EMPOWERING WOMEN: Community Foundation plans initiative. SUNDAY DELAYED DECISION: Carr checks into hospital before sentencing. 1B TEST SESSION: High Point women play game in break from exams. 1C
Dell delays shutdown BY JOE FEENEY CITY EDITOR
WINSTON-SALEM – Remaining workers at the Dell manufacturing plant in Winston-Salem will have a chance to keep their jobs a little longer as the company announced Friday it’s delaying the plant’s closing another three months.
David Frink, Dell spokesman with the company’s corporate headquarters in Round Rock, Texas, said the plant, originally scheduled to shut down in January, will remain open through April. Frink said the delay is due to an unexpected uptick in business in recent weeks.
“We’ve seen some signs of improving demand for our products in some of our customer segments, and we need to supplement the work being done in our other factories for the short term in order to meet customer needs,” he said. He said employees were notified of the decision on Friday afternoon.
Looking to save $4 billion corporatewide amid a slumping market, Dell initially announced in October it would close its Triad desktop computer manufacturing plant in January, putting 905 people out of work. The last day of work for about 400 of the em-
DELL, 2A
Pawn shop owners go for the gold BY PAM HAYNES ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
her Christmas shopping months in advance. She said she purchased several items after Christmas last year when those items were on sale. “It’s the first year I’ve done this,” she said. “It’s been a huge relief.” Dorothy Owens browsed children’s clothes in J.C. Penney at Oak Hollow Mall on Friday. She said she was concentrating on her children and relatives for her gift buying this Christmas. “It’s just family we buy for now,” she said. “We don’t shop for or exchange gifts with friends anymore.” Also minimizing Christmas expenses was June Conrad, who shopped for her four grandchildren at Target on Friday. Conrad said she wasn’t buying anything on credit cards and she was buying fewer gifts overall. “Instead of buying the kids several gifts, I’m buying them one major gift,” she said. “If you’re smart, you won’t use credit cards this year. You’ll pay as you go.”
TRIAD – More area residents may be selling gold jewelry for extra cash rather than receiving it as a gift this Christmas. The value of an ounce of gold has continued its record breaking rally throughout most of the year, settling at $1,131 on Thursday. Combined with a growing number of families who are struggling to afford presents, gold is the item to be sold this season, pawn store managers said. “With the holidays and this time of year, gold has definitely stimulated our market,” said Jim Greene, owner of Coins and Stuff at 1017 E. Lexington Ave. “It’s good for our business, and it’s taken off this year.” Some who sell their gold to Greene say they are taking advantage of its high value, but most say they need extra cash for other necessities. “The people that come in are telling us they need to make their house payment, catch up on bills or buy Christmas presents,” he said. Though the shop specializes in coins and jewelry, Greene said people also had brought other items to try to sell for additional funds like antique paintings and clocks. The scene is similar at Thomasville Pawn and Jewelry, where gold is the main item customers are selling and electronics are the main item they’re buying. “People are looking for bargains and trying to beat high store prices,” said Jason Cranford, manager of the store at 710 E. Main St. in Thomasville. “They’re bringing things to us to turn into cash so they can afford Christmas.” Cranford said the store has collected more gold this season than ever before, and sales are up from last Christmas. People also are buying gold at the store, mostly in the form of women’s gold rings, he said. Cranford and Greene agree that now is the best time to sell gold, but they warn against advertisements that encourage viewers to mail their gold to companies for an undisclosed amount. “It’s a lot safer and better business if you go to a local person that you can look in the eye that will look at your gold,” Greene said. “That way, you’ll get a fair and honest price.”
phaynes@hpe.com | 888-3617
phaynes@hpe.com | 888-3617
DON DAVIS JR. | HPE
Cheryl Hicks and her mother Sherry Ellison at Kmart have been careful with their holiday spending, paying cash for their purchases.
Cutting back: Shoppers say they’ll spend less this year Inside...
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Local gift ideas for under $10. 2A BY PAM HAYNES ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
HIGH POINT – The tree isn’t the only thing that local residents are trimming this season. A 1.3 percent rise in national retail sales last month may be giving some retailers hope, but shoppers say they’ve learned that buying too many presents can come back to haunt them in the new year. To battle economic conditions and prevent further buyer’s remorse,
‘Instead of buying the kids several gifts, I’m buying them one major gift. If you’re smart, you won’t use credit cards this year. You’ll pay as you go.’ June Conrad Target shopper shoppers said they will cut their holiday spending in several ways. Some are starting by shredding the plastic. “We’re trying to spend more on debit cards or pay over the counter with cash,” said Renee Clanton, who shopped for her daughter at Target on Friday. “We’re spending the same amount because we’ve been lucky to keep our jobs. We’re very fortunate in that way.” Other shoppers said they were cutting back on spending altogether. Rather than buying gifts for their friends and family, they’re focusing on the kids. “I usually go way overboard with my nieces and nephews,” said Cheryl Hicks, an Asheboro resident who shopped in the High Point Kmart on Friday. “This year, I’m cutting way back. It’s the first year that I’ve done that.” Hick’s mother, Sherry Ellison, accompanied her daughter but said she had already completed
DON DAVIS JR. | HPE
Jim Greene, Coins and Stuff owner, shows gold and the scale he uses to determine weight of the pieces.
YOUR COMMUNITY. YOUR NEWSPAPER.
SATURDAY December 12, 2009 125th year No. 346 www.hpe.com High Point, N.C. 50 Cents Daily $1 Sundays
WHO’S NEWS
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Mariann Tillery, dean of the School of Education at High Point University, was recently honored as one of the recipients of the 2009 Women Extraordinaire Award, given by Business Leader Media. Tillery, who will appear alongside other honorees in the December issue of Business Leader Triad, was chosen out of a record number of nominations.
INSIDE
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MESSAGE OF GIVING: HPU hosts annual Prayer Breakfast. 1B OBITUARIES
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Annie Barley, 80 Lemuel Brown, 53 Lor Camp, 97 Mary Craven, 88 Addie Crotts, 89 Darlene Friedland, 57 Audrey Hardin, 84 William Hinson, 71 Dorothy Hughes, 82 Jerry Lohr Sr., 76 Mary Parks, 86 Herbert Speas Jr., 86 Thomas Younts Obituaries, 2B
WEATHER
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Partly cloudy High 46, Low 33 8C
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