By Michelle Ann Joseph-Village Voice News visited three City banks to talk to citizens who stood in long lines to cash their $100,000 cheques, that they obtained from the Cash Grant distribution countrywide.
People were seen in long lines outside of Citizens bank at Camp and South Road, Republic bank on Water Street and the Bank of Guyana.
The process at Bank of Guyana was quite orderly and swift. Although the lines very visible, citizens moved rapidly in and out of the bank.
A few customers told Village Voice News, that they were surprised at how orderly and smoothly the staff handled their business.
At Republic and Citizens Banks the stories were different. Republic Bank prioritised senior citizens, so they were able to go into the bank with less hassle.
The lines were quite long. Some folks complained that they were standing outside of the bank for very long periods of time, emphasising their frustration.
At Citizens Bank – it was quite chaotic. Persons who were not cashing cheques, were unsure of when they were actually going to get into the bank.
The guidelines and directions from the female security officers, who were manning the doors were unclear. Some customers had numbers, whilst some sneaked into the exit door.
Customers complained that the security officers were letting in persons who did not join the line. The entrance was blocked because the people were so eager to get inside.
They hope in the future, the banks would be better equipped with the resources to deal with them in a humane and respectful way; to forge better confidence and lack of fear going to bank because of long queues, and unruly behavior due to frustration.
