The four metrics that matter.
Total revenue per cashier per shift is table stakes. Average ticket size separates the upsellers from the order-takers. Items per ticket measures how often they remember to ask "do you also want…". Discount rate flags the cashiers who buy goodwill with your margin.
These four numbers per cashier per shift give you the full picture. Any POS that does not surface them is hiding the data you need. Pull the report weekly, not monthly — patterns emerge faster than you think and bad habits compound quickly.
- Total revenue per shift
- Average ticket size
- Items per ticket (basket depth)
- Discount rate as percentage of sales
Why average ticket size beats total revenue.
A cashier who rings £10,000 on a busy day is just there during the busy day. A cashier whose average ticket is £42 versus the store average of £35 is doing something different. They are upselling, suggesting add-ons, or being more careful with cross-sells.
Reward average ticket, not total. Total rewards being on the schedule during peak hours, which is luck. Average rewards skill, which is the thing you actually want to grow. Promote the cashiers with the best average ticket to senior cashier first.
Items per ticket reveals the upsellers.
Items per ticket is the most underrated retail metric. If your store average is 2.3 items per ticket and one cashier consistently runs 2.9, that cashier is asking the magic question — "anything else?" — and getting a yes. That is a teachable skill, not luck.
Have the high-IPT cashier write down their patter — what they say at the counter to suggest add-ons — and turn it into a one-page training sheet. Cashiers learn from each other faster than from owners. Use the report to find the natural mentor.
Discount rate is the trust meter.
Discount rate per cashier should hover around your store policy. If your policy is "5% max without manager," the average should be 1-2%. A cashier at 4% is using their full discretion on every transaction. A cashier at 0.1% is afraid to use it at all (which can cost you customers).
High discount rate is not always abuse. Some cashiers handle complaint tickets and refund-resolution scenarios where discounts are the right tool. Tag those tickets so the metric is fair. But unexplained 6% discount rates on a 3% policy are a conversation.
The shift report you actually need.
A useful shift report shows: cashier name, shift start and end, total transactions, total revenue, average ticket, items per ticket, discount rate, refund count, void count, manager overrides count, and cash variance. One row per cashier per shift, sortable by any column.
In Nonari this report is one click from the branch dashboard. Sort by average ticket descending and you see the upsellers at the top. Sort by discount rate descending and the discount-abusers float to the top. The data tells you the conversation to have.
Beware the early-shift bias.
Morning shifts at most retailers have lower average tickets — quick stops for one item, breakfast on the go. Evening shifts have higher tickets — the planned shopping trip. Comparing a morning cashier to an evening cashier on average ticket is unfair.
Compare like-for-like. Group cashiers by shift type when you do performance reviews. The morning cashier who runs £8 average against a peer group of £7 is a star. The evening cashier who runs £8 average against a peer group of £14 is underperforming.
Pay-for-performance, carefully.
Tying compensation to per-cashier metrics works, but only if the metrics are fair. A small commission on items above the store-average IPT is good. A bonus for hitting a revenue target is dangerous because it incentivizes shift-grabbing and politics, not skill.
A simple structure that works for most retailers: a small monthly bonus (£50-150) for cashiers in the top tertile of average ticket and top tertile of items per ticket simultaneously. The combination makes the bonus hard to game and rewards the actual skill.
When the numbers reveal a problem.
A cashier with high discount rate, high refund count, and low average ticket is not learning to be a good cashier. They are learning to push transactions through with the path of least resistance. Either retrain them with a senior cashier mentor, or move them to a non-counter role.
A cashier with high refund count specifically — refunds well above peer rate — is either getting hard customers (rare but possible) or making transaction errors that require correction. Audit ten of their refunds and you will know which.