early 50's cash railways

One of my relatives had one in her shop. It was an excellent way to limit pilfering in the days before cash registers that kept a tally of sales. I'm not sure that it had a special name. We just called it the overhead wire.

No. Pneumatic tubes, yes. The only shop local to me then that was big enough to have them was the Co-op, a five-floor one. I think some banks used them.

I've seen one within the last few years, but I can't remember where.

cash railway

ya spring chicken tee hee

fancy version

Our local (big) Co-Op in Brighton had both. Vacuum tubes for all except the basement (I think there was a technical problewm with enough 'lift'; the cashiers' office was on the top floor (fourth)).

My mother was a cashier (she actually started clerical work there at 14 but wasn't allowed to handle cash until she was 16). She was a whiz at mental arithmetic, as was her mum (aside: she could calculate betting odds really well).

The cashiers took turns with the rather lonely and solitary job at the cash desk in the basement. During WWII, mum was down there and the air raid sirens went off. Everyone else left quickly, but she had to secure the cash first. She ended up being locked in there for three hours, until the all-clear!

Yes, the Co-Op in Roseburn, Edinburgh, had such a system.

Fark, you can shorten that to

cool story

I remember the Coop having a vacuum tube system. There was another shop which may have had one.

They used canisters with felt ‘hats’ at each end and a you twisted them to open a hole in the side.

Yep, one place here was still using them in the early 70s.

Not a little hut fixed to the ceiling, just higher in a quite high ceilinged big store.

Never heard it called that and there were never any rails.

My local Tesco had them for removing excess cash from the tills until about ten years ago. I assume the rising use of credit cards means they no longer have large cash amounts at the tills.

Harvey's in Guildford. Possibly Harvey's OF Guildford, had a pneumatic system. I can't recall ever seeing a wire used.

I've used a multi-lane drive-up bank in the US, which uses tubes.

That is the only one I have ever seen and that must have been over 60 years ago. My late partner also recalled having seen one in a shop near where I live now, probably just as long ago. Foyles bookshop in London didn't use wires, but I do remember getting a receipt for the books I bought and having to queue up at a cashier's desk to pay. It was quiet a bottleneck.

Costco used to have them, but they weren't using them to empty tills (Thurrock branch). That was pre-pandemic and I've only been back a couple of times; note sure if the tubes are still there.