Dear Readers: Today’s SOUND OFF is about salesclerks who don’t know how to count your change. “Dear Heloise: My wife and I read your column in the Antelope Valley Press in Lancaster, Calif. We have never been disappointed. I personally enjoy the ‘Sound Off’ issues.

“One of my pet peeves is watching a retail clerk trying to return change from a $20 bill. One of the first things I learned in grade school was how to count change. We were told that the reason was so we could be assured we got the right change. I have had to call a manager while at the checkout on three occasions just last week. Being retired, I have the patience to help, but why should I have to?” — John and Karen H., Lancaster, Calif.

SEND A GREAT HINT TO:

Heloise

P.O. Box 795000

San Antonio, TX 78279-5000

Fax: 1-210-HELOISE

Email: Heloise@Heloise.com

FAST FACTS

Dear Readers: Here are some other uses for ashtrays:

* Use it in a bathroom to hold guest soaps.

* Use to hold seed to feed the squirrels and birds.

* Store hair ornaments in the larger ones.

* Use it to hold your car/house keys so you’ll always know where to find them.

* Keep lose change in them.

— Heloise

NO OIL LEAK

Dear Heloise: I went to a beauty-supply store and bought a straight-tip, leakproof applicator for hair color. Just pour up to 8 ounces of olive oil into it, tighten the lid well, and you have the perfect applicator to dispense olive oil. No spills, and no awkward tipping of a large container. — Frances M., Fayetteville, Ark.

Frances, what a great idea! So many times we forget that useful products can be found in many different places. With just a little imagination, you can repurpose any number of things. — Heloise

PLANTS AND AIR

Dear Heloise: As pretty as plants in our homes can be, they have another very useful benefit: Green plants clean the air and improve the quality of the air we breathe in our homes. Plants have air-purification capabilities that allow them to absorb gases through pores on the surface of their leaves. But a word of caution: Some plants are toxic to children and pets, so choose wisely when buying a plant for your home. — Hollister H., Stamford, Conn.

Hollister, thank you for this information. I love the look of indoor plants, and the benefits they provide to the air quality in my home. — Heloise

DID YOU KNOW?

Dear Readers: The U.S. Postal Service handles about 43 percent of the world’s mail. The next closest to that is Japan’s, with 6 percent. — Heloise

THE FALL OF THE MALL?

Dear Heloise: I’m wondering how your readers feel about SHOPPING MALLS? When I was a kid, I loved spending time at the mall with my friends; some malls had carousels, ice-skating rinks and movie theaters, and they all had wonderful food courts with delicious choices of eats. But now so many malls are going out of business.

In San Antonio, we still have malls that are doing well, but off-price stores and shopping online are gaining in popularity.

Will your readers always go to the mall? Do you like the energy there? The service? The people? It was convenient to have all the big stores under one roof, and years ago, I used to walk in the mall for exercise. That was fun.

The salespeople in the kiosks outside of the stores can be pretty pushy, but I’ve learned to just say, “No, thank you.”

Is the shopping mall becoming a thing of the past? Hopefully not! — Jana B., Helotes, Texas

Readers, what do you say about the shopping mall? I’ve done many book signings in many malls over the years — a great place to come together! — Heloise

WAX ON; WAX OFF

Dear Heloise: My daughter gave me two beautiful scented candle jars (cinnamon and vanilla). Most of the wick and wax is almost used. The jars are beautiful, and I wish to keep them. How can I safely remove the remaining wax? — Mom in Florida

What a lovely daughter! And kudos for wanting to repurpose the jars. Tuck the jars in the freezer for about an hour. Carefully place a table knife at the edge of the wax and wiggle it gently. The wax should pop off! — Heloise

‘S’ OR ‘C’

Dear Heloise: I’m sure there are a lot of talented folks who design containers, so it has always amazed me that they fail to recognize that people who wear glasses usually don’t wear them in the shower.

Shampoo and conditioner bottles are ordinarily the same size. How about a giant “S” and “C” printed on the bottles? — Marian L., Omaha, Neb.

THE LEARNED WORD

Dear Heloise: While my kids (ages 8 and 10) are out of school for the summer, I am having them read for an hour per day. I set a goal for them to find one word they are unfamiliar with. I challenge them to learn the meaning of the word, and then the context the word was used in.

Then the next day, we talk about yesterday’s word, and set upon the task of finding a new word to learn!

We are having fun reading, learning and sharing! — Mary H. in Pittsburgh

LETTER OF LAUGHTER

Dear Heloise: Why is it that in school, teachers tell you, “Keep your eyes on your own paper” and “No talking,” and then when you get out in the real world, people tell you, “Network!” “Meet and greet!” and “If you want to be like this person, do what he does!”?

A paradox indeed! — Glenn C. in New York

EDITOR’S NOTE: Send your great money-saving or timesaving hint to to Heloise at P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, Fax to 1-210-HELOISE, or email to Heloise@Heloise.com. She can’t answer your letter personally but will use the best hints received in her column.