Simpsons

Once upon a time before computerised cash registers, bar codes, swipe cards etc. there were at least three shops in the town that used novel and early state of the art ways of dealing with their customers’ money. Simpsons and Frank Jacobs had overhead wire systems installed. Each counter in all departments had a wire running over the customers’ heads to a single, central cash desk. When goods were sold the counter assistant placed the bill and money in a wooden cup, screwed it to a trolley on the wire, then by pulling a chain the cup would be catapulted off to the cashier. He would make the sale and then return the cup back with the receipt and change.
There was also a Co-op shop at the end of Parade Street facing Meeks. I remember that the dividend counter had a pneumatic method, which was similar to the wire system but differed inasmuch that the customers’ money was placed into a cylindrical pod that was then conveyed through a two-inch pipe around the building to the cash desk by using a vacuum pump.

They never ceased to amaze me, watched them for hours - mother used to drag me out the shop, as she wanted to get round town in a day! I am trying to remember, I know two of the men in Jacobs were friends of my father, and one or more ladies were related in some way to my mother. What a store, never saw so many bolts of cloth before or since. Good memories.

OK here's one you forgot, just up from Simpsons....Shaw and Woods, my mother used to work in there, also my cousin used to work in Simpsons, great fun to see the money put in the canister, then pull a handle and it whizzed to the office and it came back with a receipt in it.

Ha ha, I can still remember the sight and sounds of them, and the cannisters always had a round screwed base to them.

Tesco still used the containerised capsules to send money from the check outs to the cash office. They even have one that goes across the road from the filling station to the main store. So it seems the principle lives on.

I remember the one in Jacobs as Mum used to take me there for clothes. The damned thing used to fascinate me no end. I believe it was the last one to work in the town and I last heard it was in Flambards Victorian Village. Sadly they couldn't get it to work

I remember the one in Jacobs very well, don't remember there being one in Simpsons but that might be beacause my mother did not shop there very much. Shaw and Wood was where my school uniform came from.