I just used pneumatic mail for the first time ever, and it’s just as well because it’s about to be killed by apps. And what a pity because it’s so much fun.
I remember several department stores that had such systems. You paid on the floor and your payment, whether cash or credit card, was whisked to an upstairs room where a central cashier processed your payment and returned your change and receipt. The stated advantages were saving money by needing fewer cash registers and discouraging armed robberies, since the remote cashier could call the police if anyone tried such a crime. I always thought they were nice.
Is the pneumatic mail at a bank? I remember using these tube type systems at drive in bank years ago (as in the 1970s) though a combination of ATM cards and direct deposit and living where I didn’t need a car to do everything meant I pretty much stopped using drive through windows for just about anything. Also, back then the tubes went underground. Maybe it’s easier to fix if it goes overhead…
It’s our local bank! It’s the kind of bank where the owner knows you by name and discusses the way he spent the weekend with his grandkids with you. It’s all very quaint and cute.
I remember several department stores that had such systems. You paid on the floor and your payment, whether cash or credit card, was whisked to an upstairs room where a central cashier processed your payment and returned your change and receipt. The stated advantages were saving money by needing fewer cash registers and discouraging armed robberies, since the remote cashier could call the police if anyone tried such a crime. I always thought they were nice.
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I’d love to see something like this in a store!
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They won’t kill it as long as they have small cash heavy businesses that can’t afford armored trucks. They make profit on the money counting fees.
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That’s very good news! Because I think these are very cute.
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I thought these tube delivery systems were common at US drive-up banks because the tellers get to stay behind armour glass …
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Is that what that’s called? I always just called it a Brazilogram.
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I have yet to see one of those in Europe. They were everywhere on the other side of the Atlantic.
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Is the pneumatic mail at a bank? I remember using these tube type systems at drive in bank years ago (as in the 1970s) though a combination of ATM cards and direct deposit and living where I didn’t need a car to do everything meant I pretty much stopped using drive through windows for just about anything. Also, back then the tubes went underground. Maybe it’s easier to fix if it goes overhead…
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It’s our local bank! It’s the kind of bank where the owner knows you by name and discusses the way he spent the weekend with his grandkids with you. It’s all very quaint and cute.
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Speaking of pneumatic mail there is this very famous short sequence from Truffaut’s Stolen Kisses
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Brazil is practically built around this technology, very steampunk. Also, it may be scalable: A larger version is proposed, called a “hyperloop”.
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That is really cool!!
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