Cashier screening questions: cash handling, accuracy, age-restricted sales and customers
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Cashier screening questions should find out whether the candidate can handle money accurately under pressure, follow the rules for refunds and age-restricted sales, and stay polite with a long line and an unhappy customer. Ask how they counted a drawer, what they did about a shortage, how they checked ID, how they handled a return without a receipt, and when they can work. Strong cashiers describe a routine and a real mistake they caught. Weak answers are all about being a "people person".
Cashier hiring is usually high volume, so the screen has to be short and identical for every candidate. For the process around it (job ads, scheduling, group sessions and speed to offer), see the high-volume hiring process. For roles with larger cash responsibility and regulatory checks, compare bank teller screening questions.
Eligibility and knockout questions
Some cashier requirements are set by law, and they differ by state. If the register sells alcohol or tobacco, the state sets a minimum age for the employee who makes the sale, and it is not the same in every state. If the candidate is under 18, federal and state child labor rules limit their hours. The Department of Labor's youth employment fact sheet lists cashiering as work 14- and 15-year-olds may do, limited to 3 hours on a school day, 18 hours in a school week, 8 hours on a non-school day and 40 hours in a non-school week, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. (9 p.m. from June 1 through Labor Day). Federal law does not limit hours for 16- and 17-year-olds, but many states do.
| Question | What a strong answer sounds like | Red flags |
|---|---|---|
| 1. This register sells [alcohol or tobacco]. Are you at least [the state's minimum age for making that sale]? | A yes or no. Ask only about the minimum; do not ask for a birth date. | None from the answer; it is a legal requirement, not a preference. |
| 2. Are you under 18? (Ask only when hours rules apply.) | A yes or no, so you can schedule within the law. | Scheduling a minor on a closing shift the law does not allow. |
| 3. We need [specific shifts, e.g. two weekday evenings and every Saturday]. Can you work those? | A yes to each, or a clear exception. | "Whenever," followed by a list of days they cannot work once hired. |
| 4. The job is on your feet at the register for [shift length], with scanning and bagging. Can you do that, with or without accommodation? | Yes, or a request to discuss an accommodation. | None from the answer. Do not ask about health conditions. |
Cash handling and accuracy
| Question | What a strong answer sounds like | Red flags |
|---|---|---|
| 5. Walk me through how you started and ended a shift on the register. | Counted the starting bank with a manager or by procedure, kept large bills out of the drawer, counted out at the end, recorded the count, dropped or handed over the deposit. | Never counted their own drawer. |
| 6. Your drawer is $20 short at the end of the shift. What do you do? | Recounts, tells the manager right away, helps review voids and refunds, fills in the shortage report. | Covers it from their own pocket and says nothing, or leaves without reporting. |
| 7. A customer pays $50 for a $31.65 purchase. How do you give change? | Enters the amount tendered, keeps the $50 visible until the change is counted, counts change back to the customer. | Puts the bill in the drawer first, which is how "you gave me the wrong change" disputes start. |
| 8. Someone asks you to break a large bill several times and keeps changing their mind. What do you do? | Recognizes a possible quick-change attempt, completes one transaction at a time, closes the drawer between steps, calls a manager. | Keeps swapping bills to be helpful. |
Refunds, voids and age-restricted sales
| Question | What a strong answer sounds like | Red flags |
|---|---|---|
| 9. A customer wants to return an item without a receipt. What do you do? | Follows the store's policy, explains it plainly, gets a manager for exceptions. | Gives cash back to avoid an argument. |
| 10. When did you need a manager to approve a void or refund at your last job? | Knows the rule: over an amount, after the sale is complete, or any refund. | Used a coworker's login or code "to save time". |
| 11. How do you check ID for an age-restricted sale, and what if the customer gets angry? | Asks every time the policy requires, checks the photo and date, refuses politely if it does not match, calls a manager if needed. | Skips ID for regulars or when the line is long. |
| 12. A friend comes through your line and asks you to "not scan" something. What do you do? | Scans everything and, if the store requires, has a manager or another cashier ring up friends and family. | Laughs it off without a clear answer. |
Customers, pace and teamwork
| Question | What a strong answer sounds like | Red flags |
|---|---|---|
| 13. Tell me about a customer who was upset at the register. What happened? | Listened, stayed calm, fixed what they could, brought in a manager for what they could not. | Argued with the customer, or has "never had one". |
| 14. The line is ten people deep and the next customer has a price that scans wrong. What do you do? | Calls for a price check or backup cashier, follows the price policy, keeps the line moving, apologizes to the next customer. | Leaves the register to check the shelf. |
| 15. The store asks cashiers to offer the loyalty card or a donation. How do you do that without annoying people? | A short, friendly ask, then accepts no. | Refuses to ask, or presses customers. |
| 16. What do you do when the line is empty? | Recovery tasks: faces the front end, restocks bags, returns go-backs, helps a coworker. | "Wait for customers." |
A 10-minute phone-screen flow
- Minute 0 to 1: the store, pay, shifts and start date.
- Minutes 1 to 3: knockouts 1 to 4, asking questions 1 and 2 only where the law makes them relevant.
- Minutes 3 to 7: questions 5, 6 and 7, then one refund or ID question.
- Minutes 7 to 9: the upset customer question and one pace question.
- Minutes 9 to 10: next steps: interview time, paperwork and what to bring.
At volume, the same ten minutes with the same questions for every applicant is what makes the screen fair. If you screen groups at a hiring event, see how to run a group interview for keeping it consistent.
Shortage policies: be accurate about them
Candidates often ask what happens if the drawer is short. Answer with the store's actual policy, and make sure the policy is lawful. The Department of Labor's Fact Sheet 16 says deductions for cash or merchandise shortages are illegal to the extent they bring wages below the federal minimum wage or cut into overtime pay, and that making the employee repay in cash does not get around it. Many states restrict shortage deductions further. If a client's policy is to "take it out of your check", raise it with the client before you repeat it to a candidate.
Scoring
Pass or fail: meets any legal minimum age for the register; can work the required shifts; can perform the job with or without accommodation.
Scored 0 to 2 each (8 possible):
- Cash routine: counts in and out, keeps the tendered bill visible, reports shortages.
- Rule-following: refunds, voids, ID checks and friends-and-family rules followed under pressure.
- Customer handling: calm, fixes what they can, escalates the rest.
- Reliability: clear availability and a specific answer about the last job's attendance expectations.
Legal cautions
Cash roles tempt interviewers to ask about criminal records, credit and personal finances early. Many states and cities have fair chance laws that delay criminal history questions until after a conditional offer; see ban-the-box interview questions. Several states and cities also restrict credit checks in hiring. Ask about the minimum age a law requires, not exact age or school year; ask about availability, not childcare or religion. The complete list is in illegal interview questions, and for the manager who will run these cashiers, see retail store manager screening questions.
Questions people ask
Can a 14- or 15-year-old work as a cashier?
Under federal law, yes, with hour limits. The Department of Labor's youth employment fact sheet lists cashiering among the jobs 14- and 15-year-olds may do, and limits them to 3 hours on a school day, 18 hours in a school week, 8 hours on a non-school day and 40 hours in a non-school week, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. (9 p.m. from June 1 to Labor Day). Many states add their own rules.
Can an employer make a cashier pay for a drawer shortage?
Federal law limits it. The Department of Labor says deductions for cash or merchandise shortages are illegal to the extent they reduce wages below the federal minimum wage or cut into overtime pay, and having the employee repay in cash does not get around the rule. Many states restrict such deductions further.
Can I ask a cashier applicant how old they are?
Ask only whether they meet a minimum age the job requires, for example the state's minimum age to sell alcohol or tobacco at the register, or whether they are under 18 for hour limits. Do not ask for a date of birth or exact age on the screen.
Can I ask cashier applicants about theft convictions?
It depends on where the job is. Many states and cities have ban-the-box or fair chance laws that delay criminal history questions until after a conditional offer, and some restrict what can be considered. Check the rules for the job's location before asking, and use an individualized assessment rather than a blanket exclusion.