Daddy Warbucks
To Tow, Or Not To Tow? There are questions
Daddy W. has long maintained one of the very worst reputations Fayetteville has long endured is the nightmarish stories of cars being towed. Not only from accidents or mechanical breakdowns, but from UA parking lots, Dickson Street locations and from area festivals and events. Let’s face it, no one, and Daddy W. means no one, likes having their auto towed. But, as they say, towing happens. But when tow company operators have a cash only practice, or hide your vehicles in another city, heck some even in another county, that’s a problem. There are stories full of scenes of money grubbing, physical encounters, unethical and even sadistic tow company operators. While there may be only a few bad ones, it paints the entire group with a broad and ugly brush.
Parking in downtown Fayetteville is at a real premium and there’s even less with the so-called improvements happening on the Downtown Square. The meter maids, or is it meter men, do seem to relish passing out the parking tickets for that extra 5 minutes it took you to complete your business at the bank or downtown stores.
It is commendable that the Fayetteville Police Department and the City of Fayetteville are finally trying to get a handle on this touchy subject, but let’s face it, only cars involved in accidents or breakdowns on public streets are going to be covered by the new, if it ever passes, towing regulations.
Those same tow vultures who love to hide your car, demand two days of storage fees for a car picked up at 8 a.m. on the same day and will only take cash and not give you a receipt, will just keep on towing. The bad name they give Fayetteville, will just keep on giving.
BIG QUESTION
How many enclosed shopping malls are scheduled o be built in the U.S. this year? (see the end of these wanderings for the answer)
CALL THE GEEKS
Calls to two divisions of Tyson Food this week has been, well, embarrassing. One division said on Tuesday, gulp, their computers were down and they would be backup on the following Monday. Another division called for information was also down, but promised that the system would be back up in 48 hours. And voice mails. Forget it.
R.I.P.
One of Rogers’ biggest independent retailers, Nita Larimore, has passed away. With that fiery head of red hair, she, for years, touted the shopping experience at Shelby Lane Mall. An Arkansas transplant, she was a civic minded NWA business booster.
GRAND OPENINGS
Wal-Mart, while cutting back on U.S. stores, will open 81, yes, 81 stores, this month nearly one-half of the total planned for this fiscal year which began Feb. 1. Sadly, the planned Neighborhood Market in a Bentonville neighborhood near State Highway 12 has been delayed. Even here at home, cuts and delays are being made at the world’s largest retailer.
MORE DUCATS
The NW Arkansas Naturals’ public relations machine is spitting out totals reporting that some 1,200 season packages have been sold and another 870 or so smaller 17-game baseball packages have been sold in advance ticket sales. Less than a month and the crack of the wooden bats will be heard in Springdale.
OVER $100
Daddy W. predicted it and he has even gone out on a limb to say that $110 a barrel is in sight. Yes, oil prices continue to climb. And at the pump, suddenly $3 a gallon gas seems cheap.
BIG ANSWER: ZERO
No big indoor shopping malls are planned to start construction in 2008 or 2009.
