HELOISE: Fight theft with customer service

Dear Heloise: In response to the police officer who worked jobs in retailing and often found misplaced items throughout stores, such as a package of meat in the canned-goods section:

I would like to state that I have seen many people, including my own children and myself, decide against buying something and put it back on any shelf of convenience. When people decide to put something back, often they don’t want to walk all the way to where they found the item, so they set it wherever.

I have spent 25 years in retail, and I have found that the best defense against theft is customer service. A friendly “May I help you?” deters thieves more than anything else.

A Reader, via e-mail

Dear Heloise: I read about marking out a bar code on an envelope to reuse it. Be sure to use a black marker, and also mark out any bar codes on the reverse side of the envelope (they are usually light orange or yellow).

Dale Tritsch, Hutchinson, Kan.

Dear Heloise: Put a dirty baseball cap in the top rack of the dishwasher, and run the machine on regular wash and heated dry. Use dishwasher soap, as you do for dishes. The cap will be damp when the cycle is finished, so air-dry it. I have used this method on caps of every color and fabric with success.

Sandra M., via e-mail

This does get the caps clean, but just be sure they are washable, and if you overdo the dish soap, you may end up with a mess!

Heloise

Dear Heloise: I take a calcium pill in the morning and another in the evening. After sometimes wondering if I took the morning pill, I found that if I turn the bottle upside down after taking the pill, I always have my answer. In the evening, I turn the bottle right side up, and it is ready for the next day.

A Reader, via e-mail

Dear Heloise: My dad is 84 and far away in a care facility in Seattle. I call him every night. He does not have a lot to say, but he likes to get the phone call, so I have started making notes all day long to jog my memory about topics to talk with him about when I call at 9 p.m. Just thought it might help someone else.

Corrinne B., Universal City, Texas

Dear Heloise: If you use a motorized toothbrush, do not throw out your worn-out heads. Use them with powder cleanser to reach those difficult areas of your sink and adjacent structures.

Lee B., Fairview, Pa.

King Features Syndicate