Store clerks need to learn how to count

Dear Heloise: I've just read your column regarding store checkers' complaints about customers throwing their money on the counters instead of handing it to them. The article also discussed the checkers putting the coins on the bills when they make change. I agree that both of those complaints need attention.
Now, I'd like to add one more complaint to this: Many checkers do not count your change back to you. Example: Your purchase is for $19; you give the checker a $100 bill. Change should be given back to the customer one bill at a time. Instead, many checkers just stack the bills and hand them to the customer. The customer does not know if the change is correct. If you stand there and count, you hold up the following customers. If you walk away and count and are shortchanged, there is no way you can prove it.
This is happening even in large discount stores, and your column would be a great place to advise managers to train their checkers in the proper procedure for handling this. Joe D. Bickham, Atlanta, Texas
Joe, many agree with you. It would be interesting to hear from checkers and management on this subject. Also, as a "customer," what should I do? Put the money on the counter or in the clerk's hand? Heloise
Fast facts
Here are other ways to put a dolly to use:
Haul a heavy briefcase around.
Carry shopping bags with it.
Use it to move a plant.
Carry a heavy box home or into the office.
Dear Heloise: When we buy fast-food hamburgers or tacos or such, there is always a wad of napkins at the bottom of the take-home bag. Many times we do not use them all. I take these unused napkins and place them in a plastic grocery bag that hangs on a doorknob in my kitchen (they can be put in a drawer instead). The napkins are perfect for wiping up spills or cleaning windows or mirrors. I feel great that I am saving on the high cost of paper-towel rolls, and I am saving a tree!
Speaking of paper-towel rolls, the empty tube from a roll is perfect for storing those hair scrunchies that the girls wear. They slip right on the cardboard tube and are neatly lined up. Maxine Starks, Plantation, Fla.
Dear Heloise: I found another use for those foam packing peanuts. They are good to use in the bottom of planters for drainage. They can also be used in outdoor flower beds.
Try it -- my daughter and I did it, and it worked very well. Rochelle Dupont, Gardiner, Maine
Sound off
Dear Heloise: Don't you just love it when manufacturers put flimsy zippers on kids' jackets and clothes, and they fall apart when the item is practically new? Mona Tracey, Nassau, N.Y.
No, I don't! And you should return it to the store for a refund. If enough of us do it, manufacturers will get the word and use better-quality zippers! Heloise
Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, or you can fax it to (210) HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com.
King Features Syndicate