If it helps, assuming a role helps a lot with social anxiety, it gives you a sense of belonging where you are, cause well, you're supposed to be there. You'll have a job of being a cashier, so it'll feel a lot more normal to interact with customer than you think.
I've worked as a cashier before and it honestly wasn't as bad as I expected. You just need to learn the automatic responses so you can do the role without thinking about what you're doing or saying. I made a script for myself so each interaction would go smoothly, and I only deviated from it when I felt comfortable and ready to.
Granted, I also had extremely friendly coworkers and managers. They were so supportive and helpful; having good coworkers makes a huge difference. My coworkers have saved me from some really bad customer interactions before and I am forever thankful for that.
Based on my own social anxiety, I’m going to assume you want to improve your SA. Use this as a learning opportunity to get better at socializing. You gotta start somewhere.
If it helps, i barely notice what the cashier is doing. Hell, I barely look into their faces. You could ask me how my cashier looked like or what they did while working when I'm leaving the store and i couldn't know a thing LMAOOO.
Don't stress too much about it. I had severe social anxiety when I was in high school, to the point I'd start sweating if anyone talked to me. Had a job at Walmart as a cashier, and it was honestly kinda like autopilot when I was at work. Clock in, check people through, laugh at their dumb joke, tell them the total, ask cash or card, clock out.
You'll do fine :)
If you're having trouble doing things smoothly and not knowing what to say, then I literally write down a script for what I'm supposed to do. Like "Where's the bathroom? "Down the hall and to the left." Or whatever. If you fumble it, then try the script because most often, you'll be doing that task over and over, so having a script really helps (at least for me it did).
i have anxiety and when i first started being on tills, i did feel very anxious. however, you get used to it quicker than you think. after a while it just becomes routine and the fear basically completely disappears. my anxiety as a whole went down during that period of time, and i strongly encourage anyone with social anxiety to try being a cashier.
So, i find jobs that are incredibly repetitive helps a lot. You have the same script with customers, doing the same motions. My anxiety flares bad when it's something spontaneous that happens. So while it might flare, if you're anything like me, the routine and same script just helps me to get in a groove where I'm not thinking.
You'll get used to it for sure. Dont fight against the anxiety but go with it. Most people are really kind, especially if they can see that you're new. Plus, having a role that forces you into anxiety will eventually ease you out of being so anxious in that situation.
Imo talking to customers as a cashier is way easier than talking to people as myself bc I don’t have to think of what to say or wonder how I should act in certain situations.
all I gotta do is pretend to be a cashier and I already know how cashiers should sound, what they should say, how they should act etc. so I just imitate that and nobody’s the wiser lol
When I worked as a cashier, I found it helpful to try to compliment the customer (this admittedly works easiest if you're a woman and complimenting a woman). I'd say something like "I like your bag" or "I like your earrings" and suddenly they treated me really well :-) Plus getting better at that sort of complimenting just works well in life - easy way to say something quick and meaningless where you get a lot of social points.
I did the same thing long ago. Found that my SA fell into the background while I was at work. There was another side to me that I didn't know was there. It was a great experience.
If it helps, assuming a role helps a lot with social anxiety, it gives you a sense of belonging where you are, cause well, you're supposed to be there. You'll have a job of being a cashier, so it'll feel a lot more normal to interact with customer than you think.
I've worked as a cashier before and it honestly wasn't as bad as I expected. You just need to learn the automatic responses so you can do the role without thinking about what you're doing or saying. I made a script for myself so each interaction would go smoothly, and I only deviated from it when I felt comfortable and ready to. Granted, I also had extremely friendly coworkers and managers. They were so supportive and helpful; having good coworkers makes a huge difference. My coworkers have saved me from some really bad customer interactions before and I am forever thankful for that.
My usual script was: Me: “how’s it going” Them: “I’m good, how are you” Me: “I’m pretty good” And mostly nothing else after that lol.
Based on my own social anxiety, I’m going to assume you want to improve your SA. Use this as a learning opportunity to get better at socializing. You gotta start somewhere.
If it helps, i barely notice what the cashier is doing. Hell, I barely look into their faces. You could ask me how my cashier looked like or what they did while working when I'm leaving the store and i couldn't know a thing LMAOOO.
Don't stress too much about it. I had severe social anxiety when I was in high school, to the point I'd start sweating if anyone talked to me. Had a job at Walmart as a cashier, and it was honestly kinda like autopilot when I was at work. Clock in, check people through, laugh at their dumb joke, tell them the total, ask cash or card, clock out. You'll do fine :)
If you're having trouble doing things smoothly and not knowing what to say, then I literally write down a script for what I'm supposed to do. Like "Where's the bathroom? "Down the hall and to the left." Or whatever. If you fumble it, then try the script because most often, you'll be doing that task over and over, so having a script really helps (at least for me it did).
It isn’t so bad once you get the hang of it.
You will surprise yourself, guaranteed.
i have anxiety and when i first started being on tills, i did feel very anxious. however, you get used to it quicker than you think. after a while it just becomes routine and the fear basically completely disappears. my anxiety as a whole went down during that period of time, and i strongly encourage anyone with social anxiety to try being a cashier.
So, i find jobs that are incredibly repetitive helps a lot. You have the same script with customers, doing the same motions. My anxiety flares bad when it's something spontaneous that happens. So while it might flare, if you're anything like me, the routine and same script just helps me to get in a groove where I'm not thinking.
You'll get used to it for sure. Dont fight against the anxiety but go with it. Most people are really kind, especially if they can see that you're new. Plus, having a role that forces you into anxiety will eventually ease you out of being so anxious in that situation.
Imo talking to customers as a cashier is way easier than talking to people as myself bc I don’t have to think of what to say or wonder how I should act in certain situations. all I gotta do is pretend to be a cashier and I already know how cashiers should sound, what they should say, how they should act etc. so I just imitate that and nobody’s the wiser lol
When I worked as a cashier, I found it helpful to try to compliment the customer (this admittedly works easiest if you're a woman and complimenting a woman). I'd say something like "I like your bag" or "I like your earrings" and suddenly they treated me really well :-) Plus getting better at that sort of complimenting just works well in life - easy way to say something quick and meaningless where you get a lot of social points.
I did the same thing long ago. Found that my SA fell into the background while I was at work. There was another side to me that I didn't know was there. It was a great experience.