Going to the Bank

Since I started working again, I've had to go to the bank a lot.

Not that I'm complaining.

I have been planning to set up my paychecks to be direct-deposited. I am waiting for David and me to pick a new bank before I do this. I know that as soon as I go through the paperwork to set up direct deposit at school, David and I will figure out how we want to set up our accounts to handle our new dual-income household and decide to change banks.

So I go to the bank at least twice a month.

The other day I went to the bank at around lunchtime. Apparently I have avoided going to the bank at lunchtime before now. I had always wondered why they had the velvet rope thingys at the bank I go to. I have never waited in line with more than two other people. This time, there were no fewer than 12 people in line.

So I waited. I was stuck behind a middle-aged woman who looked nervous and like she wanted to make a break for it, and an elderly woman in an automated wheelchair behind me who moved her chair in spurts and managed to clip my ankle every single time.

This is not an entry to complain about being stuck between two women in line at the bank. Rather, I have another issue to complain about -- what in the world are people doing at the bank?

I know my issue -- I can't get around to joining the rest of the modern world and get my paychecks direct deposited (and I don't like the idea of sticking my paycheck in an ATM, thank you).

But what are these other people doing there? And why do they have passbooks?

I was surprised at how long most of the interactions took. One woman was trying to understand why the bank teller wouldn't deposit her checks. The teller was attempting to calmly explain that what the woman had were check stubs and not actual checks. Another woman made a cash withdrawal and then asked to deposit this cash in her other account -- but the problem was she had only one account at this bank.

Remember when banks started charging fees for using tellers? Remember how upset people got? I thought it was about banks thinking about the automation of most bank transactions via ATMs and online and the such and determining since they can charge at the ATM, they'll charge at the bank too.

However, I see now that banks want to charge fees for using their tellers because the only customers the tellers deal with face-to-face now are old ladies trying to deposit check stubs.

Oh, and me.