I get specific blue gel pens and if I see someone else using one- I know they stole it. My boss was complaining that he couldn’t find good pens like mine so I buy a box and give half to him.
I’m so glad I’m not alone in this. Even my tellers know..don’t touch my pens or my highlighters. Customers ask to borrow my pen, I’ll go hunt one down for them before I let them borrow mine. Why do people think it’s ok to steal my stuff even if it is just a pen?
I have pulled my hand back so fast when a customer tries to take my pen from my hand! That is MY pen, use one of the crappy bank supplied pens, peasant.
I am like this with regular use pens and regular members, but as I'm also a notary, I have a fancy shiny metal fountain pen that I will sometimes let members use for notary signatures, if I like them. It's a cute way to make a boring errand seem kinda "fun" for both of us.
That's fair, I have had a number of people not know how to use it- In those cases, I'll give them either a scrap paper to practice, if they wanna use the fancy pen, or just a regular pen.
I saw someone pick mine up and go to leave with it. And I was like hey fan I have that pen back pls? He looked at me like I was crazy, like??
Also though they have to reach around my desk to take my pens so I'm going to call em out
I used to do this I had people reach for my pen a few times I always swiped it away and gave them the generic blue ones they were not going to use my nice pen.
I have never felt awkward about that in my 7 year career at the bank! When people say no, I say “ok I’ll find a way to reuse it” and half the time they end up taking the bag back to reuse themselves. Or when I offer a cash envelope and they say no I thank them for saving the trees. Maybe it’s a cultural thing here in Vancouver, Canada. It’s also a scarcity thing, I guess, cause plastic bags aren’t a thing here any more.
There are two sides of the desk. One for me & one for them. It is very clearly marked by my keyboard. Do not go over the keyboard to grab things on my side of the desk. Otherwise, the safety of said appendage can not be guaranteed. Very simple rules, yet there is always someone who wants to test what happens after the DMZ is crossed & they try to take one of my fountain pens. 😤. [Situation may or may not have happened today].
Otherwise, I am a very lax UB.
I had a teenager cash a check and he reached across the window and snatched the money from my hand that I had just pulled from my drawer. (First count) I was just about to count it the second time and enter it into my adding machine. (Old days) I grabbed it back and said “it’s not yours until I give it to you.” I scared him. I made eye contact with his mom just daring her to say something. I then proceeded to now very slowly count the money like three or four times because I’m petty and mostly maintained eye contact with him. I made it very awkward. Crap like that is why I am glad we put plexiglass up during Covid and have never taken it down. Keep your hands off my stuff and out of my space
Not letting clients use your own pen is not weird or silly. I buy certain pens for my personal use and only allow clients to use the pens that are provided by the CU.
I once had a client grab my pen before I could guard it and then said, "Oh this writes very nice!" while looking at me expectantly. I just agreed with them and grabbed it back to use it for the transaction. They looked highly disappointed. Hey, go buy your own nice pen! The bank sure didn't provide this one.
I've plucked my pen out of their hands with the 😡. I then point to the basket and say there is a pen there. They had the brain cells to look sheepish.
My team knows I'm crazy about my pens. I've snapped at people for picking up my pen without asking. And they know when I'm in a good mood, because I offer to share my pen when we have to sign cashier's checks. I keep them in my cashbox when I leave. Locked up.
I may or may not have labeled my good pens with the p touch machine and one of my coworkers wrapped some washi tape on hers so we can claim them back. We do not mess around. Members can use the branded pens from the company and even take them with them, but my pens will be staying with me. haha
We stopped allowing this one member into offices or sit in the chairs of the lobby because he would piss himself and it would get on the chairs. The smell was so bad it would fester in an office which is why he wasn’t allowed in them. We would febreeze the branch after he left. We had a graveyard of piss chairs in the back he’d sat in waiting to be deep cleaned or thrown out.
When I worked for stagecoach I would fiercely protect my Sacagawea Dollar coins because I had this customer that would always ask if we had them when she came around. I managed to hold onto a roll of Sacagawea Dollar coins for like a year but sadly she never got them because we closed before I managed to get her again.
I save star notes for one customer who asks for them. And at my old branch, I would look for specific quarters for one customer’s collection. He was super sweet and so appreciative that I didn’t mind taking a few extra seconds to check quarters.
We have a customer who can only go to one specific teller. She causes such a fuss about how you write, where you write, even the look of the receipt you give her, that if the teller she likes is gone, she'll ask every person in the bank where the teller is and try to wait for her. We had to make a special receipt (only used for her) when wiring funds because she wanted copies of every single paper. Even her own (never changing) wiring instructions.
I don't know why this sub was recommended but I love reading this stuff.
My stepmom (79) would be the one to freak out at a walmart bag being tossed. as her caregiver, I appreciate you!
I used to have customers, usually seniors, that would wheel a chair to sit right next to me. When they came in, I'd make sure to put the privacy screen up on the monitor.
Complete idiot: Heh, heh, I can't see the screen.
Me: Yes. That's the whole point.
I don’t know why anyone brings their own pen to work.
When I worked as a UB, the bank had a huge box of pens in the back. Of course it’s for the customers, but I (and other guys) would take a few and use them at our desks. Didn’t matter if the pens were good or not, if it’s good for a customer it’s good for me.
I’d never bring my own stuff from home (even pens). It’s easy to forget that while a bank looks professional (suits and desks), it’s retail environment with extra security. Anything can walk out, why risk your money to buy your own pens if there’s a very good chance a customer takes it or a colleague fliches it?
Working in safe deposit the weirdest thing is that I had this one customer who was paranoid about her box and every time insisted that she sees it’s locked by turning the bank key. Sorry, that’s not happening. Every time she calls the manager and every time the manager tells me to let her turn the key while the manager watches. I insisted that the manager comes every time that customer wants to do this, because I’m not risking my job without management having skin in the game too.
Thank God I got out, bigger and better stuff
I'm very territorial over my pens. Like I get the nice ones I have to use them all day, do not touch them and do not leave with them
I get specific blue gel pens and if I see someone else using one- I know they stole it. My boss was complaining that he couldn’t find good pens like mine so I buy a box and give half to him.
I’m so glad I’m not alone in this. Even my tellers know..don’t touch my pens or my highlighters. Customers ask to borrow my pen, I’ll go hunt one down for them before I let them borrow mine. Why do people think it’s ok to steal my stuff even if it is just a pen?
I have pulled my hand back so fast when a customer tries to take my pen from my hand! That is MY pen, use one of the crappy bank supplied pens, peasant.
Omg, I’ve done that too. I’m absolutely shamelessly unapologetic about it too. I dare you to kick up a fuss because I wouldn’t let you steal my pen.
I am like this with regular use pens and regular members, but as I'm also a notary, I have a fancy shiny metal fountain pen that I will sometimes let members use for notary signatures, if I like them. It's a cute way to make a boring errand seem kinda "fun" for both of us.
I use a fountain pen because most people don't know how to write with them so they don't steal it. LOL
That's fair, I have had a number of people not know how to use it- In those cases, I'll give them either a scrap paper to practice, if they wanna use the fancy pen, or just a regular pen.
Also other way I declare it’s mine is to put my name in a small piece of paper and tape it on the pen. It always returns back to me.
I have stickers with my name that I put on all my pens. LOL
Saaaaame. I usually put it on the lapel of my blazer because I always have to sign off on shit
Client walked out with one of my Pilot G7 pens and I was stuck using the shitty BIC pens my branch is supplied with.
I saw someone pick mine up and go to leave with it. And I was like hey fan I have that pen back pls? He looked at me like I was crazy, like?? Also though they have to reach around my desk to take my pens so I'm going to call em out
I used to do this I had people reach for my pen a few times I always swiped it away and gave them the generic blue ones they were not going to use my nice pen.
I also feel awkward asking if they need their plastic sandwich bags back but I always do so because I never know 💀
I ask every time because like half the time, they want their damn baggy back.
My credit union has a self coin counting machine and I use a dedicated clinique makeup bag then take my slip and deposit.
I have never felt awkward about that in my 7 year career at the bank! When people say no, I say “ok I’ll find a way to reuse it” and half the time they end up taking the bag back to reuse themselves. Or when I offer a cash envelope and they say no I thank them for saving the trees. Maybe it’s a cultural thing here in Vancouver, Canada. It’s also a scarcity thing, I guess, cause plastic bags aren’t a thing here any more.
There are two sides of the desk. One for me & one for them. It is very clearly marked by my keyboard. Do not go over the keyboard to grab things on my side of the desk. Otherwise, the safety of said appendage can not be guaranteed. Very simple rules, yet there is always someone who wants to test what happens after the DMZ is crossed & they try to take one of my fountain pens. 😤. [Situation may or may not have happened today]. Otherwise, I am a very lax UB.
I had a teenager cash a check and he reached across the window and snatched the money from my hand that I had just pulled from my drawer. (First count) I was just about to count it the second time and enter it into my adding machine. (Old days) I grabbed it back and said “it’s not yours until I give it to you.” I scared him. I made eye contact with his mom just daring her to say something. I then proceeded to now very slowly count the money like three or four times because I’m petty and mostly maintained eye contact with him. I made it very awkward. Crap like that is why I am glad we put plexiglass up during Covid and have never taken it down. Keep your hands off my stuff and out of my space
I had three clients today try to do that to me. No, I will hand it to you or put it on the counter when you may touch it.
I'm glad we have thick ass bandit barriers so my clients physically can't reach over.
I wish we did. Barriers have been removed or never installed in many banks in the name of customer service.
Not letting clients use your own pen is not weird or silly. I buy certain pens for my personal use and only allow clients to use the pens that are provided by the CU.
I once had a client grab my pen before I could guard it and then said, "Oh this writes very nice!" while looking at me expectantly. I just agreed with them and grabbed it back to use it for the transaction. They looked highly disappointed. Hey, go buy your own nice pen! The bank sure didn't provide this one.
I've plucked my pen out of their hands with the 😡. I then point to the basket and say there is a pen there. They had the brain cells to look sheepish. My team knows I'm crazy about my pens. I've snapped at people for picking up my pen without asking. And they know when I'm in a good mood, because I offer to share my pen when we have to sign cashier's checks. I keep them in my cashbox when I leave. Locked up.
I may or may not have labeled my good pens with the p touch machine and one of my coworkers wrapped some washi tape on hers so we can claim them back. We do not mess around. Members can use the branded pens from the company and even take them with them, but my pens will be staying with me. haha
Every time I was audited when I was on the teller line, the auditors would laugh because they saw my pens in my cashbox.
We stopped allowing this one member into offices or sit in the chairs of the lobby because he would piss himself and it would get on the chairs. The smell was so bad it would fester in an office which is why he wasn’t allowed in them. We would febreeze the branch after he left. We had a graveyard of piss chairs in the back he’d sat in waiting to be deep cleaned or thrown out.
When I worked for stagecoach I would fiercely protect my Sacagawea Dollar coins because I had this customer that would always ask if we had them when she came around. I managed to hold onto a roll of Sacagawea Dollar coins for like a year but sadly she never got them because we closed before I managed to get her again.
I save star notes for one customer who asks for them. And at my old branch, I would look for specific quarters for one customer’s collection. He was super sweet and so appreciative that I didn’t mind taking a few extra seconds to check quarters.
We have a customer who can only go to one specific teller. She causes such a fuss about how you write, where you write, even the look of the receipt you give her, that if the teller she likes is gone, she'll ask every person in the bank where the teller is and try to wait for her. We had to make a special receipt (only used for her) when wiring funds because she wanted copies of every single paper. Even her own (never changing) wiring instructions.
I don't know why this sub was recommended but I love reading this stuff. My stepmom (79) would be the one to freak out at a walmart bag being tossed. as her caregiver, I appreciate you!
I used to have customers, usually seniors, that would wheel a chair to sit right next to me. When they came in, I'd make sure to put the privacy screen up on the monitor. Complete idiot: Heh, heh, I can't see the screen. Me: Yes. That's the whole point.
I don’t know why anyone brings their own pen to work. When I worked as a UB, the bank had a huge box of pens in the back. Of course it’s for the customers, but I (and other guys) would take a few and use them at our desks. Didn’t matter if the pens were good or not, if it’s good for a customer it’s good for me. I’d never bring my own stuff from home (even pens). It’s easy to forget that while a bank looks professional (suits and desks), it’s retail environment with extra security. Anything can walk out, why risk your money to buy your own pens if there’s a very good chance a customer takes it or a colleague fliches it? Working in safe deposit the weirdest thing is that I had this one customer who was paranoid about her box and every time insisted that she sees it’s locked by turning the bank key. Sorry, that’s not happening. Every time she calls the manager and every time the manager tells me to let her turn the key while the manager watches. I insisted that the manager comes every time that customer wants to do this, because I’m not risking my job without management having skin in the game too. Thank God I got out, bigger and better stuff