HELOISE If pull-tab cans annoy you, say so

Dear Readers: A recent column about the newer-type pull-tab cans sure hit a nerve with y'all! Hundreds of you responded, and all, young and old, said that you don't like them! Not only are they difficult to pull up, but the liquid spills while opening.
Can openers can be used on the bottoms of some pull-tab cans, but not all. Quite a few readers called the manufacturers to complain and were told that the bottoms of the cans are made without a rim for stacking purposes.
There are devices that can be bought to make pulling up the tabs easier, but most people find their own way of doing it. Some use a butter knife, pliers, screwdriver, etc., but that still doesn't solve the problem of the contents spilling.
If you are annoyed with these cans, call the 800 number on the back of the cans and complain! The phone number is for consumers, so make yourself heard.
Hopefully, the manufacturers will make them both ways so people can have a choice. At least make all the cans able to be opened from the bottom. Heloise
P.S. If you do call, tell them you read it in Heloise's column.
Dear Heloise: My mother recently had surgery. I am her only relative. Some of her friends use surgery as a social occasion. Some came and stayed most of the day in the surgery waiting room. This is the only area of the hospital where doctors come to talk to family members. I need quiet and privacy in stressful situations. Having these people at the hospital added a great deal of stress to my day.
Please suggest this to your readers: If you want to go to the hospital before a friend's surgery, ask a family member if he or she would enjoy having company, and do not go if the person is hesitant.
If your group likes to gather at the hospital the day of a friend's surgery, stay in the downstairs, most public part of the hospital. Leave the surgery waiting room for the family. If they want to visit with you, they can always go where you are. A reader, via e-mail.
Dear Heloise: I wanted to make a dinner really special without spending a lot of money. For the napkin holders, I bought gold-shelled shower-curtain rings on sale. I bought a dozen red silk roses at a very reasonable price, cut them and wrapped each shower ring with a rose. It was a big hit with all my friends. Fran Dettman, Locust Grove, Va.
Dear Heloise: I mostly wear sneakers and usually without socks, so they are in the wash a lot. When I take them out of the wash, I stuff the toes with plastic baggies from the grocery store.
I let them dry on top of the washer, and they dry in a day. They look like new, and no wrinkled toes. Ann Marie Mulholland, Scottsdale, Ariz.
XSend a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000, or you can fax it to (210) HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com. I can't answer your letter personally but will use the best hints received in my column.
King Features Syndicate