and told them the total. She looked over at him and said, “Is that okay?” I still remember the way she said it. Like she would be totally willing to put any items back to keep to their agreement.

Here’s a couple tips to be like this couple.

6. There are usually more pressing matters on people’s minds than work.

As I have stated there is usually something hard going on in the lives of the people around you. This applies to customers but also the cashiers.

The other day I was in the break room. A co-worker started a phone conversation and began to cry. I could hear her side very clearly and heard the words, “she is still our little girl”. She also spoke about the customers she had that day and how frustrating they had been. I asked her how she was and she told me how her dog that she had been put down. 

“People love to talk about themselves and their concerns. If you listen and pay careful attention, you will find tons of things hiding in plain sight.”

All I had to do was ask and listen.

Later that night a 17 year-old coworker came back after she completed her shift with a flower and card. I asked her who it was and she stated the lady whose dog died. She was so sweet and listened and acted because she saw beyond and was kind. People are people not robots so let’s think about that as we interact.

7. Talk to people you usually wouldn’t talk to.

As a cashier you get who you get coming to your register. In my store there is usually a certain demographic of people that come in, but there are still people I would not have had a conversation with if I wasn’t working there.

After talking to someone different it leaves my eyes a little more open to the world. Especially when I find someone who is really kind or I learn something new.

8. You are not going to know everything.

The first week I started my job I would walk around the store and look down so I wouldn’t be asked a question. Every time they would ask a question I would have to ask someone else. It was awkward and I felt like the other employees would get annoyed.

Soon I started to learn the store and know what the random little things were. I figured out when to ask others and when to look up an item.

Still people will ask me questions I don’t know how to answer, but I now know where to look to find what a customer needs. “The easier it is for us to admit we don't know something, the more likely we are to either learn it, let it go, ask for help, or be at peace about it.”

9. Be kind. To everyone.

I know I have stated this one a lot but it’s true. Sometimes they need a kick in the pants, but everyone deserves to have a kind face in their life. Do things out of love and pure kindness. Be kind to strangers and friends alike because you usually have no idea what’s going on.

Here are some more reasons.

Thanks for joining!