It’s a sign of the times that I haven’t been in a bank in probably well over a year. Since almost everything can be done online or at an ATM, why bother? But a substantial withdraw before heading on vacation requires a visit in person, so I dropped off at our local branch and realized immediately upon entering that they’d created a new position since I’d last been inside. Standing at the entrance was essentially a traffic director: a young lady who looked to in her early twenties, fresh out of college, asked all entering customers what they needed and then directed them to the appropriate part of the bank. So essentially it was waiting in line before being told to go wait in this or that line. I knew which line I needed, but I waited patiently while the young lady helped the lady in front of me determine where she needed to go. Finally, it was my turn, and I was brief: “I just need to make a withdraw.”

“Well, if it’s less than $300, you can get it from the ATM,” she smiled, “but if it’s more, you’ll have to see one of my tellers.”

Such a loaded construction: “one of my tellers.” I stood in the second line, thinking of the young lady’s other options. She could have said, “You’ll have to see one of the tellers.” Alternatively, she could have said, “You’ll have to see one of our tellers.” But she chose “one of my tellers.”

I found myself wondering if this was scripted (i.e., the bank manager told her to phrase it that way) or if she made that decision herself. And the more I thought about it, the more I hoped it was the former and not the latter, for if I were a teller at that bank, I would think it would grate on my nerves all day long to hear this young lady refer to me as “one my tellers” when in fact she’s probably just as low on the totem pole as I am. Certainly she could be the manager, but that seems unlikely: too young, and why would the manager be doing such a job?

If it’s the latter, if she’s choosing to say “one of my tellers,” why? It undoubtedly sets up a hierarchy within the bank, with the traffic director placing herself above the tellers. After all, if they’re “my tellers,” I’m in charge. However, if they’re “our tellers,” we’re all subservient to someone else, either the abstract idea of the banking corporation or the specific manager. The final choice, “one of the tellers” makes it seem as if she’s not even really a part of the bank. Clearly “our” is the best choice. So why “my”?