Students keeping Oakland’s economy afloat

‘ ‘ ‘ With the help of students, Oakland as a business market seems to be avoiding some of the… ‘ ‘ ‘ With the help of students, Oakland as a business market seems to be avoiding some of the backlash of the economic downturn facing the nation today. ‘ ‘ ‘ Nineteen of 30 students interviewed by The Pitt News said their spending habits haven’t changed since this time last year. ‘ ‘ ‘ Pitt economics professor Shirley Cassing said that the lines at stores haven’t gotten any shorter. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘As a consumer, I am not aware of big changes in the number of people that I see in commercial establishments in Oakland that I frequently visit,’ she said. ‘ ‘ ‘ Several students said their spending habits hadn’t changed dramatically, but they were still cautious given the state of the economy. ‘ ‘ ‘ Pitt student Ethan Cohen said he might have to be more careful with his spending habits. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘I think it depends on a variety of factors having to do with socio-economic status. I’m lucky enough that this economic recession has not affected me in an extreme way, but I am still trying to be a bit more conservative with my money lately,’ he said. ‘ ‘ ‘ Many of the local businesses near campus have still been able to meet sales goals. ‘ ‘ ‘ An employee at Rue 21, who asked to not be named because she may not be authorized to comment, said she hasn’t seen much change in the Forbes Avenue establishment. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Even with the impact of the economy, it has been business as usual. The only time I noticed a significant decrease in shoppers was over Christmas break when most of the students went home,’ she said. ‘Despite the hardships of the economy, we are still a major retailer, and our store in Oakland is doing well.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ Supervisor Ben McGovern of Oakland’s Five Guys Burgers and Fries said his business has fared similarly. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘With the increasing price in the foods we need [to] purchase in order to run our business, we have been forced to monitor our sales more carefully lately,’ he said. ‘However, sales at our Oakland location have been up about 25 percent each week.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ Roxanne Fedrom, an employee at Oakland Oasis Tanning Salon on Forbes Avenue, said people are still coming to the salon, but are being pickier about what services they get. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Customers are more reluctant to buy expensive products and packages than they were even just last semester,’ she said. ‘People are definitely still using our services, they just want to purchase the less expensive things we offer now.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ Pitt students seem to be helping to support Oakland as a market during the new year. ‘ ‘ ‘ While some students feel that the downturn in the economy has not impacted their spending habits in a significant way, others are still finding ways to manage their spending habits as efficiently as possible. ‘ ‘ ‘ Pitt student Curtis Beisser said he’s beginning to cut back. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘I’m spending less this year, not going out to eat as much, not spending money on the tickets I’ve wanted to the Pens games and only doing things like going out to the movies every once in a while,’ he said. ‘ ‘ ‘ Ron Levick, the owner of the new IGA food store on Forbes Avenue, said that the market of college students is keeping them afloat. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Though we have only been in business here for about four months, our location in the center of a college town is convenient, and we’ve been successful despite the hardships of today’s economy,’ he said.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ Two waitresses at a local restaurant on Forbes, who requested not to be named or have the name of the restaurant mentioned because they may not be authorized to comment, said that it’ll take more time to tell if the economy has affected them. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Our tips had been suffering, but not too badly. Things are picking up now with classes being in session. We are not sure what to expect,’ said one of the waitresses. ‘ ‘ ‘ Many students are finding ways to cut unnecessary costs. ‘ ‘ ‘ Pitt Junior Sara O’Donnell said, ‘This semester I have been bringing my lunch to class with me almost every day instead of buying lunch on campus. I have also been trying to take the bus more often, to avoid paying for parking like I used to do last semester.’