My BMO is open with 1 teller ("No cash")

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I've been recycling cash so I had 20 TENS ($200) I wanted to deposit (& other notes to change) today at my local BMO branch. But the security guard stopped me & told me to use the ATM. However, one ten was deformed by heat (partly melted) and a couple were torn. I already had an ATM jam up with lesser damaged notes. They wouldn't help me- just told me to go to another branch (or use ATM).

They had 3 employees working today (or so it seemed).  The big banks doubled their profits last year, are raising our ATM fees & cutting staff/cash services.  Looks like another notch up for the BTCA to 'deep-6' cash.

Has anyone else experienced this recently?

Many, if not all, of the BMO branches in Kitchener and Waterloo that are open on Saturdays state right in the app and on their website that they do not offer teller services (ie: cash deposit, withdrawal, etc.) on Saturdays.  Just advice.

Advice and Guidance Only on Saturdays
Services Not Offered at this Transit on Saturdays:
• Cash / Coin (cash available only through ATMs)
• USD / Foreign Currency

Thanks for your reply 'BWJM'

A former employee of the business I work for (who retired a few years back) informed me that she wanted to change some money and get $10 bills.  She was informed she had to use the ATM.  She tried to argue her point, even to the extent that the ATM didn't have $10 bills - but it went nowhere.  I was informed it was a Scotiabank branch she dealt with.  And this was before the introduction of "select cash" ATMs, plus a few years before the ongoing pandemic.

There may be a logical explanation for this new trend.  It may likely be designed to eliminate long lines and make services more efficient.  I may even bring up that cash transactions for over-the-counter services may require an amount larger than the maximum for a single ATM transaction (in the case of Scotiabank, $1,000).

I notice that there have been more bank customers at the ATMs than inside the branch, but COVID-19 restrictions could be the reason why.  I am thinking this may be a permanent thing, pandemic or no pandemic.

I'd say, whatever number of staff exist in a branch right now, that number will be permanent even after the pandemic.  Over-the-counter transactions will likely have restrictions in which cash withdrawals will have to be a significantly large amount, otherwise the ATM is the route to go.

If bank policies are changing in which smaller cash withdrawals have to be strictly ATM only, and the trend that $10 bills are no longer being dispensed from ATMs, this could be the beginning of the end of our $10 bill as we know it, and may result in people hoarding tens - in case the day comes that they become scarce like the U.S. $2 bill (again, I do not draw comparison to our 50¢ coin because that denomination is long-defunct from general circulation).

Of course, it could be possible that there could be no more cash held inside bank branches (teller wicket, or secured cash dispensers), and all of the branch's money could likely be held in the ATMs on a perpetual basis.  At least that could bring the number of bank robberies down in some form.

(1) I'd say, whatever number of staff exist in a branch right now, that number will be permanent even after the pandemic.  Over-the-counter transactions will likely have restrictions in which cash withdrawals will have to be a significantly large amount, otherwise the ATM is the route to go.

(2) If bank policies are changing in which smaller cash withdrawals have to be strictly ATM only, and the trend that $10 bills are no longer being dispensed from ATMs, this could be the beginning of the end of our $10 bill as we know it, and may result in people hoarding tens - in case the day comes that they become scarce like the U.S. $2 bill (again, I do not draw comparison to our 50¢ coin because that denomination is long-defunct from general circulation).

(3) Of course, it could be possible that there could be no more cash held inside bank branches (teller wicket, or secured cash dispensers), and all of the branch's money could likely be held in the ATMs on a perpetual basis.  At least that could bring the number of bank robberies down in some form.

1 -YES, I agree that the big banks prefer to keep as few staff as possible to keep raking in record profits. These are multinational enterprises & often try new experiments that have been successful elsewhere here. In the UK, a collector has informed me that it has been strictly ATM if one wants cash for a few years now- so what you wrote/observed is likely on the horizon.

2 -We are not that far apart on how we see cash being actively phased out.  Is it just the beginning of the end for the $10 denomination? As far as I can tell, all cash is currently being frowned upon due to a very successful campaign by the BTCA. [My guess is that the BTCA has many allies including big banks & the younger generation who prefer credit to cash]. IMO: the TEN, a not very popular denomination & in low # anyways, is "the canary in the coal mine" signalling an embattled denomination. Bank policies are aimed to serve their profit line & security goals. Like the government, they often have a way with printing up propaganda such as "we're doing this to serve you better," when in fact it has nothing to do with service & everything to do with their bottom line (less staff) or security.

3 -Yes, banks are always concerned about robberies & that's another "nail in the coffin" for cash (& our liberty to pay how we choose).  8 years ago, I had to write a letter to my bank manager explaining my hobby after he told me directly that the branch chooses not to keep large amounts of cash for security reasons.  [He did not want to provide a brick of the 2013 Fives].  He succeeded in getting me to back off (it was just too much a hassle). But generally, banks are very secure places & staff are taught to throw around that security trump card in order to throw off pesky customers like myself.