Change in Plans : Armored-Car Strike Forces Some Firms to Limit Cash, Coin Outflow

As more than 500 armored-car drivers throughout the state continued to stay off their jobs Monday, some Orange County businesses--including at least one bank--said they were forced to limit cash and change to their customers.

In a spot survey of area banks and retail stores, some officials complained of limited cash supply because of the strike by drivers at Armored Transport of California Inc. and Brinks Inc. Drivers from both companies walked off the job last week to protest reductions in pay cuts and benefits, as well as other internal problems.

A spokesman for American Interstate Bank in Newport Beach said the bank has placed a $500 limit on most withdrawals and check-cashing procedures until the strike ends. “We are restricting our cash outlay because we really don’t know how long (the cash supply) will last,” said Michael Grimler, assistant operations officer.

However, Grimler said, the bank is giving free cashier’s checks and traveler’s checks for sums larger than $500. He said the bank has not received any complaints from any customers, adding that the bank has not altered its cash and change policy for merchant accounts.

Several retailers also said they have experienced difficulties in getting enough change.

“Friday was a zoo,” said Alice Mangels, owner of a 7-Eleven store in Costa Mesa. “I went out and rustled up my own coins. Fortunately, they cleaned out my video machine and that is where I got some.” But she said she also raided her piggy bank of quarters.

“We are definitely limiting the output of our quarters” to $1, Mangels said. “I had to (stop) giving quarters for bus fare and the Laundromat over the weekend” because the change supply was low. Even on Monday, she said, the bank she usually does business with did not have a large supply of coins.

The owner of the Plaza Real liquor store in Orange said she has felt the effect of the strike, especially during the past three days. “There’s nobody around here that’s got any change and it’s causing a lot of problems,” said the owner, who asked not to be identified. “Usually people have got change when they come in, but customers haven’t got any. We have to turn people away who just come in for change.”

Bill Waldie, store manager at a Lucky supermarket in Tustin, also said his change supply is low. “We have to go buy change everyday, so we are limiting it now.”

Because of the strike, many banks that regularly rely on armored-car deliveries have had to find other means of transporting large sums of cash. Some have hired other armored-car companies, while others have used personal vehicles.

Mary Trigg, vice president in corporate communications at Security Pacific National Bank in Los Angeles, said she has not experienced a shortage of cash due to the strike, “but we have been using (other) armored carriers” to continue service to customers. She said the bank switched to different carriers as soon as the strike began.

Ken Ulrich, public relations officer for San Diego-based Great American First Savings Bank , said its branches have not experienced any difficulty in supplying customers with change as yet, even though it did make “temporary arrangements” for cash delivery. “We’re still doing business as usual,” he said.

Maria Menendez, operations officer at Bank of California in Newport Beach, said the strike has been a problem because “we don’t have anyone to bring the money here.” She said the bank had to transport its money from a central cash department in Los Angeles by private car last week.

Still, some local grocers said they have not experienced any problems.

“It hasn’t really happened here yet,” said Gary Gregg, grocery manager at an Albertson’s store in Corona del Mar. “The banks still have money. . . . We’re getting (change) so far.”