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?

Platforms like Meet Up and Event Brite make it easy for organisers of events and clubs to take event fees or subs.

Lots of businesses carry and use cash. I’m a dog walker and have a few elderly clients who don’t have online banking and others who just prefer to pay me in cash. I pay £200-£300 into my account every single week.

DH is a plasterer and has had people give him hundreds in notes for a job in the past.

I personally prefer bank transfer as I have no use for cash on a day to day basis but if my clients prefer cash then it’s no skin off my nose to offer it as a form of payment - it all ends up in my business account either way!

There’s also the fact that you don’t lose money if you accept cash but card machines charge you a percentage of each transaction, which soon adds up.

From reading here. It sounds like a lot of people just appreciate in person banks so they can have a chat, nothing to do with the banking services. Post offices and banking hubs can probably fill the 'have a natter' need just as well.

There’s also the fact that you don’t lose money if you accept cash but card machines charge you a percentage of each transaction, which soon adds up.

Many business accounts will charge you to pay in cash.

Mine doesn’t 🤷‍♀️

But cash doesn’t need to be paid in either - you can use it to pay your suppliers or your workers, or to pay for equipment etc.

Why don’t you pay it in at atm

done it loads of times zero issues

My friend (she's only in her early 70s) still does telephone banking! She has no smartphone, can't use a computer and has nobody available to explain to her how it all works and how to set up internet banking. My internet banking (I'm quite nervous online as ADHD makes me prone to pressing random buttons and then losing my temper when it doesn't work as I want it to) was explained to me by my very internet savvy kids, who talked me through setting up my account.

But if you're older and don't have anyone to sit down next to you and walk you through how to set these things up, it's tricky!

To the PP who asked why I needed access to an ATM (in my case I much prefer an ATM in a branch having previously had a card cloned), a significant number of our local businesses, cafes and the like, either prefer, or only accept cash.

Because you can’t where I live. My town has one ATM attached to an off license which charges you £1.75 a go. All you can use it for is to check your balance and withdraw cash.

Ours doesn’t either.
our card transaction bill was 200-300 a week. We’ve got it down to £100 a month encouraging transfers, that doesn’t help small businesses like cafes though.

I think that when some of the banks were bailed out, keeping a network should have been a condition. Would not have saved all, but many.

I also think that with modern tech, the space could partly be used for non-branch staff instead of expensive head offices. So a branch kept open with smaller customer space.

Sorry but somewhere for people “to have a natter” is not a good enough reason for banks to stay open.

If the club has a back account why can’t it has online banking. I did the accounts for a very small charity. It had online banking.

There is a cost to cash.

You have to go to a bank to pay it in.

How do you value your time for dog walking? Apply that rate to the time you spend going to a bank and there’s your cost.

In which case you don't need a bank to pay it into

I drive past the post office on my way home on a Friday - costs me an extra 5 minutes a week and I claim back the mileage

So you don’t even go to a bank?

Only because we don't have a bank nearby, the nearest is 40 miles away.

Yeah but how long do you spend queuing in the Post Office? Ours is like a branch of GUM in 1980s USSR.

The only time i go to post office nowadays would be to post a parcel , but used Inpost last week, which was so much easier and on the way to the post office and cheaper, so wont be using royal mail again.

There’s ladies working in that bank that have seen me through two pregnancies, and have watched my children grow up.

Wish my bank offered these services!

Our local bank is closing soon as well. The next closest will be 40 minutes away! I can understand why though because honestly I’ve used it once in the 4 years we’ve lived here. Even Dh who also has his business account there has only been a handful of times. It used to be different back when people insisted on paying in cash, but not many people do that anymore, so he barely has to go in.

About two minutes, if that. Ours is very well staffed and very well used.