A great rarity these days , someone paid me , missus wants to go to a shop in a certain precinct so I take the cheque with me , knowing there is a branch of my bank there.
What can I say , this is not exactly a cosy middle class suburban shopping area, anyway I'm in the bank and there 8 in front of me and nothings happening.
After a while I start doing the usual , "people watching" . So , 3 cashiers open, No1 has a vociferous west indian girl who is objecting to the bank bouncing one of of her cheques , not understanding " no funds in your account".
No.2 has "Eastern European Man" stood there ,seemingly forever with much gesticulating and reams of paper to be dealt with and using cellphone at same time.
No.3 is trying to deal with the queue.
In the queue there are:-
2 No. Somali type women in traditional costume , giggling and both pressing keys on their cellphones.
A West Indian girl with pushchair, scowling , and pressing keys on cellphone.
A tall white youth who has had his spine replaced with sponge rubber so has to slouch all over the zig-zag queue forming posts to prevent himself from slithering to the floor, also keying his cellphone.
An enormous black guy like Mr T , dripping in gold , sunglasses, I-Plod earpieces with rapping at 200db per sq,inch, also keying cellphone.
Another white youth who needs to stand uncomfortably close behind me , personal space and all that, while talking on cellphone, in the end I turn to face him and he backs off.
Theres another queue to speak with an assistant ,nearly all of whom are on their cellphones.
At this point I'm wishing I'd brougt my cellphone so as to fit in.
Then I hear " CASHIER NUMBER THREEEEEEEEEEEE PLEASE" , Rubber Spine straightens up and lollops to the window , the cashier says a friendly hello, which he ignores, inserts a card into a reader, avoids speaking with the lady , and continues to key things into cellphone, cashier gives him a huge amount of 20
What can I say , this is not exactly a cosy middle class suburban shopping area, anyway I'm in the bank and there 8 in front of me and nothings happening.
After a while I start doing the usual , "people watching" . So , 3 cashiers open, No1 has a vociferous west indian girl who is objecting to the bank bouncing one of of her cheques , not understanding " no funds in your account".
No.2 has "Eastern European Man" stood there ,seemingly forever with much gesticulating and reams of paper to be dealt with and using cellphone at same time.
No.3 is trying to deal with the queue.
In the queue there are:-
2 No. Somali type women in traditional costume , giggling and both pressing keys on their cellphones.
A West Indian girl with pushchair, scowling , and pressing keys on cellphone.
A tall white youth who has had his spine replaced with sponge rubber so has to slouch all over the zig-zag queue forming posts to prevent himself from slithering to the floor, also keying his cellphone.
An enormous black guy like Mr T , dripping in gold , sunglasses, I-Plod earpieces with rapping at 200db per sq,inch, also keying cellphone.
Another white youth who needs to stand uncomfortably close behind me , personal space and all that, while talking on cellphone, in the end I turn to face him and he backs off.
Theres another queue to speak with an assistant ,nearly all of whom are on their cellphones.
At this point I'm wishing I'd brougt my cellphone so as to fit in.
Then I hear " CASHIER NUMBER THREEEEEEEEEEEE PLEASE" , Rubber Spine straightens up and lollops to the window , the cashier says a friendly hello, which he ignores, inserts a card into a reader, avoids speaking with the lady , and continues to key things into cellphone, cashier gives him a huge amount of 20
