How Do I Become a Retail Salesperson or a Cashier?

In B.C., no standard training or education is required for retail salespersons although secondary school graduation is preferred. Some positions require little or no prior knowledge, while others (e.g. car salesperson) require a lot of training to make sure staff are knowledgeable about the product(s) they are selling. Other training may include on-the-job training, which can range from one-on-one instruction in small stores to official training programs in large chain stores.

Also, the Retail Council of Canada offers formal training through the Retail Education Training and Certification Programs .

In B.C., no standard training or education is required for cashiers. Cashiers are not expected to have any post-secondary training although they may need some secondary school education. Other training and requirements may include:

• on-the-job training
• fluency in both spoken and written English
• some general arithmetic to calculate customer transactions
• a gaming license for cashiers working at casinos
• some employers may require that cashiers are bonded (ability to be insured by the hiring company, so that in the event of theft or loss by the employee the company is insured for the value of the loss; this process usually requires criminal record and credit checks)