Less cash access
If the actions of the local banking industry are an indication, the cashless society model is alive and well. This evening, I had some cash to deposit, so I headed up to the building where we’ve done our cashier-free transactions for the last two decades. The machines were gone. No forwarding address, no explanation, no screen waiting to watch me (they do watch me; I saw that in a movie once, so I believe it).
As I’ve said before, I’m old enough to remember lines and signature cards. Only. No interbranch commerce, no flexibility. Cheques were as homebrew as you got to be. Then the instant teller was invented and you know the rest. Fewer “brick and mortar” contact points. Fewer tellers that knew you by name. Fewer calendars that had to be adjusted by hand. We put in a card and took out our ration of currency. All around me, companies closed their doors and replaced their points of presence with machines that were there for me day or night. The machines proliferated, until even the local gas bar and fast food restaurant had a machine over in the corner.
Recently, that’s been changing. The gas station up the hill has lost one of theirs, and continues to ask customers to complain to someone, anyone. The cash machine brought in customers. Tonight, my local (former) bank branch which had closed its wickets a couple of years ago is simply gone. I guess that people in this area no longer need cash (please do not confuse that with not needing money, as we’re all still po’ folk.
Now, to be fair, I needed to deposit cash so that I could go home and pay a bill via my online banking site. I am part of the problem.
