The Postbank in Grafing will close on February 25 – forever and without replacement. That’s what it says on a large poster on the door of the branch on Jahnstrasse. If you want to read the small print underneath, you should bring time and patience, because the sign is attached to a sliding door. Every time a customer enters the mailroom, the door moves open and closed. As if it weren’t enough that the only postal bank branch in town is being closed – no, things are also being made difficult for the citizens of Grafing in other ways.
The Grafinger branch is no longer profitable, argues the Post
“It’s a scandal,” says Christine Rönsch. The 74-year-old often sends parcels and letters to family and friends abroad. She goes to the Postbank in Grafing two or even three times a week. And she’s not the only one outraged by the closure. The branch is well frequented. The front door is constantly closing and opening. Nevertheless: “It is said that we are no longer profitable,” says Markus Rieger, employee of the branch. “We were warned, but we didn’t expect everything to happen so quickly.”
Oliver Rittmaier, press spokesman for Postbank, also confirms that the branch can no longer be run economically. This is due to the fact that the demand for stationary offers and advice has fallen. Customers, “across all age groups,” emphasizes Rittmaier, would increasingly resort to online offers. The mobile app for banking transactions in particular is also popular with seniors because of its intuitive menu navigation.
What alternatives are there? And where?
But what alternative should there be for Grafinger besides the online business? If the sliding door stands still long enough, you can catch a glimpse of further information on the poster. “Your new Postbank branch is there for you for everything to do with your finances,” it says. The address referred to is in Rosenheim – a good 30 kilometers from Grafing. But can there be any talk of a reasonable alternative for a nearly 40-minute drive?
When asked, Rittmaier explained that this was a mistake: in addition to the branch in Rosenheim, there is also a postal bank in Baldham. They will try to replace the poster in time – and maybe the new information will then get a better place where it can actually be read undisturbed?
When it comes to withdrawing cash, Rittmaier refers to the local supermarkets. You can get up to 200 euros there if you pay cashless. In addition, a new Deutsche Post partner branch opened in the adjoining building of the Grafinger Rewe market at Leonhardstraße 5a at the end of January. But even that is no substitute for the Postbank, says Christine Rönsch, and she is not satisfied with this solution. “There’s only one switch,” she points out. “That’s why it all takes a lot more time and the service suffers.” In any case, you expect long queues and waiting times.