The lost skill of counting money

Is it me or has counting money become a lost art? Let me explain.

My first "official" job - one where I had to wear a tie and play corporate silly games - was me playing a bank teller. Scratch that. It was right around the time titles were being changed across the corporate landscape. I was a "Customer Service Representative."

Like I said teller.

Before I go forward here's a true story. For free. No need for those "if you want to read the rest of this story you need to subscribe" fascist declarations here. What bull in this day and age to pay for newspaper articles online.

Keep to the story, TC. One of my coworkers took the title thing very seriously. She was the office secretary. Thought I was going to say slut, eh? Well, maybe she was I don't know. I can testify, however, that she was annoying. It's not as juicy as being a whore but it'll have to do here. She was one of those who believed she was bigger than her actual position.

Anyhow, I once told a client to go to the receptionist to make an appointment for something. I forget the details. I didn't keep a diary of those days. Poor you.

Well, she came storming to the wickets feeling quite insulted. "Did you tell that client I was a receptionist?"

By the way, secretaries had a special designation. I forget what it was. Back to the conversation.

"Er, yes."

"How would you like it if I told people you're a teller?"

"Hmm. Wouldn't bother me."

"Why?"

"Getting past the employment existential crisis, I can't get past the fact that I am a teller."

"No you're not! You're a CSR!" And with that she firmly declared and dictated what I was.

She then took her tall, fairly good looking body back to the front of the office. I would have made out with her right then and there. On the wicket that is.

I digress.

Back to the point of this post. When I was in training I was taught by career tellers. The one thing that stood out for me (besides all that stamping and debits and credits) was how fast and efficient they counted money. Not one to be easily impressed, it was pretty much what they were expected to do at the very least, no?

Nevertheless, it was a skill of sorts. I think that skill is all but gone now. I've had to go requeste some large business related withdrawals this summer and the one thing I noticed was how poorly people handled money. Two things came to mind. How rare is it for people to withdraw large sums of money exactly and is it a function of the rise of online banking and ATM's that tellers don't need to handle money as much? To say nothing that they no longer have cashes in front of them anymore.

It was funny but somewhat alarming to watch the recent teller struggle to count all those hundreds. It was sloppy. As she started all I could think to myself was, "Oh my lord."

And that's my story for today.