Final answer:
In the case of a cash register drawer opening during a credit card transaction, the cashier should close it as no cash exchange is necessary. The transaction is effectively a short-term loan from the credit card company to the customer, paid later.
Step-by-step explanation:
If a cash register drawer opens during a credit card purchase and the credit card was the only form of payment, the cashier should ensure that no cash transactions are mistakenly processed. Since no cash should be exchanged during a credit card transaction, the drawer should simply be closed without any changes to the content. A credit card purchase involves the transfer of funds from the credit card company's checking account to the seller, and the cardholder owes the amount to the credit card company as a short-term loan, hence no cash handling is required on the spot.
Furthermore, this scenario highlights the difference between debit and credit card operations. With a debit card, money is immediately deducted from the cardholder's bank account, while a credit card transaction is a loan from the credit card company until the bill is paid. Smart cards function differently as they carry a stored value for specific transactions.