While
working on a scene set in a general store, I got to wondering when cash
registers might have been found in the Old West. I was surprised to discover
that the cash register (called a Cashier at the time) was invented in 1879 by a
saloon owner.
First Cash Register |
James Jacob Ritty,
owner of the popular Pony House Saloon in Dayton, Ohio, knew something was
wrong. Buffalo Bill and John Dillinger
were among his many customers and business was booming. Still he saw no profit. He was suspicious that his bartenders were
dipping into the till but couldn’t prove it.
The problem was very
much on his mind during a sailing trip to Europe. While studying the ship’s
mechanics, particularly the counting mechanism that recorded the propeller’s
revolutions, he got an idea; why not invent a device that would record a shop’s
sales?
Upon returning to the
states, he ran his idea by his brother, John, and after a couple of false
starts, the two patented what became known as Ritty’s Incorruptible Cashier.
The machine had a
clock-like feature that rang up sales, but no cash drawer. During each sale, a paper tape
was punched with holes
so that the merchant could keep track of sales. At the end of the day, the
merchant could add up the holes. Since the tally could be as long as twenty
feet, this was not an easy task.
Their invention
worked and Ritty’s profits rose, but it wasn’t fool proof. Without a cash
drawer, money still turned up in the wrong pockets. There was also another
drawback; the machine was designed to record daily sales no greater than
$12.99!
The brothers later
added a cash drawer and the Cha-Ching
sound that shop owners love to hear. (It’s thought that merchants came up with odd
prices, like forty-nine or ninety-nine cents, so cashiers would have to open
the till to make change. This helped insure that all sales were recorded.)
The brothers opened a
factory above the saloon. Running two businesses soon proved too much for James,
and he sold his cashier business to a group of investors. Eventually, the company sold to John H.
Patterson who renamed it the National Cash Register Corporation.
By the 1880s, cash
registers could be found in retail stores around the country. Though the new and improved registers aided
bookkeeping and inventory chores, they were resented by clerks. It’s easy to understand why as the machines
were called “thief catchers.” Honest
clerks resented the implication and dishonest clerks missed the extra
income.
But then, as now,
enterprising thieves always found a way.
Speaking of thieves,
do you always ask for a receipt, even at a fast food place? If not, you should. Dishonest clerks prey on
customers who don’t claim receipts.
He stopped her wedding once by mistake
Dare he stop it a second time--for real?
Book available for preorder
Enjoyed this history tidbit. Thanks for sharing. Yes, I always take my receipts.
ReplyDeleteGood for you, Marilyn. I recently discovered an overcharge on my credit card. Fortunately, I had my receipt, so I got my money back.
DeleteI remember using one of these on my very first full time job in a grocery store before everything went electric and computerized.
ReplyDeleteAnd I bet you knew how to make change, right?
Delete