Do you divulge TMI and/or engage in small talk with the bank teller?

There’s an old saying that goes something like this, “The smartest person in any small town is the bank teller.”

It’s been a counting-spare-change-afternoon for me, and I found myself making a trip inside my local bank. In the short time I waited in line I heard TMI (too mouch information) about the guy ahead of me, and the nature of his transaction.

When it was my turn, I found myself thrown into a bit more small talk than I like, and then the teller made a downright nosey comment.

Don’t get me wrong, I like having an in-person relationship with my bank. It has gotten me out of a bind before, and it gives me a certain amount (perhaps erroneous) of security. Our town is small enough that they know you by name when you walk in, and the tellers are for the most part genuinely friendly.

When I think about my visit there today however, I wonder how people like myself who admitedly aren’t too keen on small talk deal with an overzealous/intrusive teller.

The guy ahead of me for an example caved. He wound up answering a series of questions pertaining to his transaction that were none of the teller’s business, then topping it off with an admission that his wife was not happy about how the money was being spent.

What the heck? Would he have been as comfortable sharing all those details with any other of the service persons he transacts with? Is it about the money, and the power bank tellers have over our accounts? Or maybe he sees the teller as a true friend?

So my question is, for the jellies who bank in person from time-to-time, how do you respond to the small talk and sometimes nunya questions tellers ask?

FTW, you can also tell us any nightmare stories you might have of how such an extended TMI situation with the customer ahead of you caused you to be delayed.

DISCLAIMER This question/discussion is in no way intended to offend bank tellers. It is merely my brain trying to grasp some survival skills in case this happens to me again.