Code orange at the bank today

[rigel42]

I went code orange at the bank today. I was standing in the Q and another customer at the counter became VERY irate. He was asking for a "Million Dollar Check" and kept saying he needed to catch a flight. He also said "Hurry up my time is worth more than yours!". That alone just made me laugh, but this guy was serious. What raised my awareness level was he left the counter to walk around through the cubicle area, and then, walked outside to his car and came back in.....He might have needed a second form of ID or something I don't know. Nobody else seemed to care. The term "O #%*&" crossed my mind and I wasn't going to turn my back to him. Lots of yelling and the employees ended up asking him to leave. The old man in front of me told him to have a nice day as he left. After that it was business as usual.

What I learned, it’s hard to observe everything going on without drawing attention to yourself. I was not going to let this guy out of my site and I did not want to draw his attention to me, an innocent bystander. That's not as easy as it sounds. I improvised by pretending to mess with my phone when I turned around to a unnatural direction to square up with him.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Guantes]

Subtlety in SA, is a significant part of its proper implementation.

[NC Bullseye]

Life is NOT like going to a movie. There is absolutely nothing wrong with getting up and leaving just as the exciting part starts.

When you get in a situation like you described, why not leave when you can instead of giving it a chance to develop into something bad?

At the first sign of things getting loud you can walk outside and around the corner till you see the irate person leave then return and all is good.

[rigel42]

Life is NOT like going to a movie. There is absolutely nothing wrong with getting up and leaving just as the exciting part starts.

.

That is a absolute excellent point. I will take that advice in the future. Sadly, I think the reason that did not cross my mind was I really needed to deposit a check. In hind-site and future-site....It's not worth it! Lesson learned.

[SAnta01]

You are so right.

[BugDude]

Good call NC. Once someone starts showing their hind end, it usually doesn't get any better and nothing good is coming out of it. Best to put distance in between yourself and the hiney shower. That goes for just about any situation regardless of the carrying aspect.

I learned going to parties that once words started, it will escalate...even if it is later. Better to leave early and miss the BS. Having hosted several parties at my own home, my rule was once someone showed their butt, the party was over and everyone left immediately. I learned that one the hard way.

[21bubba]

I went code orange at the bank today. I was standing in the Q and another customer at the counter became VERY irate. He was asking for a "Million Dollar Check" and kept saying he needed to catch a flight. He also said "Hurry up my time is worth more than yours!". That alone just made me laugh, but this guy was serious. What raised my awareness level was he left the counter to walk around through the cubicle area, and then, walked outside to his car and came back in.....He might have needed a second form of ID or something I don't know. Nobody else seemed to care. The term "O #%*&" crossed my mind and I wasn't going to turn my back to him. Lots of yelling and the employees ended up asking him to leave. The old man in front of me told him to have a nice day as he left. After that it was business as usual.

What I learned, it’s hard to observe everything going on without drawing attention to yourself. I was not going to let this guy out of my site and I did not want to draw his attention to me, an innocent bystander. That's not as easy as it sounds. I improvised by pretending to mess with my phone when I turned around to a unnatural direction to square up with him.

Good awareness. Maybe a follow up call to local PD should have been in order. Did you happen to get his license plate number and description of his car? You could have left contact information with the bank. "Code orange" is nothing to be trifled with.

[Batty67]

Back when I worked in Washington DC, there was a bomb threat in a building close to where I worked. So, liek the other sheeple, I stood in fron of the building just passed the do not cross police line tape, until it occurred to me: what if a bomb DOES go off and I'm standing like a jackass in front of the building. So I left...

[Saber]

Life is NOT like going to a movie. There is absolutely nothing wrong with getting up and leaving just as the exciting part starts.

When you get in a situation like you described, why not leave when you can instead of giving it a chance to develop into something bad?

At the first sign of things getting loud you can walk outside and around the corner till you see the irate person leave then return and all is good.

I was just about to type my own response when I read your post which mirrors' my thoughts.

[paramedic70002]

At what point might you consider calling 911?

Don't rely on the employees. They are probably trying to satisfy an obviously irrational customer without aggravating him. If he sees an employee calling 911, he might explode.

FWIW he also might have a medical emergency which is making him a danger self and others. Sounds like a good reason to get LEOs and EMS en route while withdrawing to a safe observation point.

[dripster]

Life is NOT like going to a movie. There is absolutely nothing wrong with getting up and leaving just as the exciting part starts.

When you get in a situation like you described, why not leave when you can instead of giving it a chance to develop into something bad?

At the first sign of things getting loud you can walk outside and around the corner till you see the irate person leave then return and all is good.

I agree with you 100 percent.

[texasKA]

this isn't code orange. this is a customer irate at the bank. happens all the time.

[tomtsr]

We bank at a much different bank. The frequency of occurance should never reduce your awareness of the situation. Irate people are the most likely to go over the top so a heightened awareness is a good thing.

[MadMac]

That is a absolute excellent point. I will take that advice in the future. Sadly, I think the reason that did not cross my mind was I really needed to deposit a check. In hind-site and future-site....It's not worth it! Lesson learned.

Find a modern bank that allows you to deposit your checks at an ATM. Better yet, many banks now allow you to scan and deposit cheks from your home. or office I haven't had to see the inside of a branch bank in years. Many, many yeas ago, the tellers used to know me by name, and I knew them. Those days are long gone.

I still need to be quite vigilant at the drive-up ATMs, but I make it a point to never go to one at night. When I do go, my ccw is out and on the console of the truck.

[TN_Mike]

When things like this happen around me, and I get uncomfortable with them, I tend to just leave and remove myself from the situation. I don't need that hassle.