Dear Readers: Today's SOUND OFF is about grocery-store cashiers not being considerate of people who've been in line waiting to check out.-Heloise
"Often when standing in line to purchase merchandise at a grocery or other store, an employee will open a new cash-register line and signal the person farthest behind me, who has been waiting the least amount of time, to come over to her newly opened line. Why do they rarely invite the person who has been waiting the longest in the nearby line to start the new line?
"I understand why they don't if I've put my merchandise on the conveyor belt; then I'm stuck in my line. But often I'm standing in plain sight and have been waiting a long time, and could easily move over to the new line without making anyone back up.
"I've occasionally said something, with the result of being scowled at as if I'm being rude for even mentioning it-Faithful Waco, Texas, Reader
FAST FACTS
Dear Readers: Here are some other uses for an over-the-door plastic shoe bag:
- Put near a makeup table for shadows, lipsticks, powders, etc.
- Hang in your bedroom to separate and store jewelry.
- Put in a craft room to hold small items like spools of thread or buttons.
- Hang in the bathroom to hold toiletries.
- Put in a garage to store nuts, bolts, washers, , etc.
-Heloise
CHESSMEN FOR
BOARD-GAME PIECES
Dear Heloise: I read your coumn regarding gaming pieces but didn't see ours mentioned, so I thought I'd write you and tell you what we use for any of our board games that are lacking pieces. We've found that small chess pieces work well. Not only is there a queen, king, knight, bishop, rook and pawn, but you also have your choice of black or white!
Twelve different pieces to choose from is plenty, even for my large family. I love reading your hints in the San Antonio Express-News, and have found many of them useful in day-to-day living. Thanks!-Valerie R., via email
MORE MAGAZINES
Dear Heloise: The women in our neighborhood share many things that are life-, money- and/or time-saving. One thing we do to save money and paper is swap magazines.
This gives us more to read without having to subscribe to another magazine, which helps with our family budget. An added bonus is that by sharing copies, we figure we're saving on paper, too.
At the end of each swap, I've offered to gather any magazines we don't care to keep, cut off any address labels and take them to a nearby senior-citizens community.-Blanche D., via email
BLOW-DRYING LABELS
Dear Heloise: Love your
column! A reader recently shared how she soaks the
labels off old prescription bottles. I'm a pharmacy tech, and we get them off with a hair dryer. A few seconds of blowing and it peels right off.
This blow-drying technique works with a lot of other labels, too.-Susan, via email
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