Today I have witnessed the weirdest “small talk” I have ever heard. Or it wasn’t “small” after all…
I was standing in the line to the bank teller when another client came over and stood in the line parallel to mine. After the usual “Hi! How are you?” phrases the man has, all of a sudden, started sharing his plans for the upcoming winter holidays with a teller stressing out the fact that along with his kids he invited his ex-wife to Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert.
But if you think it was the whole scope of TMI story, you are wrong! Then the talkative client dwelled on and on about the in-depth circumstances of his divorce and post-divorce situation. The teller provided some psychological feedback, and then he finally left.
I couldn’t believe my ears! Why I felt uncomfortable listening to some stranger’s personal life updates while neither a teller, nor a man felt that their conversation ( in front of other bank employees and clients) was inappropriate.
I wonder if it even was “small talk”? What do you think?
Ukrainian in Philly 