ice little earner, it seems.

But while charging a 15 percent gratuity for an ice cream may appear cool to them, it has received a distinctly cold reception from some beach-goers.

"It think it's an absolute disgrace!'' boomed one man after ordering four ice creams...and being hit by an extra $1.20.

The man, a member of Marriott's golf club, added: "It's the principle, not so much the price.'' A Notebook reporter armed with a fistful of dollars went under cover this week to investigate.

The result? $2.30 for a tiny tub of vanilla, and the same for a plastic glass of coke with a cherry. In both cases 30 cents had been tacked on for gratuities.

At least customers who enjoy the private beach are forewarned, however. For pinned to the walls are notices informing them of 15 percent grats for everything...teas, coffees, juices, cokes, whatever.

Back to the irate customer at the beach hut.

"I could understand being charged a gratuity if I was in a restaurant, but this was just a place where they hand you an ice-cream over the counter.

"If I'm going to pay a tip, then I expect them to jolly well hold up the ice cream stick while I lick it!'' Sometimes the best-laid plans have a way of going wrong.

On Wednesday evening, both television newscasts, ZBM and VSB, carried puff pieces about the change of name at Giant Foods to Lindo's Family Foods. It's not very good journalism to pad the news with advertising puffs but food ads are very valuable and the broadcast companies certainly need a few bucks. They do well out of food advertising, especially from the MarketPlace and Lindo's.

Darlene Ming was in full flight on ZBM extolling the glories of the Lindo's Family Foods store when she said, perhaps straying from the script, that the Lindo's celebrations had gone on all day with birthday cake and coffee and would end on Wednesday evening with a draw for the grand prize, "A three minute MarketPlace shopping spree''.

With that, the expression on her face was a picture to behold.

Shortly after she came back on TV with a rather odd explanation that, of course, the name of the store was Lindo's Family Foods.