I hadn’t really ever thought about how crucial armored trucks like Brink’s were back in the day when everyone got paid in cash. I used to get paid in cash, in my first few jobs, working at two different gas stations. The owner just peeled off the bills to me; no withholding, no stub; $35 for Saturday and Sunday, which was pretty good money for a 16 year-old in 1969.
I’m pretty sure I never got a paycheck until my summer engineering job after my third year of college. And one of the tips my boss gave me was that the local Gemco store, a regional chain that was acquired by Target a few years later, would cash our paychecks for no fee. Since Gemco sold everything from groceries to motor oil and power tools, they got a lot of business from me even after I finally opened a checking account. And of course coins were still commonly used on both ends of a transaction, so those Brinks trucks had to carry a lot of weight.
I worked at a KMart for several summers in the early 80s. They paid us in cash, and we had to go to the HR office, in the back corner of the store to pick up our envelopes. My mom’s best friend was the HR manager, and confirmed that was intentional and explicitly so you’d be likely to spend your $ on the long way out of the store.
ETA they got some sales from me as well, mostly for the 76 Courier I was driving.
The previous summer I had worked for my cousin’s marina in RI. Small business, but they managed to pay by check…
I worked for Brinks for 12 years in corporate security. We don’t dispense cash anymore here in the US bit in some countries we had cash acceptance kiosks where folks pay their bills and take the remainder home. We still buy International 3500 and 3700 chassis for our larger route trucks. Based on the risk in the US we now have smaller route trucks based on Ford 450 and 550 chassis. Our armored bodies are are built by Griffin in Mississippi and Cambli in Montreal. Cambli is French for “secure truck”. If interested you can look them up. Perry Brink started the company in 1865 in Chicago to ferry bags from the train stations to hotels. He then has wagons built with steel mesh to transport cash as he felt “why not move cash from customers to the bank along with his luggage business. Wells-Fargo Loomis also did cash in transit. Brinks bought out Dunbar and so they are the largest cash logistics company in the auS and operate in 25 countries.
Up until a few years ago, it seemed that the Brinks trucks I’d routinely see looked pretty much like the one in the 1926 ad, only somewhat more modern versions appearance-wise. But lately I’ve seen a much greater variety of body styles. Mostly I nowadays see armored cars (interesting that they’re often called “cars” even though they’re trucks) coming and going from the grocery store…which seems to be at least one type of retail establishment that still deals heavily in cash.
The other day, I saw what appears to be basically an armored step van, such as in this picture.
It seems to me that with lighter-weight armoring materials available that can fit behind factory sheetmetal, this would be an ideal application for the all-conquering compact crossover. Stay at least two size brackets under anything used by the cops, buy mostly import makes in proportion to their total sales, an assortment of colors and trim levels, and no corporate markings. No uniforms or open carrying either. Take a regular space in the parking lot (nose facing in, engine off), go in looking like a customer bringing their own reusable bags, come out like you just bought a few things.
Total stealth.
I recently saw one of those Brinks’ armored vehicles for the first time too. Seems like a more logical base to start with than a MD truck. It seems like it would be easier to start from scratch than adding the needed protection to a MD truck cab.
Back late 70’s early 80’s we serviced some Brink’s trucks. Charlie “Tuna” was the guy that usually brought the trucks in. Charlie mentioned at that time they were still paid in cash at that time. One story he related was an emergency call for the mechanics to grab some shovels and get to a location. The truck crew had a bag of quarters break as the officer was stepping over a snow bank. Charlie and company arrived with another truck and shoveled the snow bank into the back of the truck. At that time they still used cloth sacks for transporting coins, they also made great tool bags.
Great ad! There were several International ads featuring Brink’s trucks – apparently International was the go-to vehicle for Brink’s over many decades.
The ad below is from during WWII, and the text claims that 90% of Brink’s trunks (1,600 in total) ordered over the previous 25 years were Internationals.
I was a delivery driver for a little university town Domino’s Pizza franchise for awhile in the early 80s. I got a check every 2 weeks for my hours at minimum wage, but each night would collect a cash payment for 6% of my deliveries. The owner called it “mileage” but I recall those cash payments as well above my wage, and they probably saved the guy a bunch on employment taxes. I think that was the last time I lived a mostly-cash existence.
My grandfather began his career as the cashier of several small town banks and then owned a small hosiery mill that his bank had foreclosed. He never traveled without a pistol and slept with one under the pillow until his first heart attack at 54, when Grandma put it in a drawer. She had to figure out the weekly cash payroll because he was so anxious about it, since even many employed people lived literally hand-to-mouth in 1940.
Circa WWI, his three brothers also worked in local banks in nearby towns, and they would pass cash between them as needed to achieve some economy of scale in the days before deposit insurance.
My question is, did they use solid or pneumatic rubber tires back then. Either way that must have been one heck of a harsh ride. I cringe thinking about it.
Fresh out of college in 1976 the first job I got was at a Woolco store (a discount division of Woolworth); we got paid every week in cash’ one of the managers would produce an envelope, open it, give me the money and would sign for it. The only time I was paid in cash.
In 1969 I had just finished my first year of university and I had a job in computer programming with a small consulting company. We were paid by direct deposit twice a month. At the same time my best friend, who was also working as a programmer was paid in cash weekly. I think the difference was that he worked for Sears Canada, where most employees were hourly paid, so they had all the processes in place.
I don’t know if it is because I have worked in the computer industry or if Canadian practices are different, but I have never even been paid by cheque (check), let alone cash. It has always been direct deposit.
I too preferred direct deposit when I could get it .
So many said ‘I want my money in my hand on payday’ when they’d get the direct deposit $ the day before and never had any worries about lost, missing and stolen pay checks ~ yes we had more than a few boobs who’d get sent to City Hall to pick up the _entire_ shop’s pay checks and figured “they’ll never miss _one_” ~
Of course every one of those fools lost their good paying lifetime job…..
Sadly nary a one was ever prosecuted .
I used to know where various 1930’s, 1940’s and 1950’s armored cars were just languishing unwanted, I wanted to buy one but what then ? .
I too had some gas station jobs that paid cash and didn’t take out any SSI taxes, this came back to bite my ass , I can’t ever draw a dime of SSI even though I know multiple legal immigrants who got SSI checks and never paid in a dime….
Too soon old, still waiting for the wise part .
-Nate
I remember cash, folding notes and coins, I used it a lot in Australia where EFTPOS attracted a fee to use, but not since moving back to NZ plastic cards rule here, being paid in folding money is also a distant memory
Armoured vans still roam around though so somebody must use old fashioned methods of payment.Cheques/checks no long exist here
It appears that the local armored car crews like Chick-fil-A.
While picking up bags of cash, I notice they also carry bags of Chick-fil-A chicken nuggets and drinks while idling on the side street to the restaurant.
Started working full time in 1980. Employer first offered direct deposit in 1986 which I used till I retired.
Worked in the payroll department in the mid-90s where 40% of 12,000 employees still received a check. We would run Direct Deposit campaigns to bring down the percentage. However, the excuse we received was, “I don’t want my spouse to know what I make”. This was stated by both male and female employees.
Moved to a power plant in 2005 where 15 out of 900 employees still received a check. During a winter storm, we had to jump through hoops to assure the 15 checks were delivered by payday Friday.
When I entered the Army in the 70’s, payday for trainees at Fort Knox, Kentucky was cash. The Army would close off a block at each end for payday activities using using M113s APCs (Armored Personnel Carriers) with a machine guns mounted. Each pay officer was also armed and had an armed assistant.
Given the massed troopers in pay lines, I did wonder how many friendly fire casualties might result should a machine gunner open up during a robbery. Luckily that never happened.
Payroll seemed pretty secure even without a Brinks truck. Even the Cody family (Animal Kingdom TV series) would probably hesitate trying to knock off Fort Knox.
My 94 year old dad was in the Army from 1950-52, and due to his very poor eyesight, served in the Army Corps of Engineers, as among other things an MP, and they were reassigned to the Air Force to help with the construction of buildings and runways at a place called Ft. Wolters, near Mineral Wells. His company was considered a SCARWAF unit (Special Category Army Reassigned with the Air Force).
One of his duties was along with another MP was being locked in the base PX with the bases payroll until it was time for the paymaster to arrive. He had a shotgun, and his .45 caliber sidearm with orders to shoot anyone who came through the door, until the paymaster arrived.
He says he never saw heat like Texas, he says it was 90 days of 100 degree plus days in a row, and them living in tents and winter uniforms…
At the age of 16 I started working for a food brokerage based in Los Angeles. I lived in San Diego so I got paid by check every two weeks and had to open my first checking account at 16. However, calling on supermarkets between 1970-76 I saw lots of Armored Trucks at those supermarkets. Whether they were all Brink’s I cannot recall.
A factor that reduces the amount of money on hand at the end of the day is the ability to get $20 to $100 cash when checking out at the grocery with a debit card. I used this feature for pocket money the whole time I was assigned to upstate NY while my checking account was with a regional bank in the South.
Also, most folks use debit or credit cards at gas stations. The last time I used cash for gasoline was during a power outage provoked by a hurricane.
Cash is the only way I pay for gas and pretty much the only thing over $10 that I use cash for.