LOUISVILLE, Ky. — On Monday a few industries were able to open their doors under Governor Andy Beshear’s (D-Kentucky) phased reopening of the commonwealth’s economy called Healthy At Work. One of those industries included car dealerships.

“It’s good to get out, just a little nervous I guess,” said Tony McBride of Louisville. 

With dealership showrooms now open to customers, McBride stopped by Louisville’s Bachman Chevrolet for a look, albeit six feet away from salesperson Mike Davenport.

“Like shaking someone’s hand, that’s kind of odd not to do,” said Davenport when asked about the new protocols in place.

Social distancing and other minimum requirements, like employees wearing a face mask, are necessary for all Kentucky businesses reopening. 

Steve Bachman, the president of Bachman Auto Group, said the guideline of continuing telework where possible is also in still place.

“[We’re] trying to keep our staff siloed. So half here, half at home so we don’t possibly infect someone and the whole place shuts down,” Bachman told Spectrum News 1.

That’s important to keep business going considering sales were down 50 percent in April 2020 compared to the same month last year.

Each industry has its own set of guidelines to re-open. For example, vehicle or vessel dealership showrooms can’t exceed 25 percent of maximum occupancy. 

Another big change is that customers have to go on a test-drive alone to maintain social distancing from a salesperson. When the car is returned it is disinfected.

“If they don’t buy it, we put it back on the lot. So everything is different,” said Bachman, who also said this time has been stressful and unlike anything he or the industry has ever seen.

Dealerships also have to continue to prioritize online sales. During COVID-19, Davenport said his sales didn’t decrease and stayed the same. That’s because he has already sold online for a decade, using YouTube and other social media to showcase what cars look like in detail. 

“I didn’t have a learning curve, right. So a lot of people who came in mid-March and had to not interact with a customer to sell a car there was a learning curve for them and that stuff I’ve been doing for years.”

Davenport encourages other salespeople in the industry to get on board.

“If a salesperson doesn’t adapt to the change, they are going to fail, but if they adapt to the change and just do a really good presentation on a vehicle that the customer understands how everything works for a couple of minutes, then they’ll be good,” Davenport told Spectrum News 1. 

Besides the changes at dealerships to reduce the spread of COVID-19, customers may also notice another difference. Due to a halt in manufacturing during COVID-19, Bachman said there is less inventory.

McBride planned to upgrade his 2016 Corvette to the 2020 Corvette Stingray, but he said he now hopes to buy it this summer since it is currently out-of-stock.