The Central New Jersey Home News from New Brunswick, New Jersey • 16

C2 THE HOME NEWS MONDAY, JANUARY 3, 1994 BUSINESS Lack of interest killed catalog sales by Sears will come and repair it because they do not want to be responsible for it. I just want a new handrail, and will send tbe one we bave back to tbe company as soon as we get tbe new one. B. East Brunswick A The company has apologized for the delay in responding to your inquiries. A new handrail is being made.

The customer service representative who wrote us didn't say when it would be shipped. but plans to open a store in Edi-; son later this year. The closest lo-; cations to your home are all in Monmouth County 72 Hazlet! Hazlet; 1609 Route 35,: Ocean Township, and 4204 Route; 9, Howell. Trouble Shooter cannot accept inquiries by telephone. are requested to submit photoco-; pies of valuable documents, not originals.

This column cannot be responsible for their Readers' letters should spetif-. ically authorize agencies to dts- close relevznt information to this column. All letters must bear tbe full name and address, of the writer. Address letters to Trouble Shooter, The Horile News, 35 Kennedy Box 429, East Brunswick, N. 09918 Ql bave been a catalog shopper of Sears, Roebuck Co.

jor more than 40 years, and you can imagine my frustration at their discontinuance of tbeir mail order business. My catalog purchases were the result of my inability to get certain items through their retail stores. My attempt to purchase an undergarment which I bave only found available in the catalog at a Sears store was met with a suggestion that I go to a store specializing in undergarments. The same was the case for other items as well. Allowing that Sears does not manufacture the items which they sell, I wondered if it would be possible to find out who did manufacture certain items and where they might be available now.

D.M.W., Mlddletown Township Alt's not unusual for a company to rent a post office box for a special offer and to close the box after the offer has expired. In this way the Postal Service, rather than the company, has to return letters that arrive after the offer has expired. We contacted the company for you, and you have confirmed receipt of the T-shirt. Ql am trying to find out the locations of Pep Boys. 1 won a gift certificate in a contest.

Please give me a list of places. Also, on the certificate it states Store 56. Can I take this to any Pep Boys store? J.S., South River A Yes, any Pep Boys store will honor the certificate. The chain has no stores in Middlesex or Somerset counties at present, Ql hired a man to install my vertical blinds, and be noticed that the handrail on one of them was broken. It does not close all the way because the thin beads are not catching because they are bent.

He called the company that made tbem, and was told someone would call him back. I bave called and spoken to the consumer service representative, and I have written and faxed letters to the company. Although I was told it would make a new handrail, I have not beard from them and have not received anything in writing. 1 bave tried a few places in New Jersey to have the handrail fixed and no one A A Sears spokesman says the catalog sales part of Sears operation was discontinued because it was operating at a loss. Most of the items ordered through the catalog in recent years were items for which there was insufficient -demand to warrant stocking them in retail stores.

Most, but not all, women's undergarments sold via the catalog were made by Playtex Apparel Box 631, Msl526, Dover, Del. 19903. You may want to contact the company, specifying what type undergarment you are looking for, to determine if it Is still being produced. You also may want to check the J. C.

Penney or Spiegel catalogs. On Aug. 22 1 mailed the re quired proofs of purchase to a -shirt otter. I aid not receive aT-i it, and when I wrote the post office box was closed. 1 would appreciate it if you would look into this.

S.V.S., Highland Park Strictly Personnel Series HH bonds don't help in securing monthly income i.ttiu.mt.mv Ralph Saviano it's semi-annual only, not monthly. Each May and November you will receive a taxable interest check, so if you are looking for a continuing income, this will not fit the bill. One note as well, Series EE bonds are eligible for the exchange six months after issue and anytime prior to maturity, and they must be exchanged within one year of maturity. Since the interest from HH bonds is paid semiannually it doesn't matter when you make the exchange, although the closer to the May or November dates will make for a more regular cash flow at first. Any' bank will handle the exchange for you.

Just ask for governmental form PDF3253. Fill it out carefully (you know the government) and up to. QMy husband bought a bond a month through bis payroll while he was working. Now that be is retired, we want to exchange them for HH bonds and draw tbe interest. We would like to receive a check each month.

Which month is the best time to exchange the bonds issued in January, February, so we don't lose any interest. Will any bank exchange them? D.F., Piscataway A A good many people are facing the decision whether to exchange Series EE bonds for HH bonds. As you know, Series EE bond interest is tax-deferred. The only vehicle permitted for the tax-free transfer of this interest is the Series HH bonds. In fact, Series HH bonds exist only for this exchange.

One drawback to you is the method of interest payment Clubs Mg "Uow. THBCO Flood walchi Klwr flcMKiwuK-rs St. l.oui. WOM July 1995 tH rWak Ml S3 It's sure to You'll see the community. really hits home.

We'll bring neighbors. We'll don't. And we'll forward to reading But that's The bolder, redesigned, easier Inserts and sports coverage, on religious and business and It's the kind morning. The make sure to include such things as Social Security numbers and the like. Also, be sure to specify where the interest payments should be sent (failure to do so will hold up payment) Definition of the day: Insurable interest: relationship with a person or thing that supports the issuance of an insurance policy.

An insurable interest in the life of another requires that the continued life of the insured be of real interest to the insuring party. The connection may be financial (as when a creditor insures the life of his debtor), or it may consist of familial or other ties of affection. Ralph Saviano can be beard weekdays on WCTC-1450 AM from 6:10 to 7 PM. You can write to Ralph co YOUR MONEY, Box 100 Broadcast Center, New Brunswick, NJ 08903; or call him at (800) 432-8334. tMH.t Mllll H-r u.

mi (. Mi wIhi lit 'i. "I tit- Al AH- HHt'NMWItIV letter upsets Cmies In area 9t TTt Julie C. Blitzer of Woodbridge, a senior associate of the Princeton law firm of Hill Wallack, has been appointed as a member of the New Jersey State Bar Association's newly-created alternative work arrangements special committee. A member -of her firm's litigation division and workers' compensation practice group, she handles defense litigation, personal injury litigation and work-( ers compensation.

Blitzer is a graduate of the University of Maryland and received her law degree from Seton Hall University Law School, cum laude, where she was managing editor of the Seton Hall Law Review. She is a member of the Middlesex County, New Jersey State and American Bar Associations and has served as commissioner of the Somerset County Condemnation Commission. Matthew Bruncati and Walter Lukasewycz have received outstanding employee awards for their contributions to the Herman Miller Inc. facility in the Dayton section of South Brunswick. Bruncati a forklift mechanic who resides in Hazlet, took intensive training and used it to reduce forklift repair and preventative maintenance costs by some 15,000.

Lukasewycz, an inventory distribution coordinator from Trenton, worked to develop and expand a dealercustomer service program that resulted in a record ontime order completion rate for his company, which designs, manufactures and sells office systems, products and related services. 1 The New Jersey Association of Women Business Owners' Excel "Are You an Entrepreneur?" and "Start Right! Build Right!" entrepreneurial training seminar, 9 a.m.-noon, Kean College, Morris Avenue, Union. Also on Jan. 11, 18, 25, Feb. 1, 8.

Cost: 1150. Call: (908) 707-0173. Middlesex County Regional Chamber of Commerce, business over breakfast meeting, including goal setting with business strategist growth mangement consultant Aldonna Ambler as guest speaker, 8-10 a.m., Sheraton, Route 18, EAst Brunswick. Cost: Call: (908) 821-1700. Somerset County Chamber of Commerce membership luncheon with N.J.

Rep. Bob Franks, R-7th of New Jersey's Seventh District, who will discuss manufac- 1994 Continued from page CI about more than they like to do. If consumer demand heats up, many companies will shelve productivity programs and issue the traditional business battle cry, When that happens, the productivity story at some firms will be exposed as nothing more than the usual belt-tightening companies do when business is slow. Indeed, the wholesale hollowing out of corporate staffs may make it hard for some companies to respond to significant gains in demand. That's one reason Wall Street likes the current slow-growth trend in the economy.

Despite thebest efforts of Haskins is a graduate of Rutgers University with a Bachelor of Sc ence degree in accounting and a member of the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. She joins the Edison firm as a supervising senior accountant in the tax department. Paolella, a graduate of Montclair State College with a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting, joins as a senior accountant in the auditing and accounting departments. He also is a member of both the NJSCPA and AICPA. Dr.

Sanford K. Lauderback of the Annandale section of Clinton was named vice president, research and development coordination, of Huls America Piscataway. He will coordinate activities including development of a strategic business link between the firm's marketing units and technology groups. Lauderback formerly was vice president, corporate research and development. He joined Huls America in 1992, having previous been employed as director of rese-rach for Mead Corp.

in Ohio. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Ot-terbein College in Ohio and a Master of Science degree and Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Wayne State University in Michigan. JoanHritz Schenck, Price, Smith and King, Morristown. Reservations required.

Call: (800) FREE LAW, extension 7525. The International Entrepreneur, person-to-person network being formed for those interested in going international, New Year's open house, 5-7 p.m. Scanticon, Route 1, Plainsboro. Call for reservations: (609) 883-7 171. Woodbridge Metro Chamber pf Commerce Small Business Council free seminar on "What Small Businesses Should Know About the Revenue Reconciliation Art -of 1993," 6 p.m.-8 p.m., Metro Office Suites Business Center, Woodbridge Hilton, 120 Wood Ave.

south, Suite 400, Iselin, Woodbridge, with CPAs as featured speakers, including Michael Shane, Richard Fernandez, Ron Ur-banik, Grundt Helfgott, Inc. and Lerner, Fox Co. Call: (908) 603-7700. HERMAN'S Continued from page Cl Herman's main competition comes from two Florida-based companies: Kmart Corp. -owned Sports Authority, a chain with stores that average about 50,000 square feet; and Champs, which Gaffney said is making in-roads on Herman's local dominance as a mall sporting goods retailer.

But this region is in Herman's backyard, which is a big plus. "The good news for Herman's is that they have an excellent reputation in the Northeast," said Ted Kraus, the Mercerville publisher of the "Dealmakers" newsletter on retail real estate. j- Lauderback Blitzer East Brunswick resident Marilyn Ernst has been promoted to assistant publisher at Gail Eagle Associates in East Brunswick. Ernst joined the firm in 1988 as editor Ernst of "Family Guide." In 1990, she became production manger of "Discover Guides of New Jersey." Gail Eagle Associates is a custom publishing company with a concentration on specialty magazines and other projects in all areas of graphic design and printed communications. The firm produces newsletters, sales sheet, brochures, regional maps and advertising design.

Tamara Haskins of Highland Park and Edward C. Paolella of Lakewood have joined the Edison firm of Amper, Politziner Mat-tia, certified public accountants and consultants. turing in the state and the nation, 11:30 a.m.-l:30 p.m., Bridgewa-ter Manor, Routes 202-206 north, Bridgewater. Cost: $25, members; $35, nonmembers. Call: (908) 725-1552.

1 The New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants' accounting career fair, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Sheraton at Woodbridge Place, Route 1, Iselin, Wood-bridge, with professionals from New Jersey-based small and midsized public accounting firms and private companies. Registration required. Call: (201) 226-4494, extension 225. The New Jersey State Bar Foundation free public seminar on "Wills and Estate Planning," 10 a.m.-noon, New Jersey Law Center, 1 Constitution Square, New Brunswick. Speakers include attorneys Anita J.

Siegel and John M. Elias, partners in the law firm of bean counters, productivity is difficult to measure in the service sector. The simple calculation of widgets per person-hour doesn't apply because people aren't widgets. An employee with customer-contact responsibilities may turn from enthusiastic and polite to sullen and argumentative. A reduction in the employee's "output" may be devastating but not rapidly detectable.

Everyone celebrates "lean and mean," but bureaucracy isn't necessarily bad. Some companies have improved their productivity numbers by sacrificing key functions, such as back-office accountability and flexibility. For companies to grow and attain greater market share in their industry, well-managed bureaucratic capacity can be as important as well-managed manufacturing capacity. 7 be a real eye-opener. Day after day after day.

the new Home News carry more and more weight in With a heavy emphasis on local coverage that you the stories that matter most to you and your dig deep, to unearth the details out-of-town papers add special features youll look all year 'round. only half the news. brighter new Home News will also Include a to read Classified section. Weekly advertising coupons. Inspiring lifestyle articles.

Comprehensive with a special focus on Rutgers. Intriguing reading ethnic issues. Valuable fitness articles. Local stock market information. And so much more.

of great news you'll want to wake up to every new Home News. News that hits home. rw" on River Road 0 I.