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Wednesday 22 July 2009

Brick and mortar and possibly my new stalker

Yesterday I went to my local Wells-Fargo branch to deposit a couple of checks and proceeded to have this interaction with the teller who assisted me.

Teller: "How's your day going?"

Me: "Fine, thanks."

Teller: "And what are you up to today?"

Me: blink.

Um, depositing checks? I wasn't quite sure how to answer that, so I sort of just looked at him.

Teller, prompting me helpfully: "Are you working today? Or just running errands?"

Me: "Um, you know. Getting things done." Things like minding my own flipping business.

Teller: "And how has your week been so far?"

Me: "Fine." SERIOUSLY. Are we done here??? I don't have to tell you my life story if I don't feel like it.

Now, I realize that the guy was just trying to make friendly conversation. I do that as part of my job too, but it seems like you really have to ease into that sort of thing--that it happens naturally the longer your interaction lasts. And you generally want to follow the OTHER persons lead.

I've actually noticed that all of the tellers and bankers at that branch go a bit above and beyond with the greetings and the chit-chat. It's probably something that is encouraged as part of their workplace culture. One Friday evening I was asked by female employees if I have any fun plans for the weekend, which didn't bother me at all. Does this mean I am sexist, perhaps? Was I just so thrilled that as a newlywed I could say something to her that was not "eat peanut butter with a spoon by myself all night while I wonder which animal is going to get to my dead body first?" Or was this guy maybe just not as smooth about the chatting as some of the women are?

It's interesting to speculate though on what other conversational gambits may await me in future visits.

"Hi there, what do you like to do for fun?"
"So, what have you eaten today?"
"Please map out for me exactly what you will be doing for the rest of the day."
"How many brothers and sisters do you have?"
"What kind of birth control do you use?"
"Have you had a bowel movement in the last 24 hours?"

Should be good times.

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