Hourly employees -- like me -- at the Times Publishing Company still get paid with paper checks. The rest of the world (it seems anyway) has gone to automatic deposit, but...we still get checks every Wednesday.

I hate to complain about getting a paycheck, but it's annoying as hell to have to go to the bank to deposit it each week because, as you know, bank hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. most days. Since I work from 7:30 a.m. to after 5:30 or later, I stand no chance of making it into the actual bank.

So, I have to deposit my check using the ATM. Fine. Except that -- for WHATEVER REASON -- an increasing number of Northwest Savings Bank's machines will not take deposits. This includes the brand new bank they just built in Harborcreek across from Giant Eagle.

I happened to be in the bank one Saturday several months ago and mentioned my frustration to the teller and asked her why the machine didn't take deposits. She didn't have an answer for why, but she did tell me that you can put your deposit in the Night Deposit Box and they'll process it first thing in the AM!

Who knew?

All you have to do is fill out your ATM deposit envelope (grab a stack next time you're at a machine that does actually take deposits!) and stick it in the night deposit box. The bank will send you a receipt a few days later.

Takes the hassle out of dealing with those pesky paychecks, dosen't it?