As kids, we learned how to count cash playing Monopoly. I loved being the banker, although that job usually went to one of my parents. Having a stack of money was fun even if it was only play money. If you didn't grow up using pretend or real cash, it might seem a challenge to run a cash register.
First Organize the Cash Drawer
One basic for cashiers and bank tellers is to organize the cash drawer. Working at banks from an early age, we were trained to put the bills all facing the same direction and face up. We were also taught to unfold the dog-eared edges of each bill before counting them out. This simple practice can help to eliminate errors when giving back change.
Yesterday at the bank, I wasn't surprised to receive a wad of bills back from the teller with the bills every which way but organized. The first thing I did before counting my money was to turn all the bills to face in the same direction with all the faces up.
We were taught to count the money onto the counter in plain sight of the customer and not count it from one hand into our other hand. Then we were told to pick up the bills and count it out again into the customer's hand, small change first.
This double counting eliminated many potential errors and out-of-balance cash register drawers from the days of my first job as a dime store clerk to the years of handling hundreds of thousands of dollars of real cash at a commercial bank.
Counting bills is easy if you grew up chanting, "Five, ten, fifteen, twenty, twenty-five, thirty, thirty-five, forty. . ." like I did. If you didn't share that experience, try practicing with your kids. They'll love the sing song version of learning to count by fives.
Counting by tens was fun too. Count them out loud: ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, sixty, seventy, eighty, ninety. Counting by twenties is next: twenty, forty, sixty, eighty, one hundred. Doing this, or teaching your kids this, will aid in learning math skills. My five-year old often put coins together and asked me to change them for "green."
How many twenties make one hundred? Count it out. There's five twenties in one hundred dollars; so five times twenty equals one hundred. It's about multiplication as well as addition. Experience adds to the ease and comfort of correctly counting back money.
Can I give you the small change?
What happens when the customer wants to give you some odd change after the sale has been rung? Here's an example.
The total sale is for $13.57 cents. The customer gives you a twenty dollar bill. After you ring the cash in, they say, "Can I give you the seven cents?" Your cash register has already told you to give the customer back six dollars and forty-three cents. ($6.43).
The easy way to figure out the change due is to start off with the even numbers. Take away (subtract) the seven cents ($.07) from the original amount due. $13.57 less .07 equals $13.50.
Place the seven cents on the ledge of the register drawer and count out the change from $13.50. Pulling one quarter from the drawer, count it into your hand and say to yourself, "Thirteen-fifty (and 25 cents) is $13.75. With another quarter it's $14.00. Pull a one dollar bill out and count to yourself. "And one dollar makes $15.00."
Pull a five dollar bill out and mentally say, "And five makes twenty dollars." Five, ten, fifteen, twenty. That's when that chant can be helpful.
Then, count the change back to the customer repeating the revised amount of the sale after the pennies. "That's thirteen-fifty, (hand them the first quarter), thirteen seventy-five. Now the second quarter and say, "And fourteen."
Place the one dollar bill on top of the change and say, "And one makes fifteen." Then add the five to the stack and say, "And five makes twenty."
Smile, thank them for the purchase and wish them a pleasant day.
Can I Give You the Odd Change? Example 2
Suppose the total sale is twenty-three dollars and eighty-nine cents ($23.89). They've already given you a one hundred dollar bill and you entered it into the register when the customer hands you the four dollars and four pennies.
"I have too many ones," the customer explains, digging around in her change purse. "I don't want more ones."
There's no need to freak out. First, place the four dollars and four pennies on the ledge above the cash drawer.
- Subtract the four cents from the total amount they owe. $23.89 less four cents is $23.85.
- Take a nickel out of your register and say to yourself, "$23.85 and five cents is $23.90." Pull out a dime and say "that makes $24.00."
- They've already given you the four, one dollar bills and the hundred dollar bill ($104.04) which you've also placed in sight on the ledge of your register.
- Subtract the four dollars from the new amount due ($24.00 minus $4.00 = $20.00)
The rest is easy. Pull out twenties as you count to yourself. . .twenty, forty, sixty, eighty and one-hundred. You've counted it out into your hand, now count it back to the customer.
"Ma'am, that's $23.89 less four oh four. That would be $23.85, plus five cents is $23.90, plus a dime is $24.00, less the four is $20.00." Place the fifteen cents in their hand and count out the twenties one at a time like so, "twenty dollars, (as you put each twenty down) forty, sixty, eighty and one-hundred."
To Recap
Sales amount = $23.89. The customer gave you $104.04.
Deduct the pennies they paid from the original sale.
$23.89
-0.04
$23.85
Leaves $23.85 due from the customer.
Use the four one-dollar bills for the $3.85 which gives them 15 cents change.
$4.00
-3.85
$0.15
The customer now owes only $20.00. ($100 - $20 = $80.00 change)
The customer gets back $80.15
There was a day when cash was king. Although many people choose to use credit and debit cards today, some people will always carry cash. And remember, like it says on the money, "This note is legal tender for all debts both private and public." So until they outlaw cash, keep your chin up and count out the change. Count your blessings. It could be worse. You could have a job shoveling fish guts.
