Wednesday, October 10, 2001
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Wednesday, October 10, 2001 |
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Fayette's economy is on rebound By JOHN THOMPSON
Fayette countians may be taking the first steps toward getting back to a pre-Sept. 11 level of economic activity. In an informal survey over the weekend, many businesses at the Fayette Pavilion seem to be doing business as usual, and a new tenant also enjoyed a good weekend. License plates from Fayette, Fulton, Coweta, Clayton and Henry counties dotted the parking lots at Fayette's largest shopping center and shoppers were jamming many of the stores including Home Depot and Target. Jo-Ann etc opened for business last Friday as one of the biggest fabric stores in the county. Store officials said sales were going good, and many customers expressed gratitude the store had finally opened its doors. Economists say the one way most Americans can help the economy to recover is to live their lives as they did before the attacks and keep buying products. Among the biggest purchases many Americans make are their cars, and several car dealers are offering huge incentives to get buyers back into the car lots. Auto Nation marketing manager Michele Hill said her company's team of dealers is offering zero percent interest on many cars as a way to get customers buying again. Team Ford general manager Ronnie Whitlock is one of the dealers in the Auto Nation chain. Since the company introduced the low rates, the response has been phenomenal, he said. "I've been in the business for 24 years and have never seen anything like it," he said. His company is offering zero percent on all 2001 models and on select 2002 models until the end of the month. Whitlock said the response has been so overwhelming that the company has had to hire additional salespeople to keep up with the need. "You constantly see people milling around the dealership looking at cars," he said. In fact, Whitlock has two kids in college and is encouraging them to purchase new cars because of the good deals offered. Whitlock doubts the incentives will be expanded past the end of the month, but said dealers may offer other incentive programs to help the economy.
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