Chapter 3: Banks

“I still don’t see why you don’t want to use your old bank,” Mark said while walking up to the door of a major bank.

“I didn’t like the service there,” Dexter said.

Patiently, Mark held the glass door open for Dexter. The man wasn’t moving all that quickly. In fact, he was rather grumpy.

Dexter stepped into the bank and looked around. There were three desks, only one of which had a person sitting in it, that he assumed were for loan officers and new accounts people. There was a row of ATMs inside the bank. Next to the ATMs was a rack of brochures that described the services provided by the bank. There was a teller’s booth that hid behind a glass partition. There was only enough space for a single teller.

Dexter picked up one of the brochures advertising financial services. He glanced over it noticing that more details were available at the bank’s website. He looked up at the person seated at the desk and then back down at the brochure.

“Is this the main office?” Dexter asked.

“It’s the main branch in this city,” Mark answered.

“I don’t want to do business here,” Dexter said.

Surprised, Mark asked, “Why? This is a major bank.”

“So what?” Dexter asked.

“You need to do business with a major bank,” Mark said.

“I don’t want to give this place my business,” Dexter said stubbornly.

“I don’t understand,” Mark said.

Pointing around the room. Dexter said, “Look at this place.”

“I’m looking,” Mark said.

“Where are the people? They’ve got more ATMs than they have tellers. They’ve got one person over there to deal with customers. One of those desks looks like it isn’t even being used,” Dexter said.

“Most banking is automated,” Mark said bewildered by Dexter’s criticisms.

“When I deal with a bank, I want to interact with a person,” Dexter said.

“I don’t understand,” Mark said.

Dexter said, “When I go into a bank, I want to see a teller, not a machine. I want them to say hello, talk to me, and to tell me to come back in the future once my transaction is complete. I don’t want to talk to him or her through a little slit in a glass partition.”

“It’s just a bank,” Mark said.

Dexter said, “It’s a business, and I am a customer. I want the business to acknowledge me as a customer. A little brochure saying that I’m important, ain’t gonna cut it!”

“I guess I see your point,” Mark said wondering if Dexter’s sudden wealth was going to his head.

Dexter could see that Mark didn’t understand.

He said, “Look at this bank. There are probably a dozen banks just like it.”

“There are basically three major banks,” Mark said.

“Point taken. However, if I’m standing in front of a machine, then what is the difference between this bank and the others? There isn’t one. If some other idiot is standing in front of the machine, what is the difference, to this bank, between me and that idiot. There isn’t one. So tell me, what makes this bank the bank that should get my business?” Dexter asked.

“There isn’t anything,” Mark said.

“Exactly,” Dexter said. “I want to do business where there is a reason for me to prefer to be a customer there.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Mark said nodding his head in slow agreement.

Dexter asked, “Would you rather be treated special, or as one of a herd?”

“Special,” Mark said.

“Same here. That isn’t going to happen at this bank,” Dexter said with a snort of disgust.

Mark said, “We can try someplace else.”

The two men returned to Mark’s car. Mark drove to a nearby bank. Before he even managed to park, Dexter said, “Not here.”

“Why not?” Mark asked.

“It’s just like the other bank,” Dexter said.

“You haven’t even seen the inside of it. How can you say that?” Mark asked.

“The drive-thru has ATMs,” Dexter answered.

Although a distance separated the customer from the teller at banks with drive-thru banking that used the tubes to convey the paperwork for transactions from car to teller, that didn’t bother Dexter. The customer still knew that there was a person at the other end of the tube.

“I didn’t notice that,” Mark said.

Mark and Dexter drove around for an hour, stopping at one bank, and then another and another. Each time, Dexter said that he didn’t want an account at it. Mark was getting irritated, and began to believe that they would never find a bank that would satisfy Dexter.

They were driving down a residential area, when Dexter pointed to a little building. He said, “Let’s try there.”

“What’s so special about it?” Mark asked.

“They’ve only got one drive-thru, and it has a window to a real person on the other side,” Dexter said.

For the first time since leaving the apartment, Dexter actually showed a little energy and enthusiasm. Mark followed him into the bank. It was immediately obvious that this bank was different than the other banks they had visited. For one, there was only a single ATM, and it was on the outside of the bank, for after hours use.

There were three desks, each of which was occupied. One desk at the back of the room was behind a half glass enclosure with a door. There was a sign on the glass giving the name of a person and position as bank manager. The other two desks had nameplates that gave the person’s name and their position. Sally Markum was the accounts manager and Johanna Castle was the loan officer.

There were two tellers at the counter and a third at the drive-thru window. Each position had a nameplate with the name of the teller.

Everyone in the bank looked over at Dexter when he entered the room. They all smiled at him.

Sally Markum, seated at the desk nearest the door, said, “Hello.”

“Hello,” Dexter said. “You’re just the person I want to see.”

Mark muttered, “Finally.”

Seeing that Mark was just standing behind Dexter, Johanna walked over to him and then asked, “Can I help you?”

“I’m with him,” Mark said gesturing over at Dexter.

“Okay,” Johanna said before returning to her desk.

“Why don’t you both have a seat,” Sally said gesturing to the pair of chairs at her desk.

Dexter said, “I’d like to open a new account.”

“What kind of account?” Sally asked.

“A savings account, a checking account, and an investment account,” Dexter answered.

“Excellent,” Sally said. While digging through the drawer of her desk, she asked, “Are you new to the area?”