Val's Halloween Horror

I went to the bank on Halloween. Not because it was Halloween, but because it was Thursday, the regular day that I do errands in that town. I used to live there, in my $17,000 house, and have used the same bank through two changes of ownership. It was convenient back then. Now, not so much, but I DO have other business over there once a week.

Anyhoo... I hadn't been to the bank for two weeks. That's because I didn't need to withdraw our weekly cash, since Hick had paid us his SUS2.5 (Storage Unit Store 2.5) electric bill and Lowe's bill with cash. So I used that in place of making a deposit and withdrawal. Thursday, I was back at the drive-thru for my regular withdrawal.

WHAT IN THE NOT-HEAVEN???

The little traffic lights on all three drive-thru lanes were RED! Was the bank closed for Halloween? Was there some other holiday? The venetian blinds (it's an old bank) on the window where the drive-thru tellers look out were down. I pulled into my favorite drive-thru lane, just to get a look at that window and make sure. Besides, that was the only way I could get out of the parking lot. Huh. There was a printout taped to the tube where the cannister comes out. 

EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 28, 2024, NEW HOURS WILL BE:

LOBBY - 8:00 TO 5:00

DRIVE THROUGH - CLOSED

Nooooo! If I wanted to go into the lobby every week, I would go into the lobby! I need my drive-thru! I looped around down the alley, and back to the front parking lot. At least they have two handicap spaces, and a concrete ramp with a rail. 

I hobbled along to the door. A man had come in the wrong one-way direction into the lot, and was getting out of his car. Another car came in the wrong way, and backed into a space. The walking man held the door open for me. I thanked him, and told him to go ahead, since he was ahead of me anyway.

The lobby is small. Only one of the four slots was open. A young black man with shoulder-length braids, in a dark green button-up shirt, was working it, the far left slot. Green is my favorite color! He looked very banky. I have not seen him here before.

Door-Holder was moving money from one of his accounts to the other. He was asked for ID, and presented it. I leaned against the wall by the door, not wanting to sit down in one of the six available chairs. Sometimes it's easier to stand while leaning, than to stiffen up while sitting.

Overall Man came in next. He went to sit down and wait. After about five minutes, a gal came out of the back room. I suppose she had been on her break. It was a little after 3:30. I did not recognize her, either, from my previous views through the drive-thru window. She had short mousy hair, and glasses that kept slipping down her nose. Her attire was a skirt and knit top. Suitable for a bank teller, but a bit frumpy.

I was also depositing a check from my investment company, since there is a certain amount (RMD) that I have to take out every year. I put the check and deposit slip on the counter, along with a withdrawal slip (specifically asking for twenties), and my ID. I don't put both transactions on the same slip, because sometimes they want to say they're holding such a check for 10 days, and don't want to give a withdrawal, even though there is plenty of other money in our account. RULES! They don't always make sense.

Anyhoo... Mousey was working on my deposit. Green Shirt had finished with Door-Holder, and called Overall Man to the counter. He was wanting to withdraw $500, but said he had just come in because the ATM on the back wall by the drive-thru would not give him money. Green Shirt asked if he had the paper slip the ATM gave him. He did.

Mousey opened her drawer to give my cash, and was shocked to see that she didn't have enough twenties. "This never happens to me! Huh. I wonder if HE has enough."

Well. Sometimes that happens at the drive-thru. They say they have to go get it. I imagine them walking into the safe, but I suppose not every teller has access to the safe. That would be a big responsibility for someone who probably makes near minimum wage. Mousey just stood there.

"I can take other bills. They don't have to be twenties."

"Oh, you wouldn't want that. I only have tens and fives."

Well. I'll be the judge of that. I would gladly take ANY money to just get out of there. She had already given me my withdrawal receipt. Just not the cash. I suppose Mousey was waiting for a lull when she could ask Green Shirt about the twenties. Because she walked over there. He hesitated a moment.

"I'll take these right now, and I'll give you a receipt for them in a minute."

She took the bills, and went to the money-counting machine. I heard it whirring. Then she came back to my slot and counted them out in front of me.

"I haven't been here in a couple weeks, and now the drive-thru is closed! Is that ever going to re-open?"

"Yes. It's not permanent. It's just until we can get more people in here to work."

This whole NIGHTMARE had taken me 20 minutes. That's 20 minutes of standing on my knees, though I tried leaning at various angles on the wall, and later the counter. I got a sharp shooting pain above my left ample-rumpus cheek. Not sure what that was. But my point is: SOME PEOPLE NEED THE DRIVE-THRU!

I don't understand how only having the lobby open helps with short-staffing. Unless it deters some customers, and they drive away. The tellers still have to service the customers in the lobby. When the drive-thru is open, they go back and forth between counter and window. It's not like this new process is allowing them to service any more customers.

Hick's explanation was that the business customers can't put all their change and stuff in the cannister at the drive-thru. And...? How does this explain ANYTHING about closing the drive-thru? The business customers with that issue would be going into the lobby anyway!

Seriously. I would much rather sit on my ample rumpus for 20 minutes in T-Hoe's comfortable seat than stand for 20 minutes on my painful knees in the lobby. Am I missing something here?