The lines to withdraw cash begin to form from dawn, with the arrival of the first ‘coleros’ who charge 1,000 pesos to wait in line for others
14ymedio, Cienfuegos, 19 July 2024 — The ATMs located at the Banco Popular de Ahorro branch on Cienfuegos Boulevard seem to be working this Friday. Customers are encouraged when they see the screens lit up, but then start typing and immediately realize that there is no money available. It is barely two in the afternoon and the machines are already “dead.”
The ATMs at this bank branch had been putting money in at around 9:30 in the morning. The line to make withdrawals had been organized since dawn, with the corresponding coleros who charge 1,000 pesos to wait in line for each person willing to pay them for their service. A similar scene occurred a few blocks away, at the Banco de Crédito y Comercio (Bandec) located on San Carlos Street. There, since 5:00 am, Victor had been waiting, after trying to collect his pension for more than a week.
The employees of both banks warned, as if they had agreed, that only 500 peso bills would be dispensed, and that only two cards per person could be inserted. “They treat us as if we were sheep,” complained a female shop worker, who said she had been on the verge of withdrawing money several times, but “when it’s not the cash that runs out, it’s the power that goes out or the equipment that breaks.”
The lines are slow and grow longer as the morning goes on. Two hours after the first withdrawal, Victor felt that nothing had happened, and he had the additional fear that order of the line* would be lost when several customers left and gave up on their attempt. It was then that the only ATM in service at Bandec jammed, to the disbelief and displeasure of the customers who were left without cash.
“Right now the BPA on the Boulevard and the Bandec on Argüelles Street have run out of money. They say they will put in a little cash after noon,” explained a man in a white coat, without much hope of achieving his goal. While people continued to arrive to grow the line, an employee of the bank itself verified that the problem with the ATM had been solved. Despite the reproaches of the angry crowd, he also took advantage of the opportunity to insert several cards and withdraw a few bills.
A card ejected like a spring confirmed the collective feeling: “That’s all it’s going to give!”
Looking at his old automatic watch**, Victor sensed the inevitable. Although he still had the option of going to the bank in Argüelles, he would probably have to go back to work in the early morning, exhausted by an unresolved issue. A card that was ejected as if spring had been thrown out confirmed the collective feeling. “That’s all it’s going to give!” said the owner of the card, who was close to achieving a miracle.
Those who had been there since the early hours of the morning remembered the words of the bank employee: “Today we are only going to put money in once.” After the disappointment, some people decided to march in procession to the bank on Argüelles Street. Among those who decided to try their luck in the new line that could already be seen in the distance, was Victor, who walked along writing on WhatsApp to his grandson, who lives in Spain: “This looks like a wake. Here the ATMs die at any time of the day.”
Translator’s notes:
*When Cubans join a line they ask “who’s last” and then watch that person to know when their turn is. In this way people can mingle, wander around, even run other quick errands and still ‘be in line.’
**An automatic watch has a mechanism in the movement that automatically winds the watch through the wearer’s movements, and does not require a battery.
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