Position Classification Standard for Sales Store Clerical Series, GS-2091

Sales Store Clerical Series, GS-2091 TS-46 June 1963

Position Classification Standard for Sales

Store Clerical Series, GS-2091

Table of Contents

SERIES DEFINITION....................................................................................................................................2

INCLUSIONS ................................................................................................................................................2

EXCLUSIONS...............................................................................................................................................2

TITLES..........................................................................................................................................................3

NATURE OF THE WORK.............................................................................................................................3

CLASSIFICATION FACTORS......................................................................................................................6

U. S. Office of Personnel Management 1

Sales Store Clerical Series, GS-2091 TS-46 June 1963

SERIES DEFINITION

This series includes all classes of positions the duties of which are to supervise or perform

check-out, sales clerk, customer assistance, or other clerical duties that are involved in the retail

sale of merchandise or stock items and that require the application of clerical knowledge,

procedures, and/or practices that are peculiar to sales store operations.

This standard describes only the principal levels of nonsupervisory positions in this series.

Supervisory positions are evaluated by reference to the General Schedule Supervisory Guide.

INCLUSIONS

This series includes all positions for which the paramount qualification requirements are the

knowledge and skills required for the performance of the clerical duties peculiar to such retail

sales store operations as commissary stores, self-service supply centers, and clothing sales stores.

EXCLUSIONS

Some duties characteristic of sales store operations require ability to perform manual-labor types

of work. Positions that consist wholly of sales store duties requiring manual-labor ability are

excluded from this series. Such positions are exempt from the provisions of the Classification

Act of 1949, as amended, under Section 202(7) of the Act. Positions in which sales store duties

requiring manual-labor ability are combined with clerical sales store duties are excluded from

this series when the requirement for manual-labor ability is the paramount qualification

requirement for the position.

Also excluded from this series are the following kinds of positions:

1. Positions that involve sales store duties of a managerial, advisory, or planning nature.

Positions of this kind require knowledge of retail procurement and distribution methods,

commercial retail store management techniques and practices, and other sales store

knowledge and abilities of a non-clerical nature. These positions are classified in the

Sales Store Management Series, GS-1144.

2. Positions of tellers, cash clerks, and others which involve the clerical processing of cash

items when such work requires knowledge of the financial regulations governing the

processing of cash items and of the acceptability requirements of the documents upon

which cash transactions are based. Positions of this kind are classified in the Cash

Processing Series, GS-0530.

3. Positions concerned with accounting clerical work performed in connection with sales

store operations. In positions of this kind the required clerical knowledge and abilities

are those generally applied in the maintenance of accounting records and are not peculiar

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Sales Store Clerical Series, GS-2091 TS-46 June 1963

to sales store operations. Such positions are classified in an appropriate accounting

clerical series, e.g., the Accounting Technician Series, GS-0525; or the Voucher

Examining Series, GS-0540.

At the present time sales store clerical work is typically concerned with items that are in such

common usage that no specialized knowledge or training is required for their identification. This

does not mean that there may not be sales store clerical positions that require specialized item

knowledge which differ significantly in extent or degree from the knowledge requirements

described in this standard. However, many positions requiring specialized item knowledge are

classifiable in another series in the Supply Group and standards for such series may be used to

evaluate the grade-level worth of such knowledge. In addition, careful consideration should be

given to the question of series determination in classifying positions of this kind.

TITLES

Titles for positions in this series are based upon differences in required knowledge and abilities

which affect recruitment, transfer, or other personnel processes.

The title, Sales Store Checker, is established for nonsupervisory positions in which check-out

duties constitute the sole or principal function of the position.

The title, Sales Store Clerk, is established for nonsupervisory positions which include clerical

sales store duties other than check-out duties or in which the check-out duties involved are not

significant in terms of qualification requirements and, hence, do not affect recruitment or other

personnel processes. Sales Store Clerk positions may include any sales store clerical duty or any

combination of such duties provided that (a) the requirements stated in the series definition are

met and (b) any check-out duties involved are of an incidental nature and, hence, not the most

important duty in the position in terms of qualification requirements. Among the duties which

may be included in Sales Store Clerk positions are waiting on customers, preparing sales slips,

providing customer assistance service, pricing individual items, maintaining inventory records,

preparing stock replenishment orders, maintaining price lists, etc.

The word, Supervisory, is prefixed to either of the above titles, as appropriate, for positions in

which supervisory duties and responsibilities are significant.

NATURE OF THE WORK

Clerical sales store work consists of the clerical duties that are involved in the sale of items in

single-unit or small-lot quantities directly to consumers. Typically, commissary, self-service

supply centers distributing supplies to and within agencies, and other retail sales stores are

operated on a self-service basis but a substantial number of sales store operations provide some

customer services. Such duties as checking-out purchases, waiting on customers, preparing sales

slips, and maintaining retail price lists are characteristic of work classifiable in this series.

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Sales Store Clerical Series, GS-2091 TS-46 June 1963

One of the most important clerical functions involved in sales store operations is the checking or

check-out function. The basic check-out function consists of operating a cash register to list and

total the prices of individual items purchased, collecting cash and making change, and

reconciling cash receipts with the cash register tape. Variations from these basic check-out

duties have developed as the result of changes in sales store operations and the availability of

different kinds of mechanical equipment. Among such variations are check-out duties that are

concerned with both charge and cash purchases, those which are concerned only with charge

purchases (and, hence, do not involve the handling of cash items), and those which involve the

operation of bookkeeping, billing, or similar machines instead of cash registers.

Operation of a cash register differs according to the kind of equipment used and the kind of

entering operation performed. Cash registers vary in number and types of keys, number of

accumulating banks, kinds of printing mechanism, and other mechanical features. Differences in

the mechanical features affect the kind of entries that can be made on a cash register tape. Some

cash registers can be used only to record a simple listing of item prices without classification or

other additional information. Multiple cash registers are normally used to departmentalize prices

in various categories, enter surcharges, indicate whether purchases are cash or charge, identify

customers or account numbers to be charged, or provide other information used for accounting,

stock control, or similar purposes. Bookkeeping or billing machines may be used to accomplish

any or all of these purposes. When these machines are used, the purchase totals and other related

information involved are normally entered directly on ledger or stock control cards.

Certain clerical knowledge and abilities must be applied simultaneously with the operation of

mechanical equipment in order to perform check-out duties with acceptable speed and accuracy.

Check-out work characteristically includes responsibility for insuring that the prices charged are

accurate. This requires knowledge of the current prices of stock items in order to determine

whether (a) prices marked on items are correct or (b) reference to price lists is necessary. The

work also requires knowledge of the nature, quality differences, size and pack variations, and/or

other characteristics of stock items. This knowledge is essential in order to identify stock items

rapidly and to distinguish quickly between closely similar items. In addition, competent

performance of check-out work requires knowledge of established procedures describing the

kind of entries to be made, the order in which entries are to be recorded, the action to be taken in

cases of operator error or of machine malfunctioning, the practices involved in respect to returns

and exchanges, and other matters of a similar nature. To the extent such procedures describe

these procedures in only general terms, or do not describe all of the matters involved in the work,

the use of judgment may be required in carrying out the work. The time pressures under which

check-out duties are usually performed are such that the checker is seldom able to consult

written guides or the supervisor on these matters. The extent to which these knowledge and

abilities are required in check-out work is reflected in the number and variety of stock items

involved, in the number and kind of entries recorded, and in the number and specificity of

applicable procedures.

The complexity of reconciling the cash register (or other machine) tape or total with cash

receipts or with charge entries varies. In its simpler form this reconciliation normally involves

comparison of the total of the cash items or charges with the total shown on the cash register or

other tape as adjusted for over- or under-rings. Errors causing failure to balance are located by

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Sales Store Clerical Series, GS-2091 TS-46 June 1963

recount and review of any adjustments that have been made. More complex reconciliations

typically involve various types of segregation and subtotaling to balance to intermediate totals

and ultimately to the grand totals involved; for example, cash items may be segregated and

totaled by denomination and/or kind; separate totals may be obtained for each category of items

used in departmentalizing; cash and charge purchase entries may be grouped under separate

headings and each of these may be subdivided into classes with subtotals and intermediate

balances for the various groupings. Reconciliation duties require the application of a knowledge

of the fundamental arithmetic operations and of the forms and procedures prescribed for use in

the balancing process. The more complex reconciliation duties require, in addition, the use of

limited judgment in selecting for recount or review the particular group of cash items,

documents, or entries that is most likely to yield results in locating errors.

Positions concerned with check-out work typically include personal work contacts with

purchasers. These contacts are made for such purposes as (1) advising on the nature, use, current

and anticipated availability, quality and size differences, and other characteristics of stock items,

(2) receiving requests for returns, exchanges, or refunds, (3) giving the bin or shelf location of

items, (4) explaining price changes, and (5) checking identification cards or other authorization

to purchase etc. Ability to deal effectively and courteously with people is required in all

check-out work. The difficulty and responsibility involved in such contacts vary with the extent

of various required knowledge described above and the extent to which the use of limited

judgment in resolving problems is required.

Check-out duties in positions concerned with cash purchases typically include responsibility for

safeguarding the change fund and the cash received for purchases and, in some cases, for making

restitution from personal funds for shortages and counterfeits accepted during the check-out

process. These duties require knowledge of the characteristics of genuineness in such cash items

as are in common usage and the application of established safeguarding procedures. Differences

in the extent of these required knowledge are usually not sufficiently great to be significant in

distinguishing between the grade levels of positions concerned with check-out work.

Differences in the degree of manual skill required to operate the mechanical equipment involved

in performing check-out duties are normally not significant from the standpoint of grade-level

classification. For this reason, these differences are not discussed in detail in this standard.

Check-out work is the only kind of sales store clerical work described in this standard. The total

number of positions concerned with other kinds of sales store clerical work (e.g., sales persons in

clothing stores) is so small and the pattern of individual duties and responsibilities which

comprise these positions is so varied at this time that standards for these positions have not been

prepared.

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Sales Store Clerical Series, GS-2091 TS-46 June 1963

CLASSIFICATION FACTORS

Distinctions between the grade levels of positions concerned with clerical sales store work are

based on differences in the clerical knowledge required and the difficulty and responsibility

involved in the work. Variations in these factors are reflected in such elements as the extent of

the required knowledge of stock items, the complexity of the reconciliation functions involved,

the nature of the personal work contacts involved, the variety and specificity of applicable

procedures, the extent to which the use of judgment is required or permitted, and the kind of

supervisory control exercised over the work.

Sales Store Checker GS-2

Positions at this level normally include the performance of check-out duties which provide

training and experience to develop technical competence in (a) the operation of a multiple cash

knowledge and abilities of the kind, variety, and level described for positions of sales store

checker at the GS-3 level. The work is performed in accordance with specific instructions and is

reviewed for the purpose of evaluating the trainee's aptitude, competence, and capacity to

perform higher level work.

Sales Store Checker GS-3

Positions in this class normally include the performance of check-out duties which require the

application of a knowledge of a wide variety of stock items; the ability to operate a multiple cash

accuracy; and the exercise of judgment in the application of established sales store clerical

procedures.

Positions in this class normally involve the full range of check-out duties and have the following

characteristics:

A. Machine operation duties typically require the clerical knowledge and manual

skill necessary for (1) competent operation of a multiple cash register,

bookkeeping machine, and/or other multi-register machine to (a) list unit prices

for a wide variety (approximately 1000 or more) of items in a number (usually 3

or more) of categories and/or (b) enter into the machine item prices and, in

addition, surcharges, customer identification, charge plate numbers, or other

similar types of information, and/or (c) enter item prices into the machine and

post directly to ledger or similar records in card or other form to show previous

balance, current purchase amount, and new balance; and (2) concurrent

application of established procedures governing the kind of entries made, the

order in which the entries are recorded, the methods used in correcting operator

errors, and other matters of a similar nature.

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Sales Store Clerical Series, GS-2091 TS-46 June 1963

B. Reconciliation duties normally require (1) the application of established

procedures in the subtotaling and intermediate balancing of such elements as cash

receipts by denomination, purchases by type of item, sales by cash or charge

purchase, etc., and (2) in cases of failure to balance, the use of judgment in

selecting for review those entries, cash items, or forms most likely to contain

error in order to make the corrections necessary and obtain the grand totals and

final balance. These duties may involve the use of a cash register tape or other

machine total in balancing to either cash receipts, sales slips, other recorded

evidence of charges or any combination of these.

C. The items involved normally include a relatively wide variety (e.g.,

approximately 1000 or more) of such items as food and household items,

clothing, office supplies and standard forms, hardware, and other items which (1)

are in common usage so that no specialized knowledge or training is required for

their identification, (2) are readily identifiable through common knowledge or by

reference to immediately available catalogs, and (3) are normally stocked in bins

or on shelves involving no special wrapping, bagging, or handling problems.

D. The work typically requires such knowledge of the characteristics and the current

prices of the stock items involved as is necessary to check the accuracy of prices

marked on items, record the correct current price of unmarked items, suggest

possible substitute items to purchasers, recognize differences in closely similar

items quickly, and perform related duties.

E. Characteristically, personal work contacts with purchasers are made for the

purpose of providing assistance with regard to any question or problem which

may arise. These contacts typically (1) include responsibility for resolving

routine matters on the basis of knowledge of current prices and well-established

sales store operations and procedures and (2) require the exercise of judgment in

determining whether established procedures clearly cover and may properly be

applied to resolve specific problems or the problem involved should be referred to

the supervisor. These personal contacts typically involve such matters as (a)

giving information on current and anticipated availability of stock items, (b)

suggesting possible substitute items, (c) explaining price changes, (d) making

refunds or exchanges or referring these matters to the supervisor in accordance

with whichever action is prescribed in established procedures or specific

instructions, and (e) receiving complaints and, if unable to provide customer

satisfaction, referring such cases to the supervisor.

F. The established procedures and instructions characteristically applied in

performing the work include both (1) those that describe the duties to be

performed in general terms and require the use of judgment in their application

(e.g., procedures pertaining to the kind of advice or assistance to be provided to

purchasers) and (2) procedures which prescribe in detail the specific actions to be

taken (e.g., procedures governing the kind of entries to be recorded by machine).

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Sales Store Clerical Series, GS-2091 TS-46 June 1963

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G. Supervisory control over the work is usually exercised by a supervisory sales

store checker, a cashier, or other employee in a higher-grade position.

Supervisory control normally includes (1) the assignment of work, (2)

instructions regarding such matters as price changes, new stock items, revised

delivery schedules, and any matters not included in established procedures or

practices, (3) assistance in any matter of a nonroutine nature when requested by

the Sales Store Checker GS-3, and (4) check for agreement of the machine total or

tape and the total amount of cash received and/or charges made. The supervisor

takes appropriate action in such matters as the authorization of refunds or

exchanges, the acceptance of check payments in lieu of cash, the correction of

operator errors by the adjustment of or to the machine tape, and any unusual

problem that is referred by the Sales Store Checker GS-3.

Positions in this class may include, in addition to the performance of check-out duties, the

performance of such other duties as waiting on customers, maintaining inventory records, taking

inventory, replacing depleted bin or shelf stock, pricing individual items, maintaining price lists,

preparing stock replenishment orders, etc., provided that such additional duties do not constitute

the most important duty or duties in the position.