Why do banks in the USA charge so much for generic P2P wire transfers between accounts? It's cheaper and quicker to give someone a check in the USA in a face t

Why do banks in the USA charge so much for generic P2P wire transfers between accounts? It's cheaper and quicker to give someone a check in the USA in a face to face situation vs. a simple wire transfer to their bank account. Wire transfers would be cheaper for the bank since they wouldn't have to process paper checks. ACH is kind of there, but that's not open to the general public.