To be upset my local bank is closing?

[CurlingChamp]

Our local bank is permanently closing in about 5 weeks. Aside from the general inconvenience that it will cause me, I feel sad at the social loss in my life.

I’ve used that bank mostly weekly, sometimes 2 or 3 times a week, for 18 years (I use it for business cash banking). There’s ladies working in that bank that have seen me through two pregnancies, and have watched my children grow up. I mean, I see them more than my own family!

The other day I was in the car with my DP and we drove past the bank. I said to him “I’m going to miss the bank when it’s gone, I’m really sad it’s closing.” He turned to look at me in amazement, laughing, and said “I wish I lived in your little brain!”.

Of course it’s not the only thing I worry or feel sad about, and of course life will go on, but am I am unreasonable to be sad about the bank closing?

Sorry you’re sad. But speaking as someone who works in retail banking a surprising number of branches get less than 10 people in per day. We just can’t afford to keep them open for that few people.

Ours Is closing too

It's practically the last one

Mum and I were wondering where people are going to do their business cash banking! What's your nearest option now?

It's a big pain for mum. Being honest, I'm not surprised because the staff in there have had zero training recently. We did really want to convert her account to a joint account. But because she doesn't do anything online, I don't think they'll be able to cope with it. The last time we were in there asking to do something in person, it wasn't at all complicated and somehow it took them an hour! And that was after they kept giving us the wrong information on the first visit.

Every time she goes in there now they just tell her that she has to do stuff online

It's going to affect us if we reach her kind of age because after two small strokes, she's not able to deal with figures reliably online.

I've also got a neighbour with a disability that means she can't bank online

I really don't know how people are managing.

Oh wow, ours has loads of in-person customers! Mum was really confident that it would stay open for that reason.

Ours is always pretty busy too - but presumably not busy enough. It’ll be half an hour drive to our nearest city, plus parking in the multi-storey and walking. Never bothered me to carry a couple of thousand cash in our small town, or a short walk with a bagful of change, when it’s a minute or two walk in broad daylight. I’m not sure I want to do that in the city, and if I go more often I’m going to be wasting so much time!

Ours closed too, it was always busy!

Ours is closing too. It's was always so busy too. The workers there are like old friends. I can't understand it. Its so sad.

I don’t need to go to the bank often, few time a year, but they are always busy with long queues. I don’t believe that people aren’t using them.

The Post Office might be a better option than driving to the city.

I don't use bank branches.

When we got married there were 8 banks and 2 building societies in our town.
Now there is only one building society.
Sad

You can do some banking through the Post Office. Ours is so much more reliable than the cash point at the supermarket and there is a lovely cafe next door too!

I wish I lived in your little brain? Your DH sounds like a patronising twat.

The loss of banks is awful.

They closed all the banks in my dad’s town and opened an banking hub and it’s great. Different days for different banks. They are not social services but businesses and I honestly don’t think there is any call for separate branches of all the banks these days. What do people do in them?

@CurlingChamp oh dear, that does sound a pain

in terms of the staff, there were people who had known mum for 30+ years. Those members of staff have been gone for about six months. There is one that we recognise but she wasn't around when we were last trying to do something in there.

I presume she's been told to try and push everybody online as well

I really don't understand how banks are dealing with customers who have any accessibility needs? I can see the accessibility stuff that happens online but I can't see anything else.

from what I can gather from friends in the US, they have less of an issue with bank closures than we do in the UK. I find that interesting but I don't know what the reasons are.

I agree that it's a real shame to lose that community link as well.

The banking hubs are few and far between. Our closest is a 15 minute drive away. My mums town has just closed its last remaining bank. Theres only 1 left in my town. You can do a lot of banking at the post office although ours only ever has 1 person serving and a big queue

We’ve been told we won’t get a banking hub in our town.

Yes, I will look at using the post office. I really don’t know how they will cope with the increased number of customers. There’s not much room for queuing.

Agreed.

He's kind of right though! It is very odd to get so attached to a bank. Most people won't have set foot in one for years. They are almost pointless now and will becoming increasingly so as we move towards a cashless society.

Why is your business taking so much cash? The myth of cash being cheaper has been debunked time and time again. Just go cashless then you can save your time.

You can deposit cash into a post office.

Fucking hate the post office though!! So my sympathies.

OP has clearly explained that she isnt most people and has known the staff in there for years

Agree with you as well. It is to me a sign of times gone by disappearing that I find sad.

My family business had banked at our local bank since the 1940’s. The staff knew my grandad and my dad. The manager knew who he could lend to and who he couldn’t. Recently my Dad had to do the online who you are verification thingy to prove he his who he has said he was and the bank have known him since 1949 Business loans are now done on a computer model.

I don’t want a cashless society. I don’t want a high street full of Turkish barbers and nail salons. I want communities where people know, trust and look after each other -exactly like the ladies in your bank who knew you were pregnancy.

We’ve not had a bank in my town for over a decade - the nearest one is 45 minutes away. We have no choice but to use the post office or drive out.

The Nationwide is still open in our town, it has pledged to stay open for a few years in many branches, It's probably got a few new customers because of that. DH has to use a bank for some club money he has to deposit a couple of times a year and uses the Post Office, ours don't seem to have too bad a queue now they do home collection for parcels.

The way forward seems to be the Post Office, it's been told by the government to offer banking services.

Problem is most bank branches just don't have enough customera to bother keeping open. And the ones that are busy, lets just sat they aren'r ... umm... the most profitable customers.

As someone said, banks aren't public services and the cultural insistence in the UK on free current account banking means they aren't going to continue to provide increasingly expensive in person banking to a diminishing amount of not very profitable customers.