Bad business practices that were normal back then?

[Lucan Unlordly]

Just spotted the thread about changing notes for coins and reminded me of the time when I was deputy manager of a well known supermarket. This in the 70's when cash was king...
We were in a shopping precinct several hundred yards away from the night safe at Barclays bank. Not far to go but having been unable to deposit any cash for a couple of days we had to transport well over £20k in several locked leather pouches through the pre Xmas crowds. The office girl walked ahead, the manager in the middle with the cash, looking like the Michelin man with half a dozen lumps and bumps under his raincoat, and me behind as security.

Absolute madness but quite routine, albeit with lot lower sums.

 

[Scalloway]

I recall a public information film about the dangers of taking the same route to the bank when carrying large sums of cash. It featured a young woman walking the same route on different days, each trip being commented on by a watching ne'er do well.

 

[Fagin2021]

I recall a case when, after the bank closed, some villains placed a sign over the night safe saying ‘out of order, please post pouches through bank letterbox’. They then fed a black bin-liner through the letter box and retrieved it later.