Merritt Bakery Finds Time-Saving Cash Handling Solution With Brink's CompuSafe Service

(Irving, Texas ? January 28, 2002) - Merritt Bakery of Oakland, California, has just publicly announced an agreement with Brink's, Incorporated for CompuSafeŽ Service, an electronic cash handling service created to provide greater convenience and security for cash-intensive retail operations. Merritt Bakery had the Brink's CompuSafe Service initiated in September 1999, and began enjoying the benefits almost immediately.

"Brink's CompuSafe Service has solved two key problems for us," said Charles Griffis, owner and operator of Merritt Bakery, which employs over 100 people, 30 of whom handle cash. "First it saves us time. While I trust my employees, the typical verification process was time-consuming and error-prone."

"The other key benefit for us is the convenience of having Brink's keep cash totals by department and employee," said Griffis."We have restaurant sales, take-out sales and lottery sales. With CompuSafe Service, it is easy to verify the department and employee totals to the computerized cash register."

Brink's CompuSafe Service provides improved security and accuracy for cash transactions from the time a customer pays to the time the money is deposited in the bank and completely eliminates the manual counting and re-counting of cash on-site at restaurants.

"Like most restaurant owners, Charles Griffis at Merritt Bakery is pleased not to have to make trips to the bank every day," said Glenn Mason, vice president of Brink's CompuSafe Service. "Brink's offers greater convenience and security for restaurant employees and owners."

When restaurant employees insert currency into the CompuSafe unit, it reads and validates the bills, placing them in secure cassettes. Brink's collects the sealed containers and transports them to a Brink's currency room where trained tellers verify the deposits and deposit the money to Merritt Bakery's bank. Perhaps most important, because Brink's controls the entire process, the potential for theft and discrepancies is minimized and Brink's can guarantee Merritt Bakery that the amount of cash reported in the cassettes when picked up will be deposited to their bank.

Brink's CompuSafe Service is a solution that offers Brink's quality service every step of the way, from the safes and armored transportation to the on-site maintenance and nationwide electronic reporting. It was designed specifically for cash-intensive retail operations such as restaurants, convenience stores, and gasoline marketers.

"I saw a CompuSafe for the first time at a Chevron and liked what I saw," said Griffis. "CompuSafe Service reduces the amount of times cash changes hands."

Brink's, Incorporated, founded in 1859, is the largest provider of armored services in the world with over 150 facilities in the United States and a global network that spans over 50 countries.

For more information on Brink's CompuSafe Service, please call 1-800-BRINKS-5 or visit www.brinksinc.com/compusafeservice.