your protocol at banks

[keithinvestigations]

While hunting yesterday, I began to feel a little sheepish as I went from one bank to the next asking a bunch of questions. Just wondering what your SOP (standard operating procedure) would be when you go to a bank. For me, I discovered that it is much easier to go through the drivethrough to ask if they have any rolls of halves than going in. Many of the banks would sell them to me through the window, one required that I come in. Obviously I couldn't go through the ones that use vacuum to suck the little container to and from the bank, hehe. I could just imagine what two or three roles would do.

Anyway, when I would drive through most of the banks I would start out, hello do you have any rolls or loose half dollars that I could buy? Most would reply, "no, sorry." Well, here is where my questions start, do you ask them "what about "Ike" dollars or do you just call them "large dollar coins?" Next, do you just move on or keep the questions rolling?

Also, what do banks do when you come in with say, two boxes of halves that you want to exchange? Most of the tellers I spoke with were very happy to be relieved of their supply of half dollars. I can only imagine what the teller would do when you roll in a dollie with two boxes full. Has anyone every been denied exchange? The other problem I had was everytime I intended on dumping my old supply, I couldn't resist asking first if they had any halves. After asking, I didn't want to then give them a bunch.

For some reason I almost feel bad about all the trouble I may be causing tellers.

 

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[scrounger d detector collector]

I DONT SEE THE MAGIC WORD HERE. "ACCOUNT". IF U FEEL GUILTY ASKING FOR HELP ITS PROB BECUZ U DONT HAVE AN ACCOUNT W THEM. THEY ARE THERE TO HELP U.BUT THEY NEED TO MAKE A LIVING TOO.USUALLY A SMALL SAVINGS ACCOUNT CAN BE OPENED FOR 100$ OR EVEN 50 ATSOME PLACES. MAKE SURE THERE ARE NO HIDDEN FEES AND OPEN IT. MAKE MINOR DEPOSITS WHEN U GO IN.U CAN WITHDRAW AGAIN SHORT TIME LATER. IF BANKS ARE NOT IN U HOME AREA.SAY SO "IM ON VACA HERE OR IM VISITING RELATIVES NEAR HERE WORK WONDERS. I ALWAYS GO IN.IF U WELL DRESSED AND GROOMED AND POLITE.NO PROB. I ALWAYS ASK FOR THE COIN IN A QUITE LOUD VOICE SO THAT THE WHOLE LINE OF TELLERS CAN HEAR. I CAN NOT TELL U HOW MANY TIME ONE TELLER WILL SAY AINT NONE THEN ANOTHER SEZ OH I HAVE 80$ IN MY DRAWER ETC.ALSO IN THE DRIVE USUALLY ONLY THE ONE TELLER CAN HEAR U.MANY TIMES THEY LAZY AND NOT HELP U IF THEY CAN GET AWAY WITH IT.

 

[tw656]

I agree that, its best to go inside to ask. It is true many tellers will simply say no we have none. When they might have thousands in the vault. I always ask if they can check the next teller and ask if there are any in the vault. Returning coins without an account is probably not going to work. Chose a bank with the coin machine that is free to non customers. I ended up openning an account there anyway, as I was there so often, it just made sense. I also ask for large dollars. That way if there is a Peace or a Morgan sitting in their tray I can still get it. (Has not happened yet, although I have got rolls of Ikes). Most tellers dont know an Ike from their elbow anyway. I do go to a lot of banks that I dont have an account as well. I have even been able to order boxes from some of them. If they ask, I look them in the eye and say yes, I have an account. Only once did that not work. The only time a feel a little bad for the tellers is how often they have to change the bags in the coin machines. Alot of times it is women (many times beautiful women ) that end up changing the bags and cleaning the machine. An army of people use them for free. I always thank who ever it is, dont want to get them angry because they can and will say the machine is broke and a maintance guy will have to come out and fix it.......NEXT WEEK! It pays to be nice and if they are not, where I live there are thousands of other banks to choose from.

 

[prizm II]

I always go inside with a big smile and say hello to the teller, maybe say how great to see the sun out. Then I ask if they have any half dollars that I can buy. If no then I ask about the vault or can I buy the coin counter bag. Some times I say that I just started coin collecting and I'm looking for all the dates to fill a board. I always try to take extra money as several times they have had $1,000 in halves at one bank. For the large dollars I keep an Ike in my pocket and place that on the counter and ask for any they have. Even if all I get are NO, NO, NO I just smile and thank them as I will probably be back in a month or two.

 

[scrounger d detector collector]

YEAH RIGHT PRIZM.I FORGOT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING A BIG SMILE.

 

[scotto]

Hey Scrounger, turn off your caps lock!

 

[scrounger d detector collector]

oops ,sorry,but er why does it matter?

 

[Pennyworth]

oops ,sorry,but er why does it matter?

CAPITAL LETTERS = SHOUTING

That's why we type like this, a gentle whisper. LOL

 

[Pennyworth]

I have never used the drive up window to ask for halves or rolled coins. I always go inside to ask. Just be friendly and smile,like the other guys said. I don't talk loud as I don't want all the customers in line to wonder why I'm asking for halves. lol If the first teller doesn't have any,then I ask do any of the other tellers have any. Many of the tellers will ask the other tellers without you having to ask that question,at least they do when I ask.

If they don't have any halves then I ask if I can purchase some pennies,nickels or dimes and how much can they spare. I buy whatever they have available. At this point some of the tellers ask me,do I collect coins and I say yes I'm trying to fill my books. Which I am trying to fill some of them,and I never mention anything about silver.lol

I'm lucky that I have found a very friendly bank that allows me to dump my boxes of halves, as many times a week that I need to. I have taken 4 boxes at one time. All of the tellers know me by name and treat me good. In return I bring them treats for all the holidays, including all the bank employees (10 total). One employee even gave me a decorative bag with chocolate candy for Valentines Day.

I've also gotten into the mode of asking for wrappers at every bank,this way I won't run out.

 

[Immy]

Here's something I've encountered recently. Many of the tellers in Vegas Wells Fargo's don't have rolls. You have to get them exclusively at the merchant. If anyone cashes some in they're immediately brought over to the merchant guy.

I had some legit banking to do this morning and asked about rolls as an afterthought and the girl said (thru inch-thick plexiglass!) that rolls are only sold at the merchant window.

 

[Pennyworth]

Here's something I've encountered recently. Many of the tellers in Vegas Wells Fargo's don't have rolls. You have to get them exclusively at the merchant. If anyone cashes some in they're immediately brought over to the merchant guy.

I had some legit banking to do this morning and asked about rolls as an afterthought and the girl said (thru inch-thick plexiglass!) that rolls are only sold at the merchant window.

That's ok, did you walk over to the merchant window and buy them? I go to the merchant window to pick up my boxes from one bank. The teller knows I'm not a merchant but he still orderes whatever I ask for. I've also gone to several banks and asked for halves and they directed me to the merchant window,and sold me the halves.

 

[Immy]

I did and asked the merchant guy for a box of nickels and he asked if I ordered one. I said no (dumb move, in retrospect) and he said he can't let me have that much. I asked what he could give me and he handed over $20. Better than nothing but I really wanted that juicy box sitting on the floor.

This is never a problem at B of A. Whatever teller I go to has a little cabinet next to them filled with boxes of everything but halves, and they're happy to sell them without any advance ordering.

The funny thing is, I have an account at Wells, but don't at B of A! And they're not hermetically sealed off from customers.

 

[Pennyworth]

I did and asked the merchant guy for a box of nickels and he asked if I ordered one. I said no (dumb move, in retrospect) and he said he can't let me have that much. I asked what he could give me and he handed over $20. Better than nothing but I really wanted that juicy box sitting on the floor.

This is never a problem at B of A. Whatever teller I go to has a little cabinet next to them filled with boxes of everything but halves, and they're happy to sell them without any advance ordering.

The funny thing is, I have an account at Wells, but don't at B of A! And they're not hermetically sealed off from customers.

I'm glad you were able to get $20.00 in nickels. Sounds like another stupid "regulation", did you order a box! Please, there was a box right there, they could have sold it to you. That is funny that B of A treats you better and you don't have an account there. LOL I noticed while on vacation that some of the Wells Fargo banks are a little more strict. We don't have them where I live,but I did see a Wells Fargo that was for investments or something like that. It wasn't a bank so I kept on driving. LOL

 

[wildrider]

I walk in, pull out my fake gun and say gimme all your halves.

No really, sometimes when I say halves I have to repeat it a second time becasue have and halve sound too much alike.

I go inside so I can see what the window tellers have in their tray.
One of the places today sold me 2 rolls and $6 loose, the window chick had three large dollars, I said I'll take those too if it were ok, but she said they were for someone else.

Burt

 

[LJ]

If the lobby is open, I always go inside with a happy attitude and ask for rolls of half dollars. I wait a split second for the reaction of the teller (alot of them look at their trays) & then I'll quickly add "possibly in the vault". This prompts the lazy ones to check with the vault teller. Most will already check this possibility& are very helpful.

I am always pleasant with all tellers. I bring breakfeast burritos sometimes to my heavily used dump banks and I also learn things about them personally....kids...family...small chit chat. Never hurts. Whatever keeps them happy and accepting my dumps. No problems so far....fingers crossed.

Good luck.

 

[Immy]

I'm glad you were able to get $20.00 in nickels. Sounds like another stupid "regulation", did you order a box! Please, there was a box right there, they could have sold it to you. That is funny that B of A treats you better and you don't have an account there. LOL I noticed while on vacation that some of the Wells Fargo banks are a little more strict. We don't have them where I live,but I did see a Wells Fargo that was for investments or something like that. It wasn't a bank so I kept on driving. LOL

And then this happens: the $20 ends up being really good -

1941
1941-D
1943-P (silver!)
1945-S (silver!)
1946 (2)
1956-D
1958-D

Canadian: 1983

I'll never know what the other $80 held, but I'll torture myself with the possibilities. Glad to find the silver though.

 

[Pennyworth]

I'm glad you were able to get $20.00 in nickels. Sounds like another stupid "regulation", did you order a box! Please, there was a box right there, they could have sold it to you. That is funny that B of A treats you better and you don't have an account there. LOL I noticed while on vacation that some of the Wells Fargo banks are a little more strict. We don't have them where I live,but I did see a Wells Fargo that was for investments or something like that. It wasn't a bank so I kept on driving. LOL

And then this happens: the $20 ends up being really good -

1941
1941-D
1943-P (silver!)
1945-S (silver!)
1946 (2)
1956-D
1958-D

Canadian: 1983

I'll never know what the other $80 held, but I'll torture myself with the possibilities. Glad to find the silver though.

Glad to hear that you found two silver war nickels. Maybe you can go back Monday and buy $20.00 more,hopefully the entire box won't be gone. Not sure if that's a busy bank, but I'd go back and buy more.

 

[fiatboy]

Smile smile smile It's magic. Just picked up 3 Ike dollars from a teller who remembered me asking about them a few weeks ago. Maybe she wouldn't have saved them for me if I hadn't been so nice? A smile is its own reward, and getting some keepers out of it is always nice, too.

 

[bigtime400]

you can smile and kiss ass till your face turns blue but if you have alot of coin roll hunters in your area they arent going to like you. Especially if you go though alot of coin. There are some banks I have done everything to try to be nice, bring them goodies, step out of the way if they have other customers...... Sometimes it comes down to they just dont like dealing with Coin roll hunters. Some are really good..... dont get me wrong. I sit around and chit chat with them. Others.... not so nice... and alot of the time its not necessarily the tellers that are giving the hassle. Its the person working the vault. Just recently I had one teller tip me off that they werent going to allow me to dump coin there anymore. Today one branch of a bank that I got halfs from wants to charge me 6 cents a roll. I said forget it. Ill have to go back to the main branch and talk to the vault lady. But then again I havent found anything to speak of for a month or 2..... today I got 2 90% and 5 40% out of a thousand. Still better then a skunk but not that great. I think I might make them my other dump bank.

 

[GMan00001]

Regarding asking for halves, I sometimes ask if they have any "50 cent pieces" as that usually is not confused for anything else. Usually only do that if I have to repeat myself though.