BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

All-Important Cash Counter

Smart retailers have upgraded the cash counter to a point-of-sale area, complete with merchandise display and attractive lighting, and equipped it with gadgets to speed up the cash transaction, while enabling it to function as a space to complete paper work.

Location
Observers say that when customers enter a store they tend to walk to the right side of the store. Based on this observation, store owners are making this side of their stores a retail focus area. Which means that the cash counter should ideally be placed along the left side of the store, since by logic and natural traffic flow, customers browsing through the store will end up at the cash counter before leaving. This leaves the store’s centre and side walls open for buyers to check out merchandise on display.
The cash counter has its own well-defined area. It is usually placed against the wall. Some retailers utilise the space on either side of the counter to exhibit merchandise such as accessories that customers may be tempted to pick up as they pay for their purchases. Or they may simply display product brochures, pamphlets, or a new product etc. However, this place should not be cluttered, else customers will carry back impressions of an untidy and visually confusing store.
In a large-sized store that is square or rectangular in shape, the counter can even be placed in the centre. In such a case, the counter should be open on all four sides.
Some retailers prefer to place their cash counter on the right side of the store, close to the store’s entrance. This is usually done because of security concerns, or as a means of dividing two different departments within the store. For instance, a dealer of lamps and fixtures may use the counter to separate the area selling appliances, where customers tend to spend more time.
Placing the cash counter at the end of the store will make the area look larger and also leave more space for displays. This location would work well if security is not an issue. But most retailers prefer to have this important business counter closer to the store’s front, as from this vantage point they can watch customers leaving or entering the store. In this case, care should be taken that the counter does not narrow down the entrance.

Function
The importance of the cash counter goes beyond being just a point-of-sale. It can also be the store’s information center. Employees manning the counter should understand that their responsibilities go beyond preparing cash memos and receiving cash or swiping credit cards. This should be a place where customers, as they await their turn to pay, can have their queries answered, or alternatively, the cashier can direct the query to the concerned salesperson. So, he should be open to all kinds of queries and make the customer feel comfortable. Customers should not be made to feel that they have to pay and leave immediately.
The cash counter can also double up as a place where employees complete tasks such as sales and stock reports, when there are no customers to attend to. By making this space multi-functional, it is possible to keep the sales people occupied and within sight, else they may loiter around or chat in groups.

Design
A cash counter has front, back and side counter surfaces. The front is the main area where a customer’s cash transactions take place, while the rear side is normally used for storage and accounting. The sides can be used for merchandise displays or product demos, and can even serve a security purpose by restricting access to cashier and other employees only.
A typical cash counter has a cash drawer which could be a built-in safe. Items that involve electrical or power lines, such as computer, phones, credit card machines, scanners, etc should be prioritised on the main work surface. Below that level should be compartments with closing or sliding doors for keeping cash memos, ledgers, carry bags and stationery items such as staplers, pens, etc.
Most cash counters use laminate for their surfaces, but if a more durable surface is required, then stained veneer, wood, granite or stone can also be used.
The same applies when selecting hardware such as drawer pulls, handles and drawer guides. It is better to select a longer-lasting product intended for heavy-duty (commercial) use than the most economical. The flooring around the counter will receive high traffic, so it is advisable to use stronger surfaces such as tiles or marble, rather than carpets that show early wear and tear. If the choice is a hard surface then it would be a good idea to cushion it with floor mats.

Lighting
Proper light levels are a must for the cash counter area. The general overhead illumination, using FTLs for instance, will provide the main source of light; task lighting using recessed down lights, suspended pendants, or directional track heads will illuminate the work surface; and accent lights focused on key merchandise or signage areas may be any of the above types as well, but they should be designed to provide increased contrast.

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