European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 8, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday april 8, 1986 the stars and stripes Page 11 Arm Landers letters dear Ann Landers i m writing in de sense of Friendship kaput the Man who refused to video tape his Friend s wedding. He used Good judgment. Very few Amateur photographers Are qualified to photo graph weddings. Most with Good Rea son Are afraid to try. This letter is not intended As a put Down to the Brave ones who will risk it. They have my respect. But they also have my sympathy. I am an Amateur photographer who is occasionally asked to photograph a wed Ding. After a couple of embarrassing disasters i now staunchly refuse As an act of Friendship. Strange How a Young couple or their parents will spend $1,000 for professionally arranged Flowers $300 for a professionally decorated cake and $800 for a professionally made gown. The morning after the Cere Mony the Flowers have wilted the cake is eaten and the gown is Hung in a dark closet. Yet to save a few dollars people will ask an Amateur to produce something that will last forever and be one of their most cherished possessions. When my wife and i were married we were on an extremely tight budget. To this Day my biggest regret is that we did t borrow the Money to hire a first rate photographer to capture forever those wonder Ful unforgettable moments. In my opinion 10 percent of the total Cost of a wedding is not too much to pay a competent professional photographer. I wish we had had the Good sense to do it. Topeka Reader dear top did i Ever hear from professional photographers you d better believe they All said the same thing but you said it Best. Dear Ann Landers your Humble apology for your ignorance of Blue milk put me in mind of the parody of Gerlett Burgess famous purple  the original quatrain is i never saw a purple cow. I never Hope to see one. But i can Tell you this right now i d rather see than be one. The parody i never saw a purple cow i never Hope to see one. But judging by the milk we get there certainly must be one . Mcewen dear . Thanks for my laugh for the Day. Dear Ann Landers i be asked several informed i thought and sophisticated people this question and nobody seems to know the answer. Can you Tell me the proper Way to address a letter to a widow wish to get it straight in Willowdale dear wish the widow of John Smith should be addressed after his death the same Way As during his lifetime mrs. John Smith. A Good Way to remember this is to keep in mind that your beloved husband May have passed away but his name is yours forever. Readers wishing to write to news America Syndi Cate columnist Landers May address their letters in care of the stars and stripes Apo 09211, . Forces.? cafes answers questions on stocking of fabrics we recently went on a shopping trip for fabrics at our local Exchange Only to be shocked to find a greatly reduced Stock As Well As a far smaller area allocated for fabrics. Not Only was the Stock reduced but the ones which were displayed were quite ugly. When we asked what was going on we were told that cafes was reducing its stocks in this area. This answer was con firmed almost the same Day by master sgt. Bruce Zielsdorf in his response to a letter to the editor on this same subject. After talking to the clerk and Reading the official response we Are More dissatisfied now than before. Slow moving sales were cited As the main reason the Stock of fabrics was so drastically reduced. We have to say that it is Small wonder that total fabric sales were Low. Whoever did the buying of fabrics apparently had most of their taste in their Mouth when it came to fabric selections for resale. The types and designs were terrible and the prices were scandalous for what was being offered. Even when prices were reduced for clearance the fabrics did not move. This situation was brought on not because there were fewer people sewing but because Good selections were hard to find. If one were to Check one would find that the Good pretty fabrics sold like hotcakes As soon As they were put out. The loss of Money in this area was due to poor buying practices not the Lack of people interested in sewing. Another part of master sgt. Zielsdorf s answer dealt with the reduction allowing stores More room to Stock More needed faster moving items. We Don t know about other stores but Vogel Weh and Ramstein respectively simply increased ladies under Wear by 300 percent it was already Well stocked and placed More towels on Dis play. In neither Case did any new products appear. Just More of the same old thing. We View the cafes reduction As a bad managerial decision. It wound up depriving customers of a much needed and desired service in order to try and make up for poor buying practices. It has also forced More spending of . Dollars out on the German Economy. Forcing people to buy on the Economy does not help the . S balance of payments problem. Over the years we have seen some Good pen pals improvements in Many areas of the cafes operation but we have also seen some blunders. We believe this is one of them. Or. And mrs. William l. Rast Ramstein a Germany editor s note master sgt. Bruce e. Zielsdorf customer relations specialist he cafes Europe replies Don t feel we blundered on this one. It s a matter of looking at the big picture. Please let me explain. The Ever increasing number of women in the workforce coupled with decreasing emphasis on Home economics in school curriculum have made their Mark on the marketplace a significant decline in fabric sales. Many Large retailers Sears Penney s and Kmart have gone so far As to discontinue their sewing centers completely. Cafes has also adjusted the amount of valuable sales floor space dedicated to sew ing centers in order to better serve customer demands in other areas. The volatile Deutsch Mark has a Strong influence As Well. When the Dollar was very Strong our sales of Yard goods and women s clothing were very Flat requiring Large markdowns at the end of the season to move those items. Why Many More people making purchases on the Economy with the Good Exchange rate. As the Dollar s fallen interest in cafes clothing and Bolt materials increased significantly. We wish we had a Crystal Ball to foresee such a roller coaster effect and better anticipate rapid changes in buying trends. Be assured we have no intention of abandoning our customers who Are sewing enthusiasts. We re putting our emphasis on better materials needed to create the styles available in today s ready to Wear clothing while maintaining a Good selection in As wide a Price Range As possible. Using this season s buying plan As an example cafes purchased More than 330 different styles of fabric representing Al most every fabric Type available from More than 40 companies. Of these 78 percent were under $5 per Yard. Most of the fabrics Over $5 were Linen and Linen blend and High fashion polyester dress or Blouse prints and Cottons. Only about 6 percent of the material purchases were knits. What s Down the Road before any fab Ric is purchased for the fall Winter season each Exchange submits the number of bolts they feel they la require of Pendleton Wash Able wools better wools velveteen and corduroys. We then Purchase the number of bolts required. Harry Marshall Kaiserslautern area Exchange general manager informs me Ramstein s Spring summer fabric selection consisted of More than 35 different types with customer comments being quite favor Able. The fall Winter fabrics were also Well received but or. Marshall acknowledges the store did t have enough lower priced Corduroy taffeta and velvet in solid colors. You can be assured that will be remedied next season. What i m trying to highlight is manage ment s concern Over All aspects of store operations. The retail business is vibrant and dynamic necessitating changes with the times. Our managers Are charged with keeping abreast to meet the needs of our highly diversified customer base. What can you and fellow sewing enthusiasts in the Ramstein area do to help us serve your needs better Contact Alan Grossman Ramstein Exchange manager at 06371 43243 and let him know your con Cerns. Give input on what types of fabrics you d like to see and in what quantities and Price ranges. By communicating your special interests or. Grossman and his staff will have valuable information they can use to make those decisions which can Only serve you better. Buckle your child in writer urges i would like american pen pals. I am a 20-year-old German. My hobbles Are Reading listening to music and the fire department music corps. Andreas Lacroix Neureuter Weg 197520 Bruchal 1 West Germany i Hope to find friends through your pen pal column. I like writing pen pals Reading wholesome material eating and dancing. I am a 23-year-old roman Catho Lic. Josefa c. Ligate foundation University Dumaguet City 6501philippines i m a senior student of education. I read Good books play the guitar and dance. I d like to find friends through your pen pal column. I am 21 years child abuse neglect is a very sensitive Issue which needs More publicity and an Swers As to where to get help. There is one area of child neglect which has not been covered and i Hope that with april being the month of the military child you might bring attention to the Issue of child safety in automobiles. Every single Day on Post and in housing areas i see Small children infants included sitting in the front seat either by them selves or on adults laps. Not Only is this very unsafe it is also illegal in Germany for children under 12 to be in the front seat. Even travelling at a slow Speed say in a parking lot or through the housing areas if you must quickly put on the brakes you risk having your child go through the Windshield and suffer serious injury or even death. Old. Vivian Martin foundation University Dumaguet City 6501, Philippines i would like to correspond with others All Over the world. I am 20 years old. I enjoy collecting Stamps writing pen pals playing guitar and outings. I am a roman  Cocjin Davao doctor s College Quirno Street Davao City 9501 Philippines i am 25 years old and would like to write to people Between 30-40 years old. Suzie Bacciocchi 21a Bushwood court Bushwood re Selly Oak Birmingham b29-5ap, England the St is j the safest place for your child is in a car seat properly installed in the Back seat. Hav ing Small children myself i know what an annoyance it is to buckle and unbuckle As you run your Many errands sometimes Only going a Short distance before stopping again. I have been tempted Many times to not buckle for such a Short  i always think How could i live with myself if something happened to her and How could i Ever live without my Beautiful  i could never forgive myself if something happened to my children that i could have so easily prevented by taking 30 seconds to buckle them in. Thousands of children die every year in accidents where their death could have been prevented by properly installed car seats. Many states now have passed Laws to protect children from Well meaning parents that require children to be in car seats up to a certain weight or age and in regular seat belts after that. You can Purchase a car seat for about $45450 at the Exchange. I know that for some people this is a lot of Money it was for us when we bought our first car seat. To ensure your child s safety there is always a Way to get the Money beg borrow or App it. Please show your children How much you love them and buckle them up now even if you Are Only going a few blocks. Cheryl a. Barr Stuttgart european edition capt Dale k. Patterson us editor in chief cmdr Jeffrey s. Zakem us Deputy editor in chief . Blackwell m. Proctor . Mcdermott production manager managing de. Circulation manager this newspaper is an authorized unofficial publication for members of the military services overseas. Contents of the stars and stripes Are not necessarily the official views of i or endorsed by the . Government the department of defense or the . European command. The appearance of advertising in this publication include j ing inserts or supplements does not constitute endorsement by the department of defense or the stars and stripes of the products or services advertised. Everything advertised in this publication shall be made available for Purchase use or patronage without regard to 1 race color religion sex National origin age marital status physical Handicap political affiliation or any other j non Merit Factor of the purchaser user or Patron. J military address the stars and stripes Apo 09211. I International mail the stars and stripes Posl Fach 11 10 34, j d-6100 Darmstadt 11, Germany. Tel Griesheim civilian 06155 6010 military Darmstadt Airstrip 2376 741, the \ european Telephone system ets number 348-4741,. Telex 0419-332. New York office room 401, 252 seventh ave., new York 10001, Tel area code 212 620-3333. 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