Times-Advocate, 1988-11-30, Page 7n
the
Street
By Jin' Beckett
m a happily.married man 51 weeks out of every. year.
Not bad you say. This year ,dates :different. It was like liv-
ing a totally painfree life for 51 weeks and then being
worked on for five straight days by a dentist•who doesn't
believe in freezing. z•
Every. )car I -watch my wife as he -easily does whatever itris a
wife has tci.dct to keep the houset,,,ld running smoothly. Sometimes
I even wondered what sfie does with all her spare time.
Thcrc's nothing to it. Coffee. -with the girls..Exercise classes. Vis-
its to the library... Hell, I could do a;I hcr work in my spare time.
For about eight years now Barb has: ahandbned me for a week,
leaving ine with two hungry inouths to feed and look after. The. .
only problem is_thc-mouths (Derek and Ryan) have become Nigger
and louder. .
Last year was easy when it became time to prove -I coulddo every-
thing she docs. I had a game plan that worked. In fact, it worked so -
well success kilted any chance I had of -repeating it again this year.
Last year I used the old syinpathy ploy. All nay friends were in-
forinedihat I would be on my own, -trying desperately to do my job
during the day and operate the house in the evenings. Sometimes I
would put on a sad kick and stare right at someone while saying "i
really don't know what 111 do for dinner Monday." This performance
repeated itself several times -with the day being the -only change. : .
It worked withbut fail. The dutiful husband and his two beautiful
kids were invited out for a delicious dinner almost every night.
So what if I bragged about iny performances over the summer and
made. a few. of my hosts feel:"sucked in"? Surely there would be oth-
ers -out there to peel sorry for me this year.
Boy, was 1 wrong.
Someone must have spread the word the kids and i were carrying a
dcadly•virus or something that made us equally uninviting when it -
came tine to do your duty and have Beckett and the boys for the an-
nual'charity dinner. -
No matter how hard.1 tried, or hinted, or practically begged, the
people who had -befriended us before were -suddenly busy; New peo-
ple who I thought needed to "feel good" by lending a helping hand
were suddenly as scarce as John Tumer s new friends the day after the
election.
Well, who needs them? I'll just go to plan "B" and prove -it's easy
to replace your wife for a week. Leven had a brief mental flash of
mysclf silting in the easy chair wondering which tv program to
wet:'h next. The only problem was that's all it was, a.bricf flash.
Barb had left me with several prepared meals. The only thing was,
pride got in the way as I decided I could make my own and show the
kids how I could really cope.
It never dawned on me' that the two boys who i was trying to im-
press with. new-found culinary skills were more finicky than Morris
the cat. They looked at my preparations and turned up their noses, .
giving the impression they would have preferred cat food over a
Beckett original.
.Do you know how long it lakes to defrost a tray of lasagne in the
microwave? 1'll tell you. it takes forever. The nerve of them to com-
plain. "Dad, we don't like it, it's cold in the middle.
'One -day I -rushed home. earl. -mat ipon- hour.ancLtiad,twc-Lj ls_af_:_
c ei ire ous vegeta' IT soup sitting on the table. "How did 1 know they
never have vegetable soup One thing for sure, a whole can is real
filling. 1 know. •
My food preparation started out bad and went downhill from there
bringing out.the will to live in the boys who all of a sudden decided
they could cook better than their dad.
That night i never did have inne to watch t.v. i missed Barb and
hcr organizing... and it was only Monday.
My personality is such that I can only face defeat so many times
.!nd then 1 move on to ant , 1. . 'nge.
The heck with cooking. III •'aundFy and show Barh what my
strong points really are. Again a great plan but I was the victim of
complicated etIu'ipment. Somehow the colors ran -together on a few
items and some sweaters shrunk by a couple of sizes. • -
I started the wash Thursday and somehow managed to leave a load
in the washer until Friday night when Barb came -home and round it.
She made me promise never to do laundry again.
if she ever docs go away again, she'll be easy to replace. I don't
cook, I'm forbidden to do laundry -and operating even small applianc-
es can be cdangcrous. There's nothing left for mc to do... and she
thinks 1 screwed up on purpose.
* * * *
The recent sale of bricks by the Exeter Lioness Club to raise funds
for the Lions Club Youth Centre was a success. Over S4,350 was
raised with more coning in..Bricks can still be purchas✓`d from Lio-
ness members.
* * * *
Xi.Ciatnma Nu Sorority member dare also busy selling reindeer
with the profits going toward the Lions Youth Centre. Thc beautiful
wooden decorative animals were made by Bill Morley and arc availa-
ble at (Gentlemen's Choice, The Feather Tick'and Mane Event.
* * * *
The Exeter and Area Figure_ Skating Association recently held a
Skate -a -thou to raise money for the organization. The fund raising
winners arc: Jennifer McIntosh. Jayann Heywood, Justine Frayne,
Andrew Davis, Anita Wein, Vanessa Kaye, Andrew Weigand, Jaimc-
Lynn Palsa, Sarah Wehner, Jacklyn Dougall, Amanda Chambers,
Amy Swartzentruher. Jamie Dawe and Jena and Julie Darling.
* * * *
Joe Scherer, one of the Exeter Mohawks star players this year,
tells a story about what a tough business hockey really is. Appar-
ently when Joe was playing Junior "A" hockey with the Kitchener
Rangers an opportunity for a trade came up which resulted in him
being dealt to the Kingston Canadians. Nothing unusual about that,
you say. Nothing except that the Kitchener coach who sent him to
Kingston was his -father_
* * *
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went out o business. They reGreci'Ais;ey:
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33 Ontario Street S.,
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238-5979
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SPECIALIZING IN SMALL BUSINESS
Mon. - Tue. - Wed. 9:00 - 4:00 or by appointment
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Times -Advocate, November 30, 1988
Page 7
Consumers always foot shoplifting bill
By Adrian Harte
EXETER - It is estimated the av-
erage shopper pays $300 a year to
cover the losses inAarred by retailers
from shoplifting. It's a crime some
people refuse to take seriously but
for many local retailers, shoplifting
is a very serious problem indeed.
Several Exeter stores, because of
the very nature of their merchandise
and clientele-, are hard hit by people
who think an item here or there
won't be missed. An unfortunate
reality is that. the one group blamed
most often for -shoplifting is teenag-
ers, and the. problem seems to be
getting worse instead of better.
"We've picked upa lot more kids
this year than in previous years,".
said.Exctcr Police Chief Larry Har-
dy, who couldn't. pinpoint anyone
reason for the increase. -
"No community is immune to
shoplifting," said Hardy. "it's not
Victimless. We have to foot the
bill in increased prices."
"There's a lot of myths about sho-
plifting. The kids think that if
they're caught nothing will hap-
pen," Hardy continual, noting that
many do get caught' In his opin-
ion, the worst result for a teenager •
• caught and charged with shoplifting.
is not what the courts can do under
the Young Offenders Act, but the
fear of having to tell their parent
they have been caught as a petty.
thief.
Hardy won't tell parents why they
have been called- to the police sta-
tion to get their children.
"it's up to the kids to tell the -par-
ent, and it's the hardest thing for
them to do.
Even though young offenders
names arc never released, Hardy says
word of the offense soon spreads
around school and die community.
"One of the biggest problems
from the parents' perspective is the
emharrassnient to the family," he
said,- adding that some parents- will
at first deny the crime, insisting
That the retailer-hassomchow made
a mistake or is being vindictive.
Hardy thinks peer pressure is at
the heart of many shoplifting cases,
-and says those pressures to conform
are -stronger than even 10 or 15
vcars ago. Flirting with the law al-
wayshas its fascination too.
"1 think -it's like drinking at 16 --
see if you don't get caught," he -said. • - "They'll probably carry on until programs in preyious years and
"The kids really believe -there is -no thcy get Caught...or outgrow it," he finds that simple rules -offer a lot of
- �'I smiTtl"tirarS=PITINe jr"'
"A lot of. it's common sense.-
said, such as greeting customers
when they 1 irst. come through the
door,.The personal contact reduces
the possihility.of theft.
The BIA also operates a block
captain system which will quickly
spread the word when stispected sho-
plifters are in the arca.
Rick Kovats, manager of Steil -
mans, said a role of thumb in the •
retail business is that one or two
Handcuffs - Shoplifting teenagers continue
many offenders don't expect to be caught,
unteer, is a necessary part of the deal.
to be a problem for Exeter retailers. Police chief Larry Hardy says
but when they are, a ride in a cruiser, as demonstrated by this vol •
-
The current VIP (Values, In-
fluences, Peers). program is. only
. taught to grade 6 students, so Hardy
doesn't expect- to sec its effects on
the teenage population for another
few years. ,He- is also looking at
Sarnia's REBOUND program.
which, as an altcrnativc.to legal ac-
tion under the Young Offenders act,
deals with first-time offenders with
lectures, group discussion, and
guest speakers. Such a program in
this- arca would .likely need the sup-
port of the BIA and the Optimists.
"This time of the year is a pretty
high time for shoplifting," said
Hardy, noting that while retailers
arc often reluctant to press charges,
they aren't doing the culprit any
good by letting him/her go.
South Huron District _ High
School principal Bruce Shaw agrees
that shoplifting is a problem
among his students because of their
free time at lunch and the peer pres-
sures involved. -
"Teenagers arc the ones most in-
fluenced by their peers. They don't
Iikc to stand out. They don't like
to be unique," said Shaw, noting
that means some will be pressured
into theft by their friends.
"it reflects badly on the school,"
said Shaw, but says the problem is
common among .all teenagers and
not just those at South Huron.
He said efforts to discourage such
criminal activity often fall on deaf
cars.
Joanne.. McKnight at Finchers
says her store is often a target for
shoplifters because of its large
number of small items,'but not all
hcr shoplifters arc children or teen-
agers.
"There's a lot of adults out there.
I have a feeling its because money's
so tight," said McKnight.
Finchcrs has even been rearranged
to give thc staff a clearer view of
the store, but that doesn't take away
the worry. -
"It's constantly on your mind,
constantly," McKnight said, and hcr
staff member Karen • Fleming
agreed.
"You get suspicious of all the
kids now, and it's not fair to them."
"This Young Offenders Act as far
as I'm concerned is for the birds,''
said Karen Monck at Oscar's Video.
Shc was disappointed at the Tight
treatment given some shoplifters
she charged earlier this year. ' The
main attraction for shoplifters at
Oscar's is the 'selection of cassettes.
As disappointed as Monck- was
with the legal system, she 'said she
will have to charge anyone she
catches in the future because warn-
ings don't•seem to have•any effect.
Shc and hcr husband Dwight have
even considered installing a video
surveillance system, but arc mainly
deterred by the high cost of such
protection.
Karen Pfaff, DiA chairperson, said
the .BIA has run anti -shoplifting
RIDE steps up
for Christmas
driving season
EXETER - Exeter, Godcrich and
Wingham Detachments of the Onta-
rio Provincial Police will again this
year strengthen the year-round Anti-
impaircd Driving Campaign to deter
drinking and driving at this festive
time of the year. -
All available personnel and vehi-
cles will be detailed to this program
with assistance from the- Motrnt.
Forest O.P.P. Headquarters District
R.f.D.E. Team. Also, joint force
operations will be evident at the
towns of Clinton, Exeter, Godcrich,
Seaforth and Wingham:
in last year's Blitz, O.P.P. Offi-
cers in Huron County checked
6,637 drivers and charged 19 people
with alcohol-related criminal cock
driving offenses. A total of 51 mo-
torists were taken off the road with
12 hour licence suspensions and 56
people faced Liquor Licence Act
Charges for having alcohol easily
accessible to the driver.
G.W. PARSONS
& ASSOCIATES INC.
• Micro Computers & Printers
• Software Products:
- ACCPAC A000unting and
pecision Syp ort Proms
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Training
• System Analysis,and Design
• Ricoh Fax Machines
• Bookeeping Services
percent of .tI1 stock"goes unaccou.nt-
cd for, usually- through shopfitting:
"You lose more at Christmas be-
ac Ie around,"
he said.
Kovacs has charged shoplifters on
occasion, and says the tinae.cmpluy-
- ces have to -take off work 10 attend
court is a.prohlem.
"We would much rather prevent it
than charge them," he said, suggest-
ing that keeping an cyc on suspi-
cious groups and keeping staff scat-
tered throughout the store does a lot
10 prevent losses. .
Doug Denomme Karen Neevel
Gerry Parsons C.M.A.
396 Main Street South
Exeter, Ontario
(519) 235-1304
Back
in time
• - 10 years ago
• The Exeter District Co -Op reported a gain in sales, but a decline
in profits for the 1978 year.
20 years ago
•Helen Jermyn topirehte polls to become Exeter's first woman
councillor, and Oliver Jaques defeated Hensel' reeve Minnie
Noakes, once the only woman on Huron County Council.
•Sixty employees vvy.erc laid off from Found Brothers Aviation
whcn the Grand Bend -plant shut down, terminating prcxluction.of
the Centennial 100 bush plant. -
•An "expert" at Ontario Hydro was predicting that by 1 am 1
- 135,000 -homes would have converted to clectrit heat from wood,
coal, gas or oil -fired systems. Meanwhile the Hensall Public
Utilities Commission was apologizing for raising.us hydro ratcslor
the first time in 31 years.'
•Sports editor Ross Haugh applauded the Hawks organization tor
taking the plunge into the Junior C ranks for the 1968 season: in
their first seven games the Hawks had a record of 5-2.
50 dears ago
•A fire at the James Street turnip waxing plant (now Exeter Furni-
ture) was caused by an engine backfire in an elevator. The fire
department was able to get the gasoline fire itnder.control bcfore.it
spread to nearby frame buildings. - -•
• Harold Peters of Atwood was found in -a dazed condition with a
fractured jaw irthis barn. .Hc couldn't explain the accident but it
was thought.he►d been kicked in thc face by a cow.
•Middleton's bakery was collecting for a hale for western relief.
•Cook Brothers in Ilensall were introducer theJ9.
prices starting at $$80, and a new Ford with two.wineiic c w pers
and a 85hp motor was going for 5915.
1(10 years ago
•The Exeter Times noted agriculture wa r'ancul:r's ►:rea'est
resource, showing exports of S41 million Orly 11,,11 of Canada's
578 million export totals for ' c' -
"Thc dairy exports ',' n • h • • t of all. indeed,
they exceeded 0:1r cry 'rn , . bacon, hay oats,
hides, potatoes and w oo' c'
•A letter to the editor trom 'fort ,lcase inform your
readers that i have a positive remedy r ‘. . ,nsumpt►un ►...i shall he- -
glad to send two bottles of my remedy I ice 'o any of your readers
who have consumption if they will send me their Express and P.O..
address,"
•The Exctcr Times was reporting that London, England was still
reeling in shock from the Whitechapel murders, now known as the
.jack the Ripper case. The last victim, Mary Kelly, had been hutied
that week.
•