Drive Thru usually requires a car, right...??

[lupo pazzesco]

This is my first post in this section, since before I never really drove. Anywhere. Ever.

But the boyfriend is now out of town working regularly, so I have access to a car, and am now on the insurance. That's been interesting for my anxiety levels, but slowly getting better...

anyway, ONTO THE SIGHTING!

So, this morning is payday. Boyfriend fills out checks for me every payday, so I can deposit them in my account and take care of our apartment while he's gone. I usually hit the drive thru banking area on my way to work, and deposit via the ATM. Easy peasy, right? Riiiiiggghhhttt...


So I pull up this morning, pull into the parking lot that says "Drive Thru Banking ONLY" Follow the lane that says "DRIVE THRU ATM", and pull up to the ATM, only to have to screech to a halt.

There's a woman there. Standing. At the ATM. The DRIVE THRU ATM.



She's standing at the ATM, and when I put the car into park, she must have heard the shift in the engine or something because she looks up and stares at me. I must have had a baffled look on my face because, hey. It's a Drive Thru ATM. It says as much on the SIGN ABOVE HER HEAD. But does that stop her? Nope, I get a Look. Combined with the head-popping action that usually accompanies a "what? You got something to say?" type attitude. I just shake my head, and roll my eyes.

I wait. And wait.

And wait some more. She finally finishes and ambles off, so I pull up to the ATM, watching where she's going so I don't accidentally run her over if she decides to dart back over. I pull up to the ATM, roll down my window and see her walking across to the parking lot for the bank, a mere 20 feet away.

She then proceeds to get into a car. Sit inside and...I don't even know...

...

That's right. She PARKED a car. WALKED to the DRIVE THRU ATM to do her business, then walked back to her car and got in.

I decided not to question it. Hey, it's Friday, the weather is shaping up to be beautiful and I've got to get to work. So I complete my business, roll up my window, and check my rear view mirror. The ATM is on a slight incline, so I want to make sure there's no vehicles behind me when I come out of park, or they're not to close, etc, etc. Being a safe driver and all that. So, what do I see in my mirror?

There's a truck behind me. Great, he's far enough away, I can shift into drive, and the car will squeak backwards by less than an inch before it moves forward, I don't' know how to describe it, it's a car thing.

But during that inch back and when the truck is going into drive, the same woman comes ambling up again, cuts the truck off...and goes right back to the ATM, to slide her card and do...whatever. I don't' know.

The whole thing just had me baffled and wondering if she was high...

[PepperElf]

That was me.


Well no, not really. I've been going inside the bank to the teller lately, but... when I use the ATM I'm one of the few who actually gets out of the car. I'm just not use to those new-fangled drive-up things*. Never felt like I could reach everything properly through the window. Plus my bank only has one ATM to use.


Although I'd never do what that woman did in cutting someone off. If there's cars in line I let them go first. It's not their fault I'm weird. I wait until they're gone before I approach.


* seriously, I only started using the bank's teller drive-through just a month or two ago. and that was only because I brought the dog along (vs putting her in the carrier for 10 minutes etc).


Oh and the one in Japan too. There were only 2 ATMs on base that gave both USD & Yen. One was a drive-through but so many people didn't drive that it was a popular walk-up ATM.

[dalesys]

A Dead-head, obliviously...

Truckin', like the doo-dah ma'am...

[klhanson]

i've done it before.. in my old town there was a fee free ATM.. i didn't drive but my friend would take me and i didn't like giving him my pin number to get money out so i'd get out and get money out by walking up. But that was only if the bank was closed.. if the bank was open i'd just go there and get money and not take up anyone else's time.

[Flying Grype]

I've done it. I drove around the bank looking for parking, and there was no parking -- just a drive-up, which I'd already driven past, and then the way out to the street, with no room to turn around. My husband got out of the car and walked up to the drive-up because the bank itself did not have an ATM inside. There was just the drive-up one.

[Ghel]

I work in a small town and the bank is on Main Street, right in the middle of town. So we get a lot of people walking up to our drive-through, even in the middle of winter.

"Oh, it's only a couple blocks. No point waiting for the truck to warm up."

Or we'll get people out walking their dog. Or driving a lawnmower, atv, or snowmobile. Or one customer who pushes his walker up to the window.

The time it's the busiest, though, is on the Fourth of July. Almost every town around here has a huge Fourth of July celebration (since it's the only holiday where it's guaranteed not to snow - no, seriously). The town where I work blocks off Main Street for the parade and carnival. And since our drive-through empties onto Main Street, we have to close off the drive. But it's at least as busy as other days, it's just walk-ups instead of drive-ups.

[Bright_Star]

I did that once on a bicycle...lol. They processed my transaction & then told me the drve through was ONLY for vehicles such as cars. I was like "oops"...LMAO!

[Blue Ginger]

Drive through ATMs? Cool. I'll have to see one when I finally get to visit the States.

Many of my friends have been known to walk up to the drive through at Macca's and KFC. The ones outside of the city usually shut the main areas about 10pm and only have drive through open.

Most refuse to serve walk ups now. It's considered a safety and security issue.

So now, we have to ask the taxi driver, nicely, to go through the drive through, get food, then pay for the taxi and walk the 500m home.

[PepperElf]

Or we'll get people out walking their dog. Or driving a lawnmower, atv, or snowmobile. Or one customer who pushes his walker up to the window.

The lawnmower, ATV, & snowmobile however can create other issues. They're not really "street legal" for transportation.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

Stagecoach Bank has drive-thru ATM's at several locations here. The branch closest to my house does and we'll use it.

But my Mom sometimes has trouble with it, so I'll get out and walk around and use it - only takes me less than a minute, then I can just get back in the car and leave.

While there's one at the front of the building, it's usually busy when I've went up there and I'm uncomfortable about somebody being behind me, so it's slightly better to use the drive-thru.

[PepperElf]

While there's one at the front of the building, it's usually busy when I've went up there and I'm uncomfortable about somebody being behind me, so it's slightly better to use the drive-thru.

Yeah that can be a security risk. At my BF's bank the only ATM is right up against a sidewalk so there's only a foot or two from it to the parking lot. Sometimes people will line up DIRECTLY behind the person at the ATM. When it happens to him, he tells them to back off.

[bhskittykatt]

I have yet to find a drive-up ATM that I can actually reach from my little car. If I end up having to use one, though, I will drive up to the machine, and THEN get out of the car to do my business.