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Candice Brevard-Tribble, mail processing supervisor, works with some of the stacks of Christmas mail.
Mail volume picks up with online sales packages BY PAM HAYNES ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
SONNY HEDGECOCK | HPE
Postal worker Teresa Harrelson assists Maurice Quick on E. Green Drive. on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday to $931 million, up 11 percent from last year, according to data released by comScore, an Internet research firm. “Our business has really picked up after Thanksgiving,” he said. “We are as busy as last year, maybe even a little more.” He attributes most of that to online purchases that have been whisking through the post office. “More people know what the economy is holding for them at this point,” he said.
“Last year was very uncertain.” Packages from other Web sites besides Amazon.com also have come into the post office this week, and more catalogs to be mailed out to consumers have arrived. For those who plan to mail a gift this year, whether national or international, McMillan urges them to do so as soon as possible so that it arrives by Christmas Day. For more information, call 1-800-ASK-USPS. phaynes@hpe.com | 888-3617
HOLIDAY SHIPPING
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Domestic shipping cutoff dates: • First Class Mail: Dec. 21 • Priority Mail: Dec. 21 • Express Mail: Dec. 23 • Parcel Post: Dec. 16 • DBMC Drop Ship: Dec. 19 • DDU Drop Ship: Dec. 23 International cutoff dates: • Global Express Guaranteed: Africa, Asia/Pacific Rim, Australia/New Zealand and the
Middle East - Dec. 18; Canada and Mexico - Dec. 22; Caribbean, Central and South America and Europe - Dec. 21 • Express Mail International: Africa and Central and South America - Dec. 12; Asia/Pacific Rim, Australia/New Zealand, Caribbean, Mexico, Europe and the Middle East - Dec. 17; Canada - Dec. 18 • Priority Mail International:
125th year No. 338
FENCING OPERATION: Probe leads to seizure of $80,000 in merchandise. 1B
POSTAL ELVES GET CRACKING
HIGH POINT – Mounds of packages and cards flooding into the High Point post office indicate that the holiday season is upon us. Many of those packages look a little different this year, however. “It really looks like Internet sales have taken off this year with the amount of packages coming from Amazon.com,” said Murdoch McMillan, retail supervisor at the post office at 315 E. Green Drive. “This is more than we’ve ever seen before.” The online orders began to pour in the week of Thanksgiving along with the usual packages and holiday mail, he said. McMillan expects Christmas cards to arrive in the coming weeks as the holiday approaches. Retail surveyors were expecting an increase in online orders this year as Web sites offered deals to compete with stores on Black Friday. Online sales rose
December 4, 2009
Africa and Central and South America - Dec. 4; Asia/Pacific Rim, Australia/New Zealand, Mexico - Dec. 11; Canada, Caribbean, Europe and the Middle East - Dec. 14 • First Class Mail: Africa and Central and South America: Dec. 4; Asia/Pacific Rim, Australia/ New Zealand, Canada, Caribbean, Mexico, Europe and the Middle East - Dec. 11
Judge cuts bond for suspect in shooting BY PAT KIMBROUGH ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
HIGH POINT – A judge lowered bond Thursday for one of four teenagers charged in the shooting of a clerk and the armed robbery of a north High Point convenience store last month. Antonio Del Rio Gutierrez, 17, of Fountain Grove Drive, was not at the Skeet Club Grocery at 1533-C Skeet Club Road when Waqar Gilani was shot twice on Nov. 18, his attorney, Bruce Lee of Greensboro, told Forsyth County District Court Judge Margaret Sharpe during a hearing. G u t i e r r e z , Gutierrez a student at Southwest Guilford High School, was at a park near the store when his co-defendants came running and told him to drive them away, which he did, Lee said. “Basically, they used him as a getaway,” he said. “At the first opportunity, he fully cooperated with police.” Lee said his cooperation enabled detectives to identify the suspected shooter of Gilani, who survived his wounds. ºProsecutors said they were not opposed to reducing Gutierrez’s bond, which was set at $400,000 after his arrest, to $150,000. “The fact of the matter is, he was the getaway driver in the shooting of somebody that could have ended worse than it did,” said Guilford County Assistant District Attorney Seth Banks. Sharpe lowered the bond to $100,000 for Gutierrez, who has been charged with attempted murder, robbery with a dangerous weapon and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury. Two other SWG students, Robert Emmanuel Napper, 17, of Montlieu Avenue, and Gregory Lamar Stephenson, 18, of N. Rotary Drive, face the same charges and remain jailed under $400,000 bonds. A fourth suspect, Bradley Antwaine Stephens, 18, of Crestline Drive, faces the same charges and is being held on a $550,000 bond. According to police, the store, which is located in the Parrish Plaza shopping center near Southwest Guilford high, middle and elementary schools, was robbed by two men wearing hooded sweatshirts who were seen running northbound behind the building. pkimbrough@hpe.com | 888-3531
Showtime: ‘Fabulous’ at 40 BY PAM HAYNES ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
HIGH POINT – The 40th installment of Showtime is coming to High Point on Sunday with a celebration in tow. The semiannual fabric trade show will celebrate the 40th edition of its shows at Market Square with a “Fabulous at 40” party on Sunday night. The event, which concludes Wednes-
a strong attendance at the event. “Coming out of a positive furniture market, our Pre-market dates anpreregistration is very nounced. 2A strong,” said Catherine Morsell, director of the Inday, will celebrate its 20- ternational Textile Market year anniversary next year Association. “We are exat its June show. pecting to see a lot of new Despite economic condi- companies.” tions, including a drop in That’s another aspect to retail sales in the home fur- be celebrated during the nishings industry, organizSHOWTIME, 2A ers say they are expecting
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WHO’S NEWS
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Annie Tyson Jett has been promoted to president and COO of B&C Associates Inc. effective Jan. 1, 2010. Tyson Jett replaces Frankie T. Jones, who resigns effective Dec. 31 to pursue a second Ph.D. at Oxford University. Tyson Jett joined B&C Associates in 2007 as senior vice president and chief human resources officer and provided account leadership and served as interim COO in Jones’ absence.
INSIDE
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FLU EASES: Cases level off in Guilford schools. 1B OBITUARIES
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David Beeson Jr. 49 Sarah Cooke, 93 Essie Cross, 96 Pecolua Evans, 78 Mattie McKee, 107 Arnold Petersen Jr., 73 John Tilley, 60 Kurt Ultes, 66 W. Harold Wright, 89 Obituaries,2B
WEATHER
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Partly cloudy High 52, Low 38 6C
INDEX ABBY 3B BUSINESS 5-6C CLASSIFIED 4-8D COMICS 7B CROSSWORD 2D DONOHUE 7B FUN & GAMES 2D KIDS NEWS 5B LIFE&STYLE 1D LOCAL 2-3A,1B, 3B LOTTERY 2A MOVIES 8B NEIGHBORS 4B NATION 6A, 6B, 8B NOTABLES 8B OBITUARIES 2B OPINION 4A SPORTS 1-4C STATE 2-3A, 3B STOCKS 5C TV 8B WEATHER 6C WORLD 5A
INFO Jennifer Franklin (design coordinator) and Kevin von Allmon (director of product development) set up the Valdese Fabric showroom at Market Square. DON DAVIS JR. | HPE
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