Social Studies

Back in November I told you that although I’m as awkward as they come I still consider myself an expert when it comes to societal rules and protocol. Well last week I found myself on the wrong end of what I thought was an egregious etiquette faux pas. Naturally I turned to my friend Browny, who has a firm grasp of what the proper social norms are/or should be.

Our email exchange went like this:

Browny,

So I'm at the bank yesterday cashing 3 checks from a fantasy football league that I'm in with my friends from college. Two of the checks were for $110 and the third was for $160 (an extra keeper). Only one check had "fantasy football" written in the memo.

As I approach the counter and hand the checks to a 50-year-old female teller I notice that the teller to my left and the teller working the drive thru are both pretty good looking 25-30 year olds. In a matter of seconds the two attractive tellers finish with their respective customers and are both free to do as they please because no one else is in line. I tell the 50-year-old teller that I want to cash the checks that I handed her. She then proceeds to look them over before loudly saying, "Fantasy football, eh? 'Tis the season!"

Now I'm not embarrassed about playing fantasy football, but I didn't appreciate this woman loudly announcing what kind of checks I was cashing (mind you only 1 of the 3 said fantasy football on it), especially because the only other people that heard it were the two young, attractive tellers.

Was this woman 100% in the wrong or am I crazy? Does she have the right to comment on the memo of a check? Was she just making inane conversation? What if it said "drug money" instead of “fantasy football”? My friends from college have written plenty of jokes in that space before.

I need a ruling and you are the only societal judge I trust.

Let me know at your convenience,

Noon


Dan,

The ruling on this is very clear. The 50 year old teller was completely in the wrong and here is why:

I am assuming the bank you went to is much like the banks I have been too where the "line" is designed for you so that people do not stand and wait all over the place. Many pharmacies practice this procedure as well. While it contains the obvious purpose of creating an orderly line for quality service it is also intended to create privacy.

Typically there is a few feet or so between the line and the counter and customers are not to cross over until directed to do so. This is supposed to help ensure privacy of your financial transactions which are no one else’s business, so this teller gets a Fail.

Fantasy Football is nothing to be ashamed of, but I can understand the variable of the two attractive females. It’s not embarrassing, but it’s not ideal either, not that anything was to come of it but this lady did you no favors. What is written in the memo field is intended for the recipient of the check and no one else. I am sorry this happened to you and my only suggestion would be when you collect your winnings from that league deposit it with one of the hot tellers so they know you are ballin.

Jeff


Feel free to disagree, but I obviously agree whole heartedly with Browny’s assertion. That said, I have a few observations from our email exchange.

1.) Did anyone find it weird that I called Browny “Browny” and myself “Noon” and Browny called himself “Jeff” and me “Dan”? I assume that Browny must send formal emails at work all day long because when we see each other I call him “Browny” and he calls me “Noon”.

2.) I love that he capitalized the “F” in the word fail.

3.) How obnoxious is the phrase, “’Tis the season!”? I literally can't think of a way where it could be used tastefully.