The difference wasn't always related to transaction risk.
Sometimes it seemed connected to clothing.
Sometimes to accent.
Sometimes to whether the customer already appeared wealthy.
And sometimes, the teller feared, to race.
One afternoon, an older Black man arrived with paperwork related to a small business account.
He wore work clothes stained with paint.
The manager assumed he was looking for a personal loan and directed him toward an online application.
He explained that he already had an account and needed assistance with a large commercial deposit.
The manager suggested he return another day.
The teller checked his records.
His business had been a customer for eleven years.
He operated a successful painting company and maintained substantial deposits with the bank.
When the manager discovered that, her manner changed immediately.
She smiled.
Apologized for the misunderstanding.
And invited him into a private office.
The teller watched.
Later, she asked why the customer had been dismissed before his account was reviewed.
The manager's expression hardened.
“You're young. You don't understand how to read people yet.”
The teller frowned.
“I thought we were supposed to read the documentation.”
The manager stared.
Then answered coldly.
“You'll learn.”
Another incident involved an immigrant woman who arrived with her adult daughter to discuss a suspicious charge.
The manager insisted the woman couldn't understand the account terms, despite the customer explaining the transaction clearly.
When the daughter politely objected, the manager called them difficult.
Afterward, the teller reviewed the account.
The questionable charge required ordinary dispute handling.
There had been no reason to belittle the customer.
The teller documented her concerns through the bank's internal reporting channel.
She received an automated acknowledgment.
Nothing more.
A month later, she submitted another report.
Again, nothing happened.
Then the manager called her into the office.