DEAR HELOISE: Today I had to get some gym shoes, but I walk with a cane and shopping is very difficult for me. I called around to see if some of these stores had motorized shopping carts for the handicapped, and after five calls to various large stores, I found only one that had what I needed. While I was in that store I bought several other items besides the shoes. I know stores are trying to lure customers in, despite covid-19, but making it impossible for the handicapped to shop at their stores decreases the walk-in traffic. If more stores had motorized shopping carts for the handicapped, they might find it very profitable.
-- Joan M., Tampa, Fla.
DEAR READERS: New uses for old, expired credit cards:
• Use to scrape ice and snow from car windows.
• Use to cut hard cheeses.
• Use a couple as a shim under a wobbly table.
• Use as a garden marker. Paint first, then write the name of seeds planted in that row.
DEAR HELOISE: There is a new scam going around on the phone, whether you answer or not. They leave a message saying that if you recently used your card to make a purchase to just say "yes, I authorize that purchase," or words to that affect. This is just a blatant way to cheat honest people. If you didn't make a purchase, they tell you to call a certain number, which you should not do. Just hang up on this recording, no matter what is said. Most of us have used a debit or credit card recently, which is why they say a "plastic card." Don't let these scammers cheat you. Hang up on them.
-- Harrison G., Detroit
DEAR HELOISE: No doubt many people have a hard time opening lids on bottles and jars. This is especially true of medicine bottles, which could be very dangerous for a senior citizen like me. What can we do?
-- Ginnie R., Dumas, Texas
DEAR READER: Tell your pharmacist that you want bottles for your medicine that are not child proof. You want the easiest bottle to open available. For other things, there are bottle openers on the market that are designed to open bottles and jars of various sizes. You can usually get one at a grocery store or a home store. Sometimes hardware stores carry them. They're usually not expensive.
Send a money- or time-saving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000; fax to (210) 435-6473; or email
Heloise@Heloise.com