“sometimes banks surprise you if you catch them on the right day...”
That’s honestly been my experience too. I’ve walked into the same branch a week apart and gotten two totally different vibes—one day, it’s like they’re rolling out the red carpet, next time, it’s all business and zero flexibility. I don’t know if it’s just who’s on shift or if they’ve got some internal targets to hit, but it’s definitely inconsistent.
The upsell thing drives me nuts. I get that they’re trying to make their numbers, but when I’m there to talk mortgages and suddenly we’re deep-diving into life insurance and credit cards, it feels off. I’ve actually started bringing in my own numbers and being super upfront about what I want. Sometimes it helps, sometimes not.
Never tried the donut trick, but I’ve noticed being polite and prepared gets you further than being pushy. Still, I’d love to know if there’s a “nice banker” calendar somewhere behind the counter... Would make planning meetings a lot easier.