I just applied for a job at Barnes and Noble and I’m also really worried about working with money. I’m constantly recounting money because I’m always sure I’ve made a mistake.

I don’t think you would have very much anxiety after a week or two of handling cash at whatever job you find yourself in – the temptation to steal doesn’t lat all that long.

It’s not likely you would have an opportunity to make a huge mistake, and you get used to it fairly quickly.

I would not want to work with cash. It’s not the temptation to steal, @FutureMemory, it’s more the fear of making several small mistakes that may end up to be $20 or $30 missing at the end of the day. Cashier is a job where you cannot day dream, and if you don’t pay total attention to everything, it would be easy to lose track of what you’re doing and end up short at the end of the day.

I’ve worked as a cashier in the past and the chances of making significant mistakes are miniscule. There’s usually another around to double check your takings, etc. Discrepancies aren’t as difficult to fix either as most tills do a lot of the work for you these days. All in all, I’m sure you’d be grand!

There are tricks of the trade that you can learn that protect you.

I used to manage a group of cashiers at a national grocery chain.

If you are afraid of cash handling, perhaps a different job would be better for you. There is no shame in knowing your limits, and what you do and do not have the talent to do. I have seen very confident cashiers get scammed out of $100+ by con-artists, while not having a clue as to what was going on. While being afraid of cash handling might make you more vigilant than they were, fear is often something that hobbles a person at just the wrong time. And when the scammer comes through your lane (as they will), you will need to face that without fear if you are to succeed.

I wouldn’t want someone afraid of driving to be driving my bus. It’s better to know beforehand. But if you think you might end up having to be a cashier someday anyway, you may want to practice somehow. And you should also receive training for at least a week at a new cashier job, alongside an experienced worker (any less, and the management is substandard). For most people, it’s not a scary thing, true – but if it is scary for you, there might be something to listen to in that warning.

I would suggest that you never apply for the following positions, that deal with huge amounts of cash…....bank teller of a bingo cashier.

No, you are not the only one who feels that way. I am terrified of working with cash, too. I want to, though.