Author: Anita Homesley
First Authored: February 05, 2012
Last Revised: June 13, 2018
Students will be learning how to make change using the add-on method of change making. They will learn the different ways to make change using manual and electronic registers.
Have the students discuss a time they had a good and bad experience with a cashier. This will probably include things like cashier was helpful, friendly, professional, rude, slow, etc. Have the students share them and make a chart on the board of good and bad traits.
What is their impression of the store from their experience with the cashier?
How many people will this good or bad experience effect?
Cashiers are sometimes the only contact a customer may have in a business, they can make or break the image of the store and even make a difference if customers come back.
Cashiers must always look like they enjoy their job.
Be friendly and polite, and at least act like they care.
Lecture
Making accurate change-This is one of the most important parts of a salesperson or cashiers job. Many businesses now use electronic registers which tell how much change to give back to the customer. It is always good to understand the process of making change in case the business does not have an electronic register or even a register at all. There will be other times when you just need to know how to make change such as if the power goes off, working a snack bar, garage sale, or if the customer changes the amount of money they give you after you have inputted the amount tendered.
Making change is actually the difference between the cost of the item and the amount of money given to the cashier.
Always add "please" when asking for payment from the customer.
Use the fewest coins possible .Example - one dime instead of two nickels.
Always lay the amount the customer gives you across the ledge above the money in the drawer until after you have made change, and counted it back to the customer. This is to remind you what the customer gave you for payment. Put it away after you have given the change to the customer. This is also important in case the customer questions you about what denomination they gave you.
If student follows these steps money is counted 3 times causing less chance of making a mistake.
First, count the change silently to yourself as you get the money from the till.
Second, count it aloud to the customer.
Ask students when is it counted a third time?
While the money is counted aloud to the customer, the customer should be also counting silently to themselves.
Always add thank you, or other remarks such as, enjoy your __________, I know the gift will be perfect, etc.
What are the consequences of not following the steps involved in change making and being inattentive as a cashier?
Employee may lose their job.
Store may lose money.
May short change customer (they may not come back because they did not get all their money).
Guided Practice
Electronic Register-Change making
Use the following method when making change with an electronic cash register. An electronic register usually displays the amount of change to give the customer. Always say the amount of the sale, out of how much the customer gives you and then say the amount of change. Counting silently to yourself, start with the largest bills, down to the smallest change.
Example: $12.17 out of $20.00, your change is $7.83, five, six, seven, twenty-five, fifty, seventy-five, eighty, eighty-one, eighty-two, eighty-three. Thank you. (This should be one $5, two $1's, three quarters. one nickel, and three pennies.)
Note to teacher: Make a hash mark (in the chart which you have drawn on the board/OHP) for each bill or coin you need after you have demonstrated this method to the students.
See the first example; remember to start with the largest bills.
Hand out worksheet and allow students to try this on paper. Key is attached.
After students have had time to do the worksheet, have students get class money. They will need 4 of each coin and bills. Have them place the bills and coins on their desks from left to right like a register, quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies, twenties behind the quarters, tens behind the dimes, fives behind the nickels and the ones behind the pennies.
Go over the problems on the worksheet, say the problem, allow time for the student to get the correct change, have one student say it like they would to a customer. As student is counting it, you will be making hash marks on a chart.
Put the following chart on the board, make hash marks for each coin or bill the student needs to complete the transaction.
Ask how many got that problem right. (This is your formative assessments to see if the class is getting the concept.)
Here are additional problems to use with the class:
Amount of Sale Amount Tendered Change
$27.81 $40.00 $2.19
$31.37 $100.00 $68.63
$15.48 $20.03 $4.55
You may make up more problems as you see fit for your class.
Resources and Materials
Guided Practice
Manual Change Calculation:
Some small businesses don't even have a register or the register does not calculate the change automatically. Use the add-on method of change making, always try to use the least number of coins possible. Start with the amount of the sale, use pennies, nickels and dimes to get to the .25, .50, or.75 marks and then it is quarters once you hit those marks. You do not need to subtract, just add the amount of the sale and count up to what the customer gave you. When using the add-on method of change making, you actually start with the smallest coins and bills and work up as opposed to the electronic where you start with the largest bills.
Remember:
First, count the change to yourself as you get the money from the till.
Second, count it aloud to the customer.
The third time is when the customer should also be counting silently to themselves.
Using the chart you had on the board from your earlier problems again make hash marks in the boxes as the students count the money aloud. Have students check to see if they have the same number of coins and bills.
Show them how to count this with the class money.
Announce: the amount of the sale is $25.67, the customer gives you $40.00.
The sale is $25.67 out of $40, $25.67, $25.68, $25.69, $25.70, $25.75, $26, $27, $28, $29, $30 and $40. (3 pennies, 1 nickel, 1 quarter, 4 ones and 1 ten)
Have the students try this problem with their class money.
Print off the worksheet to practice.
Have the students do these with you. As the student does the problem, you use the chart to make hash marks for each coin and bill as a student says the problem aloud.
Sometimes the customer will give you additional change because they do not want to receive pennies. In this example the amount of the sale is $$25.67 out of $40.02. This is one of the few times you do any subtraction in your head, subtracting the .02 from the .67 starting now at .65 and counting up to the even dollar amount of forty dollars. As a cashier you would say the amount of the sale is $$25.67 out of $40.02.$25.65, $25.75, $26, $27, $28, $29 ,$30, $40. (1 dime, 1 quarter, 4 ones, and 1 ten)
Resources and Materials
Guided Practice
This section should be at the end of the last section but I could not add anything more after the last table.
Another example of odd-cent change making can be very confusing to the students.
See the following example:
$17.18 out of $20.25. Students have a really hard time with this one. Start the first example with buying a piece of candy from someone in the room for .18 and give them .25. They usually think that is easy, then buy something (all made up) for $14.18 out of $20.25.
When they make change make sure they are making change from the change and bills from the bills. Example: the .18 comes from the quarter and the $17 from the $20. In this case count it as follows: $17.18 out of $20.25, $17.18, .19, .20, .25, $17, $18, $19, $20. (This is two pennies, one nickel, and three ones.)
Here are more examples of odd-change:
Continue to give examples. After each time ask for a thumbs up or down if the student got the correct change that time. Some students will get this concept quite quickly while others need more practice. I have students who got the concept faster, help other students. When you think enough of the students have the concept down they can get in pairs and you can put sales figures on the board and the students can make change with each other. This is another way to help the student who is struggling with change making.
Independent Practice
Write on the board one sale at a time, mixing up the type of problems. Students may work in pairs practicing these problems, but they are still counting aloud to the class and students checking their own amount of change.
After After you feel they have had enough guided practice give them additional sales calculations. You could print the worksheet and put them onto cards for more practice. Students could do one and pass it on or you could make multiples of each whatever works best for your class.
Teacher is circulating, observing, and helping individuals.
Resources and Materials
Assessment Type: Demonstrations
Formative Assessments: The worksheets for electronic and manual register-change making.
The thumbs up/down as students were practicing change making.
Teacher observations.
Summutive Assessment:
You should do an actual change quiz on each student. A student could figure the worksheet correctly, but they need to be able to make change quickly and accurately. I give my students three sales calculations; here is a sample of the three.
Class money
Four of each denomination (coin and currency) for each student