I learned long ago to complain To The Top. I always typewrite a complaint letter on nice old-fashioned bond paper to the CEO/President of a company, no email, & have never failed to get amazing results. I relearned that lesson a few years ago,, when I was trying to get back some insurance premiums from Blue Cross. After dealing with myriad Customer Service Reps over several months, with promises but no refund, I found the woman's name who was then its President, typed the letter, within 2 days her assistant telephoned me & said she would immediately get on it, & by the end of that week, I had an $800 plus check from them in the mail. I've also received a beautiful plant from the president of a mutual fund company with great apologies & a "fix" & a big box of expensive chocolates & a $30. gift certificate from a retail company President. Oh, yes, 10 free rolls of very a expensive wallpaper from the President of another company when I complained to him that the first batch didn't line up properly. Nobody's impressed with email any more...

There are many problems. Retail stores have long hired relied on part-time help. Thirty years ago, that worked better. Our local mall hired a lot of high school kids and Airmen's wives. Gas was under a buck a gallon. A Filet-O-Fish and a shake came in under a dollar, too. Many women didn't *have* to work, and worked because they wanted to, and if the job didn't work out, it wasn't a huge deal. Now, if someone is working, it's likely she needs the money. Many retail jobs are seasonal, so people quit when something better comes up. Or they find something in the off-season that isn't seasonal. Or they find that a seasonal job plus collecting unemployment in the off-season is more lucrative than looking for (and traveling to) another job. Gas is near four dollars a gallon, so if you're not scheduled for a full shift, you may feel as if some money is wasted. All this makes it hard to find good help these days. The managers are under the gun to make plan and come in under payroll- so the minimum number of people are scheduled. The problem isn't the the size of the cutting area, it's that there aren't enough people scheduled. Additionally, the number of people who still sew is rather small. Few people will apply for a job in a fabric store knowing nothing about sewing and crafts - and if they get hired, aren't going to be knowledgeable for a while. And to be honest, the work ethic isn't what it used to be, either. The managers are hiring the best people who walk through the door. Who did you contact in the head office? And does McCalls know of Joann's policy? Last time I felt strongly about something, I looked up the name of the president of the corporation, and sent the letter to him, by name. Personnel changes were made in five weeks.

Colleen, how old is your White? I've read that the new White's (and Singer's, etc.) are not like the old ones . . . so hopefully yours is newer? Keepmeinstitches: this is one of the illusion costumes I've made . . . usually people think there's more than one person inside (especially after a few drinks, lol!) They're great to see in motion because I have to walk like the main part, in this case, like Frankenstein. This one has an inner frame that I have to crawl up into; the costume is 7 feet tall! I also made an illusion gorilla/lady in red, an old lady/baby and a 10-foot upside down clown. (Poor DH dreads them because he has to find places to store them and they're huge!)

I hope JoAnn doesn't have an infection. That happened to me after my hysterectomy, but I don't like to post it and scare the daylights out of women who are getting ready to go through it. I was home overnight before I had to go back in. The surgeon told me I was an hour away from dying. He sure did ruin my bikini line--not that I had a great one to begin with or ever worn a bikini for that matter. I didn't realize Ken was bad. I hope they can get him some meds for the pain. They sure have had more than their share of heartbreak. They were at our house in February when Nita and Carol came. I just hate hearing what she's going through. She's a lot of fun and such a sweet person. At that time, Ken was having problems eating and could only eat turkey--which by coincidence I happened to be serving for lunch. So much to have happen in just a few months. Keeping up the prayers.