Heloise
Express-Lane Abuse
Dear Heloise: This is in response to a pet peeve you printed recently regarding the abuse of EXPRESS CHECKOUT LANES. I am a cashier at a large chain store. I decided to do my own study on the abuse of express lanes.
Our store's express lane is posted as eight items or less. I found that the express lane is abused on the average of once every 27 minutes by a person with an average of six items more than the posted limit. The most items a person checked out in the express lane during my study was 24 items (three times the posted limit).
Many of the "abusers" wrote a check for their purchase, further holding up the line. Please, be considerate of the express lanes. They are there for a reason, and you put the cashier in a bad position when you have too many items. If she asks you to step to another line, you think she is rude or lazy. If she rings up your over-the-limit items, the next person in line, who has one item and is on his or her lunch hour, gets mad at the cashier. -- Rebecca, Via E-mail
This is a constant complaint from many people! Thanks for your insight. I'd like to hear from the "abusers," as you call them -- what's up? -- Heloise
Fast Facts
Here are some hints on what to do with old marbles:
· Add them to a vase of real or artificial flowers for
added color.
· Wash well and add to an aquarium.
· Make your own steppingstones with concrete, and push
marbles into the wet cement to form a design.
· Place in a pretty jar and use as a doorstop.
FYI: If the marbles are very old, you might
want to check with an antiques store in your area, as someone
there might know a collector in your area. I've seen jars of marbles
in antiques shops that were a little pricey, so you might have
a special treasure and not even know it.
-- Heloise
Search No More
Dear Heloise: I stick half of a self-gripping
dot on my calendar and the other half on a pencil. No more searching
for a pencil when I need one!
-- Ruth Boggs, Baltimore
Easy ID
Dear Heloise: I get a lot of personalized
address labels in the mail. They are great to stick on your food
or drink containers in the community refrigerator at work!
-- Debra,
Charlottesville, Va.
Baby Monitors
Dear Heloise: I would like to add to the hint about using baby monitors for the elderly and disabled. My mom became disabled. We bought a baby monitor and also a big horn at a store that sells items for a dollar and attached the horn to her bedrail. The horn is amplified over the monitor, and we can hear it if she is having a bad day and her voice isn't strong enough. We can hear it if we are outside or are running the dishwasher or washing machine, and over the sounds of the television and the grandchildren. -- Lori, San Antonio