Memphis Tennessee

The Dalai Lama has been welcomed to Memphis with a fist bump and the greeting "hello Dalai."

It happened as the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader met interim Memphis Mayor Myron Lowery on Tuesday.

WPTY-TV reported the Dalai Lama appeared confused by the fist gesture until Lowery took his hand and showed him how to return it. Lowery then said he had always wanted to say "hello Dalai," a reference to the 1960s Broadway musical and movie "Hello Dolly."

The station reported the holy man appeared amused by both the gesture and the joke.

The Dalai Lama is in Memphis to receive the International Freedom Award from the National Civil Rights Museum on Wednesday.

Auto parts retailer AutoZone Inc. said Wednesday its fiscal fourth-quarter profit fell 3.1 percent, citing tough comparisons to a prior-year period that included an extra week of sales. Its shares fell more than 6 percent in midday trading.

Bill Rhodes, AutoZone's chairman, president and chief executive, said consumers remained focused on trying to save money during the quarter by keeping their cars on the road longer and spending more on basic maintenance.

Rhodes added that he expects the same trend to continue for the near future.

"This quarter we continued our focus on the basics," he told investors in a conference call. "And we continue to believe well positioned to take advantage of opportunities as we head into a new fiscal year."

For the quarter ended Aug. 29, the Memphis, Tenn.-based company earned $236.1 million, or $4.43 per share, down from $243.7 million, or $3.88 per share, a year ago. The per-share figures rose because it had fewer shares outstanding in the latest period.