I like to think that I’m spontaneous. That I’m full of adventure…open to new ideas…inviting of change. But sometimes things happen that make me realize, I might not be as up for change as I like to think that I am.
My bank is changing….and I think it’s affecting my perspective more than it probably should.
Wachovia (my beloved and trusted bank since college) has merged with Wells Fargo….and now it’s all about to all be called Wells Fargo. And here I am… left feeling displeased and even uncomfortable about this change. Yes, a lot of things will be the same…and probably were it not for all the glaring signs and paperwork that I keep getting reminding me of this change, I’d hardly notice the switch. But there has been a lot of paperwork….and heaven knows I see a lot of signs around indicating the change…and honestly it’s just not sitting well with me.
My sister and I had a long conversation about the changes today and explored some of the many reasons that I may be finding myself feeling unsettled. She agreed that she’d feel out of sorts faced with the same change as well. She lives in NY though and this is not an issue for her. Lucky dog!
Take for example just the logos….
Look at that lovely Wachovia logo. It’s blue and green…colors inspiring peace and calm. I did some research and found that the color blue is the overwhelming “favorite color.” Blue is seen as trustworthy, dependable and committed. The color of sky and the ocean, blue is perceived as a constant in our lives. The font in this logo is clean and tidy and I have no idea what those swooshy lines are, but they make me feel somehow secure. This is how I want to feel about the place I put my money.
The Wells Fargo logo on the other hand stresses me out. The colors are the same as those of McDonalds…which makes me think of mayhem (probably because of my experiences every time we go there with my kids)…but that’s just not the feeling you want to have with your bank. Recognized as a stimulant, the color red is inherently exciting…what on earth does that have to do with banking?! The excitement I find in banking is seeing money go in, but that happens far less often than I experience it going out!
And don’t even get me started on the stagecoach. I get the whole “We’ve been around since the days of stagecoaches” thing…but seriously…did John Wayne not make a name for himself staring in movies where at least one stagecoach saw a robbery each time?! Stagecoaches equal easy targets…robber friendly modes of transportation…and in the days of armored vehicles safely carrying my money, I’m just not feeling the whole stagecoach thing. Maybe they’re banking on the McDonald’s colors inspiring feelings of efficiency and fast service, but even if they were…by the time they printed a stagecoach on the sign, they robbed themselves of that inference of efficiency and replaced it with the speed of a 4 horse-power vehicle. Wow…not fast…not efficient…not modern.
Don’t get me wrong. I love the wild west. Sometimes I think I might have liked being a homesteader…baking bread and having lots of land….living the life of Laura Ingles Wilder. But then my sense gets the best of me and I’m certain that I’d have most assuredly died had I lived back then. I’d have never survived that asthma attack at Carowinds Amusement Park when I was 12 because back in the olden days they wouldn’t have had a fast acting albuterol inhaler to save my life. Nevermind that they wouldn’t have had Carowinds either…the point is that I’d have died back then. So see…when I think about it…the olden days of stagecoaches really make me realize I wouldn’t have made it long. So now I’m supposed to put my money in a place that touts stagecoaches as their logo?! This is not looking good Wells Fargo…not good at all!
Maybe it’s just me…and my sister. Maybe we’re the weird ones. I mean, I’m willing to admit that is a possibility…but I’m banking a little more heavily on the possibility that I’m probably not the only one who is just a little freaked out sometimes when the winds of change start blowing!
PS. Yes I am aware that Wells Fargo, a financially sound and well run institution, did come in and save the day for a floundering Wachovia. But still….those playland colors are going to take some getting used to!
Don’t fear, Wells Fargo has been my trusted bank since high school! I’ve been with them forever.
I don’t like the new stage coach logo either! The Wachovia logo was so peaceful. We’ve been with Wachovia since they were First Union (and then I guess Wachovia bought them out). Dustin (hubby) is happy about the takeover because he travels a lot, and apparently Wells Fargo is everywhere, so now he’ll have easier access to ATMs and stuff. I’m just looking forward to the end of all the paperwork they keep sending! The blaring red signs are going to take some getting used to, too:-(.
Hilarious post. We are die hard BofA-er’s since I used to work there and because Roxanne’s first bank account was at Barnett Bank, which became NationsBank, which became BofA. LOL I didn’t like the Wells logo either, but now, through your post, I know why…”Stagecoaches equal easy targets…robber friendly modes of transportation…” I never thought of that, but that is so true.
hilarious, logan! totally agree.
J and I were talking about this last night. We don’t bank with them but our bank recently merged and it was a little frustrating so I know the feeling. If it makes you feel any better though…ask Jeremy about what the book (that they did that report on) “Good to Great” had to say about Wells Fargo. Sounds like they have some things going for them. 🙂
ooo…i stuck out the switch here in GA and nothing but HORRIBLE experiences with wells fargo. They certainly do not employ their idea of being courteous, and that is just the tip of the ice berg. They’ve done ridiculous things like deactivate my card without even telling me so that when i tried to purchase toilet paper of all things i was declined. they also put a security freeze on my card at christmas…again without notice…and i couldn’t buy gifts, and almost couldn’t buy gas to make it home for the holidays. i’m giving you the greatly condensed version here. moral of my story though…i now bank solely with a credit union.