Cellular Provider Preparing for Holiday Crunch

by Jonathan Weaver

A telecommunications and Internet provider that has a branch location in East Franklin Township will have extended hours Friday.

Black Friday and Christmas Eve, the store will be opening at 7AM (rather than not opening until 9AM). Friday, the store will also stay open until 9PM.

Manager Kim Litteck of Manorville (a 1988 graduate of Ford City High) is a business sales consultant and manager at the Hilltop Plaza location, and has been associated with the company for 12 years.

“Black Friday, we’re usually not too busy because people go to WalMart early in the morning and then head to the malls,” Litteck said. “But, after Black Friday, we’re busy – mostly in the evenings.”

The location is closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

“We can do pretty-much everything a corporate store can do,” Litteck said. “If you want to charge things to an account, you have to do that at a corporate store. We’re also not allowed to manage business accounts over 100 lines, like a hospital.”

The location’s five full-time sales representatives are also preparing for questions about the newest devices.

“Sometimes we have to travel to corporate in Cranberry to do the training, some of them are done here on the computer,” Litteck said. “Every few months, new phones come out – the technology is constantly growing and changing.

“And there are always new products they are launching. The big draw this year is going to be the launch of the new iPhone 6 and 6 plus that came out a couple weeks ago,” Litteck added. “You can’t get them in the stores right now, but they should be here for Christmas – you can pre-order them, but they are shipping sporadically to the stores.”

The managers added that tablets are a sought-after stocking stuffer since it is only $10 to add to the calling plan.

Bargains and possibly Christmas promotional bundles will also be available in the final four weeks before Santa Claus arrives. Customers will receive a text message, phone call or e-mail alert from Verizon Wireless concerning holiday sales sporadically.

The business remains busy - despite supermarket Foodland closing, an AT&T location moving in nearby and being steps away from the local WalMart Supercenter, averaging 300 activations per month while also providing wireless account analysis.

There is also a service where phones can be purchased after Black Friday, but not activated until Christmas morning.

The Hilltop Plaza location is about a half-hour drive time from the closest store in Pittsburgh Mills, Natrona Heights or Leechburg, Litteck said.

The franchise is one of 13 “Wireless Zone” locations privately-owned by Joe and Ralph Desimone