Cash register

Registers were introduced in The Sims: Hot Date, reintroduced in The Sims 2 and carried forward later in expansion packs for later games. They allow Sims to make purchases on community lots. Except for the register from The Sims: Makin' Magic, which is a kiosk with a cashbox, registers must be placed on a surface, usually a counter.

The Sims
Hot Date included two registers, one cheap and one expensive, and each subsequent expansion pack added a new type of register. Any register can be used on any community lot, and each register will spawn an NPC clerk or cashier. These NPCs are functionally identical, but their appearance will depend on the register that spawned them. The clerks spawned by the Hot Date registers will be generic downscale or upscale, depending on which register was used. Clerks spawned by the registers from expansion packs after Hot Date will generally fit the theme of the community area introduced in the expansion the register is from.

The Sims 2
The Sims 2 included a normal-looking register, Open for Business added a second, antique-looking register, and H&M Fashion Stuff added a third, fashionable register. Without Open for Business, or on unowned community lots with it, the cashier will be one of several teen NPCs set aside as cashiers. NPC cashiers wear a pale yellow shirt, blue jeans, and a green apron.

With Open for Business, the cash register is necessary for most player-run businesses and for learning the Register talent badge. Unlike other employee positions, Sims can be assigned to be the cashier without having to approach them. Additionally, the cash register can be used to quickly set the price of all objects marked for sale on the lot. Players should note that while NPC cashiers may demonstrate gold talent badge proficiency on unowned community lots, they may not actually have a talent badge in cashiering when hired for an owned business.

If a cash register in an owned business is left unattended or is staffed by a slow employee, customers may lose their temper, drop their shopping bags in frustration, and leave. If the owner leaves the lot before all customers have paid for their merchandise, they will pay the next time they visit the lot.

The Sims 3
Cash Registers in The Sims 3 were first reintroduced in The Sims 3: World Adventures and come in four different forms:
 * Bookstore Register
 * Nectary Register
 * General Store Register
 * Food Register
 * Relics Register

Each register spawns its respective merchant Sim at markets in vacation sub-neighborhoods. These registers can be placed in home neighborhoods like Sunset Valley or Twinbrook, but will not contain full purchase inventories. For example, the bookstore register will only sell those books sold in the bookstore rabbit hole when it is placed in a main neighborhood, and not the rare exclusive books sold in the respective sub-neighborhoods. These objects can only be placed on community lots, and they have three recolorable channels.

Unemployed NPCs will be used to staff the cash registers on a lot. If there is more than one cash register on the lot, it may take a while for all of them to be staffed.

New registers were added with other expansions, buyable in the community lot objects under build mode. With Ambitions came the consignment shop register. The limited edition of The Sims 3: Pets came with a pet register for the pet shop, Supernatural came with a register for the elixir consignment store, and University came with a register for the nerd shop.

The Sims 3 Store added a premium content set, the Savvy Seller's Collection, which allows the players to run a business, albeit not as complex as the business system in The Sims 2: Open for Business.

While the registers are purposed to be places in their own dedicate lot type, these will still function regardless where they're present at.

The Sims 4
Cash Registers in The Sims 4 are introduced in Get to Work. So far there has only been registers for retail businesses.

The Sims 2
In The Sims 2 for PSP, The Curio Shoppe in Service Station is run by Mambo Loa. The main character can buy things from her by interacting with the cash register.