The Castlegar Sun Wednesday, March 18, 1992 Wednesday, March 18, 1992 The Castlegar Sun Page 5B t hat the provincial deficit for 1991/92 is forecast at almost $2.5 billion, $1.3 billion higher than originally projected. If spending and revenue patterns are not 's esti d the deficit would rise to $2.8 billion in 1992/93 and $3.3 billion for the ng ‘The report on loans shows that enough to allow up to 100 per cent losses. As a result, the report that $316 million be written off. “The report clearly show that the previous government left BC with a legacy of bad decisions,” said Clark. “Poor financial man- bad loans, of our worst fears.” Peat Marwick Stevenson & Kellogg, the accounting firm + limit public sector salary increases to near the rate of infla- uon; last to review the province's finances, attributes the $1.3 billion deficit increase to a revenue shortfall of $378 million, an expenditure overrun of $289 million, and an additional $603 million from other adjustments. “While the reports point out many problems, they also offer specific suggestions to help this manage the public's TREASURE SHOP Hospital Auxiliary Thrift Shop . - 4:00 p.m. 10:00 Door Prize Draws On The Hour See You There! . Hours of Operation Mon. - Fri. 10 am - 4 pm Saturday 10 am -2 pm 1128 3rd St. « 365-6587 1 NAPOLI > RESTAURANT PIZZA BRVLLLRRBREBREEE Zror|{ BRELRERRREBELEE Two Medium Pizzas With Any Two Toppings of Your Choice 514 WIN DINNER FOR TWO... Enter our Monthly Draw TAKE OUT AND DELIVERY ONLY 1420 BAY AVE., TRAIL, B.C. money with prudence, honesty Kootenay SUBMITTED ‘\_ 368-3339 + 368-9333 More than 30 quests from Castlegar, Nelson, Trail, & Salmo enjoyed a Hostess Appreciation event put on by their Discovery Toys Educational Consultants. Local manager Melody Water- berg said, “Our hostesses are a Special group of people who care Have you received good A lot of merchants are work- ing hard at giving good cus- tomer service. They understand the benefits to their business, to the community and to the cus- + impr Public service pro- ductivity; + redesign key programs to reduce delivery and benefit cost, and improve management influ- ence Over Operations; * strengthen revenue collection efforts; * increase tax revenues; and * Create a strong central agency re porting to Cabinet to integrate financial policy into an overall government operating plan. residents about children. They invite us into their homes to share our wonderful, unique toys with their friends and we hosted this special evening for them in return.” Brenda Parkes, a local day care operator spoke on under- standing and building self-esteem in our children. Guests also enjoyed the prize draws and the tions are asked, and the other ‘little extras’ that a merchant does are all included. For instance if you say that the item is a gift, an astute merchant who tomer. They know that service is not a diabolical plot to put small retailers and busi- nesses out of business. Nor is it something trumped up by con- sumers to make the small busi- hess beg customers to buy products or services. Sometimes though, good customer service is given and the customer doesn’t know it! The customer has one view of customer ser- vice, the merchant the other. As a consumer, receiving good customer service means the staff of the business are attentive to your needs. Every- thing from the greeting you receive when you walk in, the questions and the way the ques- Silver Rattle Antiques 301-11 Ave. Castlegar, (in Tulips Building) 365-5191 ‘The report on loans recom- mends that the cost of loans reflect current financial values and that the government stop lending money or issuing loans guarantees when they know in advance that ble $1-billion government-wide bill and clean-up costs of up to $500 mil- lion, A massive shadow bureau- cracy and misleading financial re ports were also revealed from the fi jal review, C i and central- “A pay-out rate on loan guar- antees of 54 per cent is a good indi of the inad izing financial control are two major recommendations to effec- tively manage the province's aCequate prac tices of the previous govern- ment,” said Clark. “We need to put this province back on its feet.” Other reports from the finan- cial review released earlier this month covered hidden cost with Significant impact on the budget such as the Vancouver Island Gas Pipeline rate subsidies, a possi- “The government is moving quickly to address the reports’ find- , id special committee to review the i and monitor the i ion. And we'll outline our plan for BC first in next week's throne speech, and in the provincial budget on March 26.” “discovering” toys elegant dessert table. . The new spring toys were pre- sented and Educational Consul- tants Colleen Howe, Lisa Fisher, Suzanne Lehbauer, Sherrey Thomas, and Lori Verigan are geared up for a very busy spring season. “Our guests were very excited by our new toys,” said Waterberg. and start a conversation. They want to help you if you want help. If you don’t need help, “People who know our company eagerly await our new lines.” She went on to say that more Discover Toys consultants are “We have just begun to ser- vice the needs of the Kootenays. Our goal is to give every child their greatest opportunity to grow and develop.” customer service lately? deposit to ensure that the order is a serious and not frivolous one. please be polite in refusing their assistance. No one likes to be growled at. Receiving good customer ser- vice means that the clerk or merchant must anticipate when and if you want assistance and be ready for that signal. So if it appears that you are being watched, the clerk or merchant Provides good customer service will ask if you want the price tag taken off, or if you would like the parcel wrapped. They will also tell you the return poli- cy if the receiver of the gift doesn’t feel the item is appro- priate. Receiving good customer service also means that the mer- chant can explain the many uses of a product or its benefits com- pared to similar items. For instance if the product is made in Canada it will have a differ- ent quality and price than if it is made somewhere else. Once you, the consumer have all the facts, an intelligent decision can be made. Receiving good customer ser- vice means that a merchant or clerk will approach you within 90 seconds of entering the store isn’t ping or spying. They are watching for your signal that you need assistance because they know how annoy- ing it is to have to search out a clerk. Receiving good customer ser- vice means that if a particular store doesn’t have the exact item you want and you've looked at all their items and not chosen one, the clerk or mer- chant can suggest other loca- tions in the area that might carry that particular item even if it is in a competing community. Receiving good customer ser- vice means the merchant might check with a supplier to see if a special item or size or colour can be ordered. Don’t feel insulted though if you, the con- sumer, are asked for a deposit on special orders. Many suppli- ers ask the merchant for a wy, AW Excellence in Service Award Presented to: Bruce Nichol Greetings From Grandpa Cheveidave HAPPY BIRTHDAY Chris Jack, Happy Birthday Love, Mom, Dad & Freddie Keith Tellier, 2 yrs, From, Rick, Susan, Cameron & Corbin Keith Tellier, Happy 2nd Birthday, Love, Dada & Baba Receiving good ser- vice can mean having a mer- chant open early or stay late to accommodate you, the con- sumer. And receiving good customer service means that sometime a merchant will allow you credit with the store instead of asking for a credit card. Receiving good customer ser- vice means the merchant has done everything within their Power to help you, the con- sumer. Sometimes though, all the help in the world won't make a product appear. This leaves you, the consumer, disap- pointed. If you appreciate all the help you did get and all the extra time and effort that went in to trying to satisfy you, tell the merchant that you appreci- ate their effort. There are probably thousands more examples of receiving good customer service; I’ve just highlighted nine. Number ten, below is probably the most important one of all. Receiving good customer ser- vice is NOT just a merchant who has what a customer wants when the customer wants it. Customer service is the personal touch that involves doing every- thing possible to help the cus- tomer even if all the help in the world doesn’t satisfy the cus- tomers needs. , There are a lot of courses offered on how to give good cus- tomer service. Perhaps its time that someone offer a course to consumers on what to look for and how to receive and appreci- ate good customer service. Barker buckeroo’s new horse Not many of you know I gave up couch-potatoism and started to ride the range on my trusty steed. You might have seen us riding around town: well, so what if you didn't, my cousin, Tammy Fur- Barker saw me on the big black stallion and she ran beside me and yelled up at me: “Hey, Lynn, why don’t you stop your horse so we can talk?” “Whoa, big fella,” I murmured to my horse as I pulled hard on the reins, but I couldn't get him to stop. “T can’t stop him, Tammy-Fur,” I yelled back, “We'll just have to wait till the quarter runs out.” The crowds have been gather- Looking Dear Ann Landers: I am beg- ging you to help me and thou- sands of other women who are worried sick. I am one of many who had breast implants years ago and am now reading some terrifying stuff in the papers. Mine were inserted in 1978 by a fine doctor who assured me they were safe. My husband was very pleased with the results and so was I. My clothes looked better on me and I felt wonderful about my figure. Yesterday I heard on the radio there will be no more such surg- eries until additional studies are done. Meanwhile, what is a person like me supposed to do? I phoned my doctor and asked about having the implants removed. He asked me if I was having any problems. When I said, “No,” he replied, “There is no reason for you to have them removed. Stop worrying.” Now, whenever I have a little ache or pain I get scared to death that it’s the beginning of cancer or some other horrible thing caused by my implants. Can you say something to calm my fears? — Terrified in Louisville Dear Terrified: I have spent hours on the phone talking to experts in every part of the coun- try and read page after page of testimony. This is what I have learned: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s advisory panel has determined that there is no compelling scientific evidence that the implants cause disease but made it clear that more stud- News of + In Sacramento, Calif., in December, a trial was held for an August 1989 incident involving Baptist Rev. Bryant Wyatt. Wyatt had decided to make a soul- cleansing confession from the pulpit about his affair with one of his parishioners, Rosene Pollard (a fashion consultant and long- haul truck driver). Pollard is suing ‘Wyatt and the church because, immediately upon Wyatt's announcement, Wyatt's wife, who was seated directly behind Pol- lard, grabbed Pollard in a choke hold and wrestled her to the floor, injuring her before the two women could be separated. ing at the grocery store and folks come from far and wide to. watch my great equestrian tricks. Some- times I ride backwards, too. (I tried riding once, but the manager told me to get my shirt back on or the government would make us sell beer.) As soon as the quar- ter ran out, I carefully dismounted. My horse is very skittish, as all thoroughbreds are, and he sometimes starts with a frown. “You're making me break training, Tammy-Fur, what's up?” Barker's Sormecnes ZY Selections Lynn Barker we. do stunts and make a ton of money and get a whole flock of horses ...” “Herd.” “Heard? How could you? I just thought it up.” “A flock of hors- es is called a herd.” “Oh. Well, what do you think?” “Sounds like a wonderful idea, cousin, Do you have a quarter?” She gave a quar- running without the quarter. I turned towards my cousin “Well, I was just thinking that we could sell tickets to watch you ter. (I know, I know 1 took advantage of a perfectly silly person. Tammy Fur-Barker for advice about breast ies are needed. The panel has recommended that all women who need breast ion after y be allowed to have it, as well as a limited number of women who want the procedure for cosmetic reasons, in order to supply data for a controlled study. The FDA is advising women who have not experienced any problems to leave their implants in. I spoke with Dr. Mitchell Kar- lan, past president of the Los Angeles County Medical Society (12,000 members), and this is what Dr. Karlan said: “The manner, in which this controversy was handled by the FDA was political, not scientific. It did not serve the women of this country well. In 32 years as a sur- gical oncologist, having followed my patients after mastectomy for as long as 25 years, I have never seen one case of auto-immune disease or cancer that resulted from silicone gel breast implants. “Approximately 2 million women have had breast implants since 1972. While no surgical procedure is guaranteed to be 100 percent successful for every patient, about 95 percent of the women Who have had breast implants are extremely pleased with the results and have had no problems.” And now a final word from Kirk Johnson, general counsel for the American Medical Associa- tion: “The FDA is trying to deal responsibly with a situation that has gotten out of hand in large part because malpractice lawyers have too much contol over pub- lic health decisions. Whatever the merits of the implant controversy which we are reviewing, we know that malpractice lawyers are taking away from physicians and patients ‘the ability to obtain the best health care.” Anyone who has questions can call the FDA Breast Implant Information: toll-free hotline. The number is 1-800-532-4440 (TDD for the hearing impaired: (1 -800- 688-6167). Dear Ann Landers: You recently printed a letter from a woman in Binghampton, N.Y., who had accidentally stolen a ring from a jewelry store and was afraid to leave her house. I thought you might be interested in a positive response generated by that column. I am the president of a bank in Connecticut. Your column and the following letter were sent to me along with $50: “Dear Sir: I kept something thal was given to me in error and I am now returning it to your bank. “Here are the facts: I cashed a check at your bank on Oct. 24, 1991. I put the money in an enve- lope and left. When I stopped later to pay a bill in cash, I noticed there was an extra $50. | tried to convince myself that the bank had insurance to cover this type of thing, but I just couldn't do it. “Feelings of guilt set in. Days, weeks, a month passed. I wanted to return the $50 but I couldn’t bring myself to enter the bank. I felt that everyone knew I had the weird by Chuck Sheperd votes to beat the only announced candidate, who gamered 25 votes in the town of 243. It was the fourth term Marsh had won, and the third time he had won via write-in after expressing his reluctance to accept the job. He said he was disappointed that he won but took comfort that his victory margin seemed to be dwindling. + In December, a couple in Lit- Ue Rock, Ark., found in their attic 200 marked ballots from a 1968 primary election. The house was once owned by a deputy to former sheriff Marlin Hawkins, who last year wrote the book, “How I Stole Elections.” Authorities determined that the ballots would have changed the result of the contest for local Prosecutor — except that the statute of limitations expired in 1974. stolen the money and could see the word ‘thief’ branded on my forehead. “The solution: The attached Ann Landers column gave me the courage to right a wrong. I am ashamed of what I did. Here is the $50. Please forgive this sin- ner. I am truly sorry. — A Bank Customer” Ann, because of insurance pre- mium costs, banks usually carry high deductibles against theft and shortages of this type. In our case, shortages come out of the employee bonus pool. In any event, your column gave this per- son peace of mind, and for that I thank you. — William J. McGurk, president and CEO, The Savings Bank of Rockville, Conn. Dear Mr. McGurk: Thanks for letting me know that something in my column gave a reader the courage to do the right thing. This may seem insignificant, but it means a great deal to me. Dear Ann Landers: This is in response to “Stymied in Michi- gan,” whose new husband changed as soon as they were married. My experience was identical to hers. Our courtship was wonderful. “Nick” was loving and generous and made me feel terrific. He was works for the Minister of Norther Affairs and so far she’s found out that the Minister of Southern Affairs had one more affair than the Norther guy. But things are looking up this year. She put a quarter in the slot as soon as I was safely mounted. “Come here,” I said, “I want to try a daring new trick. Let me hold your toque.” “No, cousin!” she yelled, “It’s too dangerous! You're not ready!” I really wasn't too worried because I practices at home on the Chesterfield. I gingerly climbed up on the horse's back with one hand on the reins and the other on my cousins toque. (Folks, don’t try this at home!) Then I balanced on one leg. That's when it all hap- pened. Before you could say “law- suit”, the toque flew off, 1 was bucked straight up, did a triple- gayndr and landed butt-down in a stack of lard. In an instant, I had a revelation: my horse's new name was Crisco. It also dawned on me that I'd be walking funny and sitting on a pil- low for awhile. Worse yet, I was given a ticket for dangerous riding and dare-deviling without a licence. Tammy Fur-Barker Thinks it’s all very funny and calls me “Tenderfoot”. But that not where it hurts. implant concern the one who was eager to marry and pressed for it. It was the sec- ond marriage for both of us. After we exchanged our wed- ding vows, his personality changed completely. He became cool and defensive and criticized everything I did. When I asked him what was wrong, he would say, “Nothing.” After two years of marriage, I had to move out in order to regain my sanity. Oddly enough, soon after we were living apart, he became that lovely, adoring per- son I used to know. The lesson I learned was that some people are meant to be by themselves and they are happiest that way. They honestly believe that they want to be married, but they feel table in the marriage and really want to go “home” and be alone. “Stymied” had better accept the fact that her husband probably loves her, but he cannot take togetherness 24 hours a day. — M. from Michigan Dear M.: The situation you describe is much more likely in a second marriage. When the sec- ond marriage lacks the ease a spouse was accustomed to after many years in a happy first mar- riage, he or she may feel that something is “wrong.” Second marriages are not for everyone. And some first ones aren’t either. ANN LANDERS (R) COPYRIGHT 1992 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC. Bluetop o WEEK CHICKEN $995 BURGER Golden brown chicken breast patty with mayonnaise, lettuce and tomato 1521 COLUMBIA AVE. 365-8388 MOST SKIN CARE AND GLAMOUR PRODUCTS ARE MISSING ONE VITAL INGREDIENT. Mary Kay provides you with a personal skin care or Color Awareness consultation And our advice is free. Call today. Protessional Mary Kay Jeanette Horning ADVICE. Beauty Consultant 365-5576 SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS THIS WEEK SATURDAY Super opper CRIME FLASHBACK Plus: e The Doctor Game e Ann Landers e And Much More For Your Reading Pleasure Kalawsky Pontiac/Buick/GMC This award will be presented every week to someone in Castlegar who shows extraordinary service to his/her customers or clients. HAIRLINES 1444 Columbia Ave., Castlegar, B.C, 365-6700 Mon. - Sat. Wed. & Thurs, ‘WH 8:00 pm Keith Tellier, Happy 2nd, Love Mom & Dad Allan Verigin, Happy Birthday Love, Mom & Dad Allan Verigin, Happy Birthday From Grandpa Cheveldave Ashiey Jmaitt, Love, Mom, Jerry & Selina Ashiey Jmaitt, Happy Birthday From Grandma & Grandpa ~#~VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE It takes all kinds of people to make up this big world. And different people have different values- take that bicycle you never ride. Or that set of weights you never lift. Chances are, someone wants them, and you want to make a sale! THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS * Overlooked in the September mayoral election in Memphis, won by Willie Herenton, who became the city’s first black mayor, was the strong showing by perennial candidate Robert Hodges, 44, who received 2,921 7 your votes to Herenton’s 122,585. 3) sacs Hodges has run’ for various [© Ting offices over the last 10 years and Castlegar Sun is known as Prince Mongo from closeileds the planet Zambodia. 365-7848 Mar. 23 Mar. 23 Let us be your The recipients will receive an award Plaque to keep courtesy of Kats Trophys and a lunch for 2, value to $20.00, courtesy of the Fireside Dining Room. THIS WEEK'S WINNER IS INDICATED BY LOGO Phone in your birthday wish & we will print it free of charge. All birthday greetings must be phoned in (365-5266) by Noon Thursday the week before the March is Red Cross Month * Turkey’s best-known circum- cisionist, Kemal Ozkan, switched parties in last fall’s political cam- paign. The Motherland Party had used Ozkan to attract crowds at rallies by offering voters free cir- cumcisions, amidst much pomp and circumstance, for their chil- dren (35 seconds each, in long queues), but Ozkan switched to the True Path Party, where he believes his skills will be better appreciated. . The Canadian Cross S ht teeame ed Choe Society + In November, Jim Marsh was Wise again elected mayor of Néw Mar- ket, Minn., winning 31 write-in We'd like everyone in Castlegar to know there is an “Excellence in Service” in their community, and to congratulate each of them personally. WATCH FOR YOUR SHOPPER AT YOUR DOORSTEP ON FRIDAY AFTERNOON RS! ey The Castl gar Sun ZS If you know of someone that offers “Excellence in Service,” call me, Jon Jarrett at 365-5266, or drop a letter at the Castlegar Sun with your suggestion. ALL ROYAL TREATS on special - only $1°° rry Wy The Gusti '< r Sun Z SS TRESS iis Orme bey ter Parfait Nutty Double Fudge Ss Ss Ss Ss s Ss Ss Ss Ss Ss s Ss Ss Ss Ss Ss Ss Ss Ss ADHDNDNDNHDHRHDHHHHHHHHHOHH SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS