Banker's Hours

Yesterday just after 3 pm I remembered I had a check to deposit (clients who settle bills by return mail are pretty wonderful.  Thanks Dr. T!).  Over the years the closing time of my bank in Austin has crept from 1, to 2, to 3, to 4, to 5 on Friday.

Does anyone else remember the term banker's hours?  It used to be the way people talked about a soft sinecure, arrive late, leave early, customer take it or leave it. Now, 9:30 - 4, not exactly Walgreen's, but more like a real business.  I'm not sure how the competitive banking landscape changed, but change it did, and now the customers' interests weigh more heavily in the equation.

Large institutions once had a monopoly on service or information.  Whether a bank or a broadcaster, it's good if they remember they're no longer splendidly alone, making decisions for us.

Comments

[Anonymous]

I'm a former teller. "Banker's hours" is misunderstood. We didn't come in late and go home early. We had to count all the money by hand and in the evening we had to balance by hand, and it took hours. Our working day was actually much longer than 8 hours but banks needed to be closed to the public to get all that stuff done. Technology had diminished that burden allowing them to be open longer.