types  of  tender  that  Navy  commissaries  are authorized to accept from patrons are as follows: .  Cash .   Personal   checks .   Vendors’   coupons l  Food  stamps .   Travelers’   checks l  Money  orders .  Refund  vouchers If  there  are  no  available  check-cashing facilities,  Navy  commissaries  may  accept  (and cash) United States government pay and allotment checks   from   properly   identified   patrons.   This service  can  be  provided  as  long  as  the  service  does not adversely affect staffing or operations in the commissary. The officer in charge or a designated assistant   must   approve   any   U.S.   government payroll or allotment check before the commissary can   accept   the   check   for   payment   or   cash. According  to  prescribed  limits,  change  funds  in the  commissary  should  be  increased  whenever approved U.S. government payroll and allotment checks are cashed. In accepting U.S. government checks,  each  commissary  store  must  follow  the prescribed  regulations.  These  regulations  are  con- tained  in  NAVRESSOINST  4065.39. CHECK-OUT  PROCEDURES As a front end supervisor, you must make cer- tain  that  the  check-out  phase  of  your  store  is operated  according  to  standard  regulations  and procedures.  You  must  also  make  certain  that  your patrons  are  not  forced  to  spend  too  much  time waiting in line. With a little work and planning, you can comply with all regulations and still pro- vide  an  efficient  check-out  operation. Your check-out staff will have many respon- sibilities.  Check-out  personnel  must  make  certain that all patron purchases are accurately recorded in  terms  of  price  and  department.  Check-out personnel  are  also  responsible  for  accepting money and making change. As in any retail opera- tion,  cash  and  other  forms  of  tender  must  be adequately safeguarded. All of these tasks must be  completed  in  a  way  that  will  minimize  patrons’ waiting time. In  the  check-out  phase  of  your  commissary, you must achieve good standards of service. You should staff and operate the check-out area so that no more than four persons are forced to wait in a  check-out  line.  To  achieve  this  standard,  you will have to open additional registers for patrons to take care of heavy traffic in the check-out area. At times when you have fewer customers, you can close  the  extra  registers  and  distribute  the  waiting patrons  to  the  other  lines.  If  customers  are standing in a line that you are planning to close, identify the last customer to be served and politely route  the  other  customers  to  the  other  lines. During sales hours, you should plan to have supervisory personnel available to assist patrons at check-out areas. Make certain that your check- out  lines  are  clearly  numbered.  Lighted  lampposts with  numbers  are  an  effective  means  of  clearly marking  your  check-out  lines.  If  your  store  size permits, you can use a single line from which you can direct patrons to the next available register. A  prime  irritant  among  patrons  is  excessive waiting lines at the check-out area. Commissary managers must constantly monitor the number of patrons  awaiting  check-out  and,  when  needed, initiate   immediate   actions   to   supplement   the number of check-outs in operation. Such actions will include the assignment to check-outs of those register  operators  who  are  performing  other  store- related   tasks.   A   labor   pool   of   intermittent employees  who  are  on  call  may  also  be  used to   alleviate   unforeseen   patronage   surges   or temporary   absences   of   regular   employees. Moreover,  since  all  employees  working  in  other functional areas of the store (with the exception of the commissary officer, sales audit clerk, and the  cash  collection  agent)  will  be  trained  in  the operation of a cash register, they can be used in this  capacity  during  emergency  situations. As a front end supervisor, you or an assistant must   remain   in   the   check-out   area   to   assist customers   during   sales   hours   when   customer traffic is heaviest. Head of the line privileges, use of express lanes, and other practices are covered in current NAVRESSO instructions. It is your job as a supervisor to consult these instructions and make  certain  that  the  correct  procedures  are carried  out. In a multicheck-out store when all check-outs are not being used, make certain your open check- outs  reflect  an  even  distribution  across  the  check- out  area.  In  this  way,  you  can  avoid  patron congestion in one area of the front end. Remind your register operators that they are not permitted to  keep  personal  belongings  in  the  check-out 8-20