We all now enjoy the luxury of getting money out of a bank ATM in a matter of seconds at the press of a key. It is so convenient that if we don’t see an ATM in a shopping mall we start complaining. Our patience levels have gone down so much that even mobile ATMs were introduced which literally live up to the name of Any Time Money! Countries like India has taken this even forward where cash transactions are now part of a history. Most transactions are digital now with Google Pay and other forms of digital payments in vogue now. While we adore the life in a well-connected world now, it wasn’t always this easy.
Can you imagine a time in 80’s and even early 90’s when you literally had to plan well in advance to withdraw cash from your own account?
The process was a long drawn one which started with you physically visiting the branch of your bank where you had the account. You then had to wait for your turn to request for a token which used to be a metallic piece, circular in shape, with a unique number engraved on it. We also had to fill the details of amount to be withdrawn on a paper slip, a bundle of which were kept at a counter with a pen next to it tied to a rope to write the details.
Getting hold of a withdrawal slip was an easy task, but God help you if you didn’t have a pen of your own. You’ll be at the mercy of other customers, who all had their eyes on that one pen, waiting to pounce on it as soon as the previous customer was done writing. The scene was something akin to a battle ground where everyone fought with an equal amount of fervour with a sole objective of winning. Somehow once you finally got hold of the pen, you would fill the withdrawal slip with all required details. The waiting game started then.
If you were lucky, you would find a place to sit on one of benches meant for the customers. You then patiently waited for the bank teller also known as cashier, to call out your token number. You had to dedicate your attention to this call out since any distraction will cost you the chance to present your token to the cashier. If that happened, you ended up fighting with the customers next in the queue to get your chance back.
Once your number was called, you rushed to the teller and presented your precious token which assumed as much value as the amount mentioned on your withdrawal slip. You would also hand over the paper to the teller and waited for her to verify the details. If all details were correct, she then reached out to her cash drawer and took out the amount you had requested for. A manual counting of the currency followed since there were no currency counting machines then. Usually, the counting was done twice to ensure that the amount dispatched was correct. The amount would be handed over to you through a pigeonhole sized opening of the cabin in which the teller usually sat.
It was then your turn to do the counting. The teller even after checking twice could have made a mistake which could turn out to be costly for you if the amount dispatched is less than what you have written in the withdrawal slip. After all this was done, you confirm the amount as correct and bid a goodbye to the teller like how you would wish someone in your family when you went visiting them.
Banking used to be a time consuming but extremely personal affair. All these gave way when core banking was introduced, and technology played a pivotal role in connecting all the banks together. Various other advanced customer friendly services also followed.
While convenience has increased multi-fold with all the modern-day digital banking, the happiness of engaging with people while doing business was something special in those days. Then again, certain changes are mandated by the all-powerful force of nature called time! You just tag along…
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