Cashier and POS Fundamentals: Lessons 2026

Lesson 1: Opening and closing a till

The point-of-sale (POS) system records every sale. The till (cash drawer) holds the cash. At the end of a shift, the cash in your drawer should match what the POS says it should hold.

Before you open

• Sign in to the POS with your own login. Every sale, void and refund is logged under that ID, so never share logins, not even for one sale.
• Count the starting cash, called the float, before you take your first sale. Count it away from customers.
• Check your count against the amount on the cash bag or count sheet. If it does not match, tell a supervisor before you start selling. Never cover a gap with sales money or a false number.

Counting a float

Count one denomination at a time, largest first, and write the count and value of each on the till count sheet. Multiply each count by its face value, then add the values. Check the value printed on coin rolls. For example, a $10.00 roll of quarters holds $10.00 ÷ $0.25 = 40 coins.

During the shift

• Keep each denomination in its own slot, with all notes facing the same way. This makes mistakes easy to spot.
• Close the drawer as soon as the change is out. If you step away, lock the drawer and sign out of the POS.
• Running low on small notes or coins? Ask a supervisor for change from the safe. Never borrow from another till or use your own money.

Cash drops move extra cash from your till to a locked drop safe during the shift, so less cash sits in the till. The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) lists keeping register cash to a minimum and using a locked drop safe as ways to lower the risk of violence for workers who handle money.

Closing the till

1. Count out the float first, in a good mix of notes and coins, so the next shift starts with the same amount.
2. Count everything else. This is your deposit.
3. Work out the cash you should have (see below) and compare it with your count plus any drops.
4. Write down any amount over or short, sign the sheet and seal the deposit as your store requires.

Expected cash = float + cash sales − cash refunds − paid-outs. A paid-out is cash taken out for a store expense, with a receipt. Compare the expected cash with the drawer count plus your drops.

If you counted more than expected, the till is over. If you counted less, it is short. Both are errors to report. An overage is not a bonus: a customer may have got too little change.

Some stores use a blind count. You record your count before you see what the POS expects, which keeps the count honest.

Quiz thématique 1 : Opening and closing a till

Lesson 2: Taking cash and making change

Steps for a cash payment

1. Say the total clearly.
2. Take the cash and say the amount given out loud, for example "Out of fifty."
3. Leave the customer's note on the ledge or drawer top, in view, until the change is given. This settles any question about which note was given.
4. Enter the amount given into the POS. It shows the change due.
5. Take the change from the drawer and count it back to the customer.
6. Put the note in its slot, close the drawer and offer the receipt.

If the customer adds coins after handing you a note, add them to the amount given. For a $7.15 total, a $10 note plus 15¢ is $10.15, so the change is an even $3.00.

If a customer says they gave you a larger note and it is already in the drawer, do not argue or pay from your own pocket. Call a supervisor to check the till.

Counting change back

Use the count-up method: start at the total and count up to the amount given, saying each step. Use the fewest coins and notes you can. The notes you will normally handle are $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100, and the coins are 5¢, 10¢, 25¢, $1 and $2.

Example: the total is $13.65 and the customer gives $20. Say "$13.65", then hand a dime ("$13.75"), a quarter ("$14.00"), a $1 coin ("$15.00") and a $5 note ("and $20.00"). The change is $6.35 in 4 pieces, and the customer can check it on the spot.

Rounding cash totals

Canada no longer gives out pennies. The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) says cash totals are rounded to the nearest 5 cents, only on the final amount after taxes. GST is calculated on the total before rounding. Cheque, debit and credit card payments are not rounded.

Checking bank notes

The Bank of Canada says to check the security features of all notes, large and small. Whoever accepts a counterfeit takes the loss. On polymer notes, use four quick checks:

• Feel: the note has a smooth, unique texture. The portrait, large number and "Bank of Canada" are raised, and the word "Canada" in or around the large window feels slightly raised.
• Look: the metallic portrait in the large window matches the big portrait, and the numbers in and around the window match the note's value.
• Tilt: the metallic portrait and other holographic features change colour.
• Flip: turn the note over; the metallic portrait in the window should still match the large portrait.

If you suspect a note, stay courteous, since the person may not know it is fake. Politely refuse it, ask for another note (and check that one too) and tell your supervisor. The Bank of Canada also advises letting local police know about a possible counterfeit, so follow your store's policy on who calls them. The Bank of Canada says a new vertical $20 polymer note is to enter circulation in late February 2027.

Quiz thématique 2 : Taking cash and making change

Lesson 3: Card and tap payments, and payment problems

Debit cards take money from a bank account; credit cards borrow it. Both can be inserted with a PIN or tapped (contactless). Gift cards are prepaid store cards.

Steps for a card payment

1. Choose card payment on the POS. The customer checks the amount on the terminal, then taps or inserts the card.
2. If asked, the customer enters their PIN in private.
3. Wait until the terminal and the POS show Approved. A tap or a PIN alone does not mean the payment went through.
4. Hand over the goods and the receipt. The customer keeps their card.

The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) says a tap payment usually needs no PIN, but the customer will be asked for their PIN if the tap is above the contactless limit.

Protecting PINs and card details

• The FCAC tells cardholders to never give their PIN to anyone and to cover the PIN pad when they enter it.
• Never ask for, enter or write down a customer's PIN, even if they ask for help. Offer to let them tap instead.
• Never write down card numbers, for example during a network outage.
• If a customer leaves a card behind, secure it and follow store policy, such as giving it to a supervisor.

Declined cards and terminal errors

The terminal does not say why a card was declined, so only the bank can tell the customer the reason. Speak quietly, for example: "The terminal didn't approve that one. Would you like to try again or use another payment method?"

Split payments

A customer can pay with two tenders. For a $52.30 total and a gift card with $20.00 on it, apply the gift card, then put $32.30 on another method.

Credit card surcharges

Some stores add a fee for paying by credit card. The FCAC says merchants may add a credit card surcharge except in Quebec, with a maximum of 2.4%. Surcharges must be clearly disclosed before the payment is completed and shown on every receipt. Some card networks do not allow surcharges on prepaid cards. For example, the most a store could add to a $50.00 credit sale is $50.00 × 0.024 = $1.20.

Quiz thématique 3 : Card and tap payments, and payment problems

Lesson 4: Prices, sales tax, discounts and coupons

Sales tax in Canada

The POS adds sales tax, but you need to understand it to explain a receipt. The federal GST is 5%. Some provinces combine it with their own tax as one HST. Others charge a separate provincial sales tax (PST, or QST in Quebec). These are CRA rates as of April 1, 2025. Rates can change, so treat them as examples.

Examples: a $40.00 taxable item costs $40.00 + $2.00 GST = $42.00 in Alberta and $40.00 + $5.20 HST = $45.20 in Ontario. The CRA says basic groceries such as milk, bread and vegetables are zero-rated: the rate is 0%, so no GST/HST is charged.

When a store gives a discount at the time of sale, the CRA says the GST/HST is charged on the net (discounted) amount. A $60.00 item at 20% off is $48.00, and in Ontario the total is $48.00 + $6.24 = $54.24.

Price discrepancies

A price discrepancy is when the scanned price is different from a shelf tag, sign or flyer. Section 54 of the Competition Act (double ticketing) says a business may not charge more than the lowest of two or more prices clearly shown on the product, its package or an in-store display.

Many stores also follow the Scanner Price Accuracy Voluntary Code, managed by the Retail Council of Canada and endorsed by the Competition Bureau. Under the Code, when an item without a price tag scans higher than the displayed price, the customer gets the item free if it is worth less than $10, or $10 off the correct price if it is worth more than $10. Learn whether your store takes part.

1. Listen to the customer.
2. Check the shelf tag or flyer first, or ask a co-worker to check it.
3. Correct the price as store policy allows. A price override usually needs a supervisor's approval.
4. Report the wrong tag so it is fixed.

Coupons and discounts

• Check the expiry date and what the coupon applies to: the product, size and quantity it names.
• If the item does not match, politely explain that the coupon cannot be used.
• Scan or key the coupon as the POS tells you, and keep the paper coupon in the till, because coupons are counted at closing.
• Do not give cash for a coupon unless your store policy says so.

Reading a receipt

Each line on a receipt is quantity × unit price = line total. Line totals add up to the subtotal; add the tax for the total. Cash totals are then rounded to the nearest 5 cents.

Quiz thématique 4 : Prices, sales tax, discounts and coupons

Lesson 5: Refunds, voids and exchanges

Voids and refunds are logged under your login. Fix a keying mistake with a void before taking payment. Most stores need a supervisor's approval for a post-void and for refunds outside the normal policy.

What the law says about returns

The federal Office of Consumer Affairs says businesses are not required to accept returns unless the item is defective. Many stores offer refunds or exchanges anyway. Return policies are often posted near the cash register, and stores almost always need a sales receipt before accepting a refund or exchange. Ontario says its Consumer Protection Act does not give a general right to return or exchange goods; it depends on the store's terms, although a customer can ask for a refund if a business misrepresented a product.

Steps for a return

1. Ask the reason for the return, and check the receipt and date against the store's policy.
2. Check the item's condition, tags and packaging.
3. Find the original sale in the POS and refund the item from it.
4. Refund to the original payment method: cash for cash, the same card for a card.
5. Get any approval needed, give the refund receipt and put the item in the returns area, not back on the shelf.

If a request is outside the policy, for example 45 days after purchase when the policy allows 30, explain the policy politely and offer to call a supervisor. Never ring a refund for an item that is not there, even for a friend.

Refunds include tax

Refund what the customer actually paid, including the tax charged. A $30.00 shirt in Ontario is refunded as $30.00 + $3.90 HST = $33.90. An item bought on sale is refunded at the sale price paid, not the regular price.

In an even exchange (same item, same price) no money changes hands. If the new item costs more, the customer pays the difference plus tax on the difference.

Quiz thématique 5 : Refunds, voids and exchanges

Lesson 6: Age-restricted sales and escalation

Some products can only be sold to adults, such as tobacco and vaping products, alcohol and cannabis. Legal ages differ across Canada, so learn the rules where you work.

• The federal Tobacco and Vaping Products Act defines a young person as anyone under 18. It bans furnishing tobacco or vaping products to a young person in a public place or a place the public can enter, such as a store.
• The Act gives a seller a defence only if they asked for and saw approved (prescribed) ID and believed on reasonable grounds that it was authentic.
• Provinces and territories can add their own rules. Health Canada says they can raise the minimum age for cannabis: it is 18 in Alberta, 21 in Quebec and 19 in the other provinces and territories.
• Ages for alcohol and lottery are set by each province or territory.

Checking ID at the till

Many POS systems ask you to check ID or enter a birth date when an age-restricted item scans. Check the photo, birth date and expiry date, and enter the date shown on the ID. Never enter a made-up date to clear the prompt.

To work out age, subtract the birth year from this year, then take away 1 if their birthday has not come yet this year. A person born on October 20, 2008 is 18 on October 19, 2027 and turns 19 on October 20, 2027. A person who turns the legal age today may buy the product today.

Refusing a sale

Keep it short, polite and about the rule, not the person: "Sorry, I can't sell this without valid ID." Do not argue; call a supervisor if the customer pushes back.

Escalation

To escalate is to pass a problem to someone with more authority, such as a supervisor, a manager or security. Escalate when a decision is not yours to make, when you are unsure, or when safety is at risk.

Staying safe with upset customers

CCOHS lists handling money, as cashiers do, as a risk factor for workplace violence, and lists retail workers among the groups at higher risk. It says training should cover how to de-escalate conflict and how to leave a confrontation safely, and when to contact security or police.

• Stay calm, keep your voice low, listen, and offer to get a supervisor.
• Your safety comes before any sale. If someone threatens you, move away and get help. Never chase or grab anyone.
• Afterwards, write down what happened as soon as it is safe, sticking to the facts you saw and heard.

CCOHS says workplace policies should encourage reporting of all incidents, including reports from witnesses, and that people who report in good faith should face no reprisals. Report incidents even when no one was hurt.

Quiz thématique 6 : Age-restricted sales and escalation