I was up at the crack of dawn to take on the world! I had my affairs in order and a "nobody can stop me" attitude. And then, I pulled into the bank parking lot, noting it was surprisingly empty! I praised myself for my "good timing" and the promise of a "no wait" visit before I headed for the door of the dark and empty bank! Staring me in the face was the sign, "We've moved."
"To where," I thought out loud! There was no new address or phone number! I had been in this very bank just 5 weeks ago and nobody said they were moving! I did what any 21st Century Smart Phone owner would do: I searched for this "new" bank! However, I could not find another bank with the same name nearby! The nearest one was 26 miles away!
So, I headed to bank #2, where my plan was to also close out a small, no longer used account! Sometimes, truth is stranger than fiction. I could not have possibly imagined this scenario as I turned the corner and saw 5 fire trucks with ladders drawn, "green" coated firemen and women directing traffic away from MY bank, and enough police to prevent a bank robbery from ever happening! I'm pretty sure this "old" bank branch will close after this assault of water and firemen!
As I drove to a safe place to "Google" other branches of this bank, I thought of the tough lot of so many "smaller" banks in recent years. They have been gobbled up by bigger banks, had their names changed, and sometimes moved without warning (or after events that are out of their control. In some ways, I guess this is just the way "progress" works in the business world; however, there is a bit of sadness as smaller banks disappear and bigger banks mushroom into even bigger institutions! Perhaps, I pondered, ever the educator, that is why so many smaller districts, would like to keep their smaller, community focused identity? It may not be the best for "progress" or "business"; but, there is something nice about community that will be missed!
As I drove to a safe place to "Google" other branches of this bank, I thought of the tough lot of so many "smaller" banks in recent years. They have been gobbled up by bigger banks, had their names changed, and sometimes moved without warning (or after events that are out of their control. In some ways, I guess this is just the way "progress" works in the business world; however, there is a bit of sadness as smaller banks disappear and bigger banks mushroom into even bigger institutions! Perhaps, I pondered, ever the educator, that is why so many smaller districts, would like to keep their smaller, community focused identity? It may not be the best for "progress" or "business"; but, there is something nice about community that will be missed!
4 comments:
HI. You make some great points. Firstly, about the banks.....in our area banks are springing up all over the place. It has gotten to the point that when there is a new, larger building being put up, and we see the sign.....such and such bank.....we just shake our heads! Another bank?! Why so many!
Your analogy to education and size of districts is applicable. There are some intangible values to having a smaller, community school rather than a HUGE, sometimes (not always) impersonal district. Luckily, not all the educational institutions in our area have lost their small town feel. However, I do believe we are starting to experience duplication of services, and that will be a tough one in which to figure out how to handle.
I enjoyed your post! Thanks.
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What a strange morning you had! It made a great slice though. It definitely gave me something to think about.
I'm wondering if that's the fate of the world today...the smaller stores, banks, shops, get eaten up by the big name shops. It makes me sad. What an adventurous morning you had though! Thanks for sharing!
I recently was in a small fender bender. There's a business that I've used before for body repair, but I was given some approved names by the insurance company & checked out the first name they gave me. It was recommended by the BBB and had an A+ rating and was in the same area as the other shop I had used. Imagine my surprise when I pulled up to my old place with a new name across the front. Just in case I wasn't right, I asked the technician assigned to me. Sure enough, that business was bought by this one. Did you find another branch available for the 2nd branch? Stories like this seem so improbable, but then along comes this slice and your morning adventures.
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