Meet Your Armored Guards

Meet the guy who delivers the money and bounces around the back of that truck all day

I've been in this business for two years now and one thing has played a major role in my life and the lives of my co-workers. It's the fact that our customers treat us as less than human. Things like they can't possibly believe so many people in our company have degrees. Or families. Or wives who are giving birth and they actually would prefer to be there for the birth of their first child instead of picking up their deposit so they don't have to deal with a different guard.

     And I know a lot of people who read what I write day in and day out work in a field that requires them to see an armored truck every so often (and if not, you have probably bumped in to one elsewhere). You may not have direct contact with the guy who comes in, but you've probably at least seen him.

     So I'd like to introduce you to your armored guards.

     Many of them...

     ...are retired and working to supplement their incomes.

     ...are young guys/girls just trying to get on their feet.

     ...have families.

     ...have families and this is their only source of income. And maybe someone they are supporting is very, very ill.

     ...have degrees.

     ...have another job or two on the side.

     ...have recently dealt with the death of a spouse, parent, child, etc.

     ...have illnesses like diabetes, cancer, Lupus, etc.

     ...have dreams of doing something other than this with their lives.

     ...are dealing with the same crap I rant about, most companies are exactly the same.

     ...aren't making their rent or paying other bills.

     ...have a lot to worry about.

     ...don't like their guns.

     ...have been wearing the same shoes for 8 years.

     ...have served in the military. Many are Vets, all the way from Vietnam to Iraq.

     ...were police officers, fire fighters, EMTs, etc.

     ...are very tired.

     ...lift more weight in a day than you do, no matter what you say.

     ...look forward to days off... even if you can't fathom them not coming by a day or two a week.

     ...have cars made in the late 80s.

     ...don't own a car.

     ...some are pretty messy. Others are very organized.

     ...don't think their job is as exciting as you do.

     ...are job hunting.

     ...want to go home as bad as you do.

 ...have inside jokes with co-workers.

     ...are, pretty much, just like you.

     So the next time your armored guard comes in, just remember he/she is a person, too. They make mistakes. They have bad days. They have other things in their lives to think about than work. They like it when you say hello. They really like it when you smile at them. They don't have all the time in the world. They are as personally responsible for everything that goes wrong as you are. They are doing the best they can.

     Now back to your life. We thank you for reading this.This is a weird sort rant for me. But after having a customer go completely bolistic because she couldn't understand why I was there and not her normal guard (and telling her his wife was giving birth to their first child didn't seem to make a difference to her), I felt like I needed to say something. We're human, too, after all.

P.S. I don't work for the company that truck belongs to. It was taken by a friend of mine in another state while she was driving down the highway. She saw an armored truck and thought of me. LOL!