Demand high as Michigan car dealers reopen after coronavirus closure
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is starting to slowly allow businesses to reopen and it continued on Tuesday with auto dealerships which are open by appointment only and with a few other rules.
Employees and customers should wear face masks, abide by social distancing rules, install physical barriers at checkout stations, enhance cleaning and sanitization of the business interior, and limit the number of people inside a business.
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After more than two months being closed, auto showrooms are open again for car buyers.
George Glassman, the president of Glassman Automotive Group, said they're ready and are taking all of the necessary precautions.
"We've gotten a ton of phone calls. There's a fair amount of pent up demand," Glassman said. "(We are) making sure that we are social distancing, making sure that we are wearing masks. Sanitizing vehicles before test drives, after test drives."
Shoppers like Robert Rickman said shopping online just isn't the same.
"To be able to come in, you need to be able to touch and feel the cars," Rickman said.
Glassman is also making sure his staff members stay healthy as they continue to push forward at work.
"We're taking their temperatures, they have to fill out a questionnaire every day relative to whether they've traveled out of state, if they have a temperature,"
It's a new normal as the dealership works to get its customer volume back up.
This isn't the first challenge Glassman Automotive Group has faced over the years but they say they are confident they're positioned for success as they adapt to changes.
"We made it through the recession we made it with Oldsmobile going away," Glassman said. "Fortunately been able to reinvent ourselves and so you have choices: you get knocked down enough times you either stay down or you get up and move forward our decisions have been to move forward. We're confident with what we've got and we'll continue to do the right thing."