DEAR ABBY: A rather unusual happening occurred in our department store recently. Our store is quite a tourist attraction, founded by our parents 79 years ago.
One day a clerk spotted a set of dentures (false teeth) grinning at her from the table on which lingerie was displayed. After checking thoroughly with various customers who were in the store that day, we traced the dentures to a lady from San Francisco who was visiting friends in Hoquiam. We were able to obtain her address, so we wrote to her asking if she had left her dentures in our store. She answered immediately, asking us to please send the dentures at once as she was having difficulty eating and talking. We carefully wrapped the dentures, marked the package "fragile," insured it and mailed it promptly to the lady in San Francisco.Abby, she never acknowledged that she had received her dentures, let alone thanked us for having sent them. Reimbursement for the postage and insurance was incidental, but we did expect a note of thanks.
My question: Was it our duty to take our time and effort to locate the owner of the dentures? I can still see those teeth grinning. - LA VOGUE DEPT. STORE MANAGER, HOQUIAM, WASH.
DEAR MANAGER: You were more than generous to have tracked down the owner of the dentures in order to return them. The San Francisco lady could use a refresher course in manners. She's "couthless" as well as toothless.
DEAR ABBY: My husband's parents live less than a mile from us, and they want our children (their only grandchildren) to visit them often. Our children are 2 1/2 and 4 years old.
The grandparents are loving and well-meaning people, but they have an unprotected swimming pool in their back yard that worries me. They have assured me and my husband that they will watch our children every minute if we leave them in their care, but, Abby, as you know, accidents do happen.
I hate to come off looking like a "nervous Nellie," but I simply cannot bring myself to leave my children with these grandparents. I doubt if they realize that they are slowing down with age and they've forgotten how fast little ones can be.
Please tell me I'm not paranoid. My friends (almost all of them) think nothing of dumping their kids with their parents for overnight visits and even weekends. Of course, I can't sign my name to this, but I'd appreciate an answer in your column. - ME IN ARIZONA
DEAR ME: You are not paranoid; all parents should have your sense of responsibility. Since you have doubts about your children's safety while they are in the care of your in-laws at their home, do not SEND them, TAKE them to visit their grandparents, or invite the grandparents to your home.
DEAR ABBY: A friend of mine is being married soon, and she had several showers given for her. She said she received a lot of shower gifts she doesn't like (wrong color or just plain not her taste) and she plans to take them back to the store where they were purchased and ask for the cash.
Can this be done? - A FRIEND OF HERS
DEAR FRIEND: Probably not. She might be able to exchange the unwanted gifts for other items of the same value, but cash is almost never given in exchange for a returned item.
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