Is there a way to give correct change back quickly to customers?

Learn to count it back. It’s easy. “Yes sir, your order totals $5.67. Out of $20 (the amount the customer gave you) that’s 5.67, (starting with the pennies) 5.68, 5.69. 5.70 (now the nickel) 5.75 (now the quarter) $6 (now the $1 dollar bills) $7, $8, $9, $10, (now the single ten) $20.”

(If you pay him back with two fives instead of the $10 bill, then it goes) ” ...$10, $15, and $20.”

^Exactly that. To build up your confidence with counting back money, practice with a friend or relative. That’s how I learned.

Yes, if you do it that way, you are counting from the amount of the purchase, up to whatever amount they gave you.
If you start with pennies and go up, you will never get it wrong.
@chyna is right about practicing.
Get change of every denomination, and have a friend go through a grocery ad and “shop.” As they tell you 3 cans of tomato paste, 57 cents each, you add up the amounts on a calculator. When they are done, tell them the total, and then count back the change.
Lol, bring Barbies, and do a throwback playtime.

Sometimes people will include pennies in their payment, because pennies tend to accumulate and they are close to worthless.

As a variation on @kritiper ’ example, suppose the person gave $20 plus two pennies for the $5.67 purchase. The way I was taught, you start by taking the two pennies and deduct two cents from the price, saying $5.65. Then you follow @kritiper ‘s method starting with the nickel.

It is a matter of practice. But it is a very good question because cashiers these days are pretty much denied the opportunity since all “cash registers” now calculate your change automatically. Technology makes dumbing down convenient for us all.

You can use a automated change dispenser.

Aside from getting the amount right, the “correct” way is to give coins first so they are secure in the person’s palm of their hand, and then the bills, which they can hold onto in their fingers. If you give the bills first, the change can too easily slide off of the bills.

I’m a math person so to speak, and I never could do the count backwards thing, I just did the subtraction in my head. The way I do it is just figure the change from 100. So, for instance if the change on the bill was 35¢, I know I owe 65¢ in coins. Then I figure the rest. So, if the bill is $3.35, then I know it’s the 65¢ then I do 10–3=7, assuming they gave me a $10.00, but they get back one less, so their change is $6.65. That’s probably not the best way though, because for me I don’t really have to think about the steps I just see it all at once.

I just tell the customer, “$6.65 is your chance.”

When I am the customer I have the change amount in my head, and when a cashier counts the money back to add up to what I gave them it’s unwanted noise to me. It makes it hard for me to count the change amount. If that makes sense.

Most registers make change though, I’m surprised you need to do the subtraction. Keep an inexpensive calculator handy.

@jleslie I disagree. Everyone needs to learn how to count change and keeping a calculator nearby will not help you learn. It will only teach the person to be dependent on machines instead of using their brain. My brother and I were at a store where the electric had gone out and the girl had no idea how to give change since her machine couldn’t tell her.

@chyna I agree that it’s good to know how to do it, but if it gets confusing then having the calculator is not a terrible idea in my opinion. I didn’t mean use the calculator for every transaction, I just meant once in a while a person can become unsure or confused, like if a customer adds change or extra dollars and change, and then having a calculator as a back up can be useful.

Any place I have worked there is no way I could have used a calculator every time, because it would take too much time and be awkward, so I was not suggesting that should be done.

I started working retail 35 years ago, and I think even that register could tell you the change. It’s odd to me that there are any registers now that don’t do it.

Currency goes back to extremely primitive times. It is safe to say it is not a passing trend.
Knowing how to count back change is something everyone should learn to do.
If there is some actual learning disorder which prevents that, then the tech is nice to have.
Here is a bit of trivia…
Show of hands, without looking it up, how many know what is “boat money”?
I will give it a couple of days to see how many get it right.

@kritiper has the perfect answer and is how I was taught.