I have 15 years in the parts biz. Its tough going to the chain stores where it is all kids, low pay, no experience. The chains definitely killed the mom and pop stores that had knowledge and service. I'm there every week, luckily my chain has a decent catalog rack and I just look up my own stuff. This week as a reminder as to why I do this I had called and asked for a universal muffler with 1 7/8 center in and center out. Same story, "Whats it fit?" Hope I'm around long enough to see knowledge and service finally over ride price.
My auto stoner stories, I was living in florida in the early 90's and a girlfriend had a mid 80's sentra that the alternater went bad in. In those cars you had to pull off the intake to get the alt out. Auto zone was the closest, so away I went. After an hour they finnally got me the right one. I get back and put it on. No dice, cheap chinese crap was bad right out of the box. So I get another one, and another. The last time I went in I told the manager, " you might want to put it on the machine and check it because if I have to return another one it's coming through the window!" He checked 3 more before he found a good one! I have'nt been to one since!! I'm lucky to have a good mom and pop store two blocks from me that don't even have computers except for inventory. There's also an O'R that has only 1 punk kid and 5 old school guys and a younger cat that all know their stuff. They even have a chick in there that stumps the old guys from time to time!! When I was building my Apache, or undoing what the previous owner did, they went out of their way to help unfrankenstien my truck. Every time we would figure out what something was off of they documented it for me. It's hard to find people like that anymore. God bless good parts people!!
Yeah, a lot is unskilled labor that just isn't car-savvy but there is also an element of them with an attitude beyond that of unskilled labor. Maybe they are wannabe car guys that need the authority of the job to impress others--I don't know. I almost suspect we might be coming full-circle back to the re-emergence of the mom and pop store as more cars are driven longer and repaired by the owner. Sure wish there was a mom and pop place near me. I would rather mail order from the next state than go to the local Auto-Whatever.
Autozone earned a little business from me the other day. The Kid ( I say kid even though he's my age) actually looked at me when I asked for water pump gaskets for my Caddy motor and asked if I could help him find the part. I was estatic. We went ahead and found ALL the gaskets and I got some other stuff too.
Here's one on a customer that I had to deal with. I'm a Parts Sales Manager at Autozone myself... This is just one of many stupid things I've had to deal with. A man comes in on Saturday and ask me for a radiator for a Chevrolet S10 - another one of our stores sent him to ours because we had it "in stock." I look it up, confirm the information with the customer and go get the radiator. Our price was higher than the other Autozone, which is fine - I can fix that. The other store was probably getting the part from the hub I assumed which would make it a little cheaper since it takes out the freight charge and allows them to sell it cheaper. (we do the same on hub orders) So I mark the radiator down to the price the other store quoted him just out of courtesy. I then tell him to wait a minute, I go and double check my number to make sure he has the right one and sure enough, I gave him the right radiator for his "Chevrolet S-10" Well, He calls about an hour later and says it was wrong - he didn't talk to me. He talked to another co-worker. Which I find out about about 15 minutes later when the employee that talked to him asked me about the radiator I sold for a FORD ESCORT. I told him I didn't sell one for an Escort, I sold one for an S10 though. The guy comes back in a short while later and I immediately walk up to him and ask him what was wrong with the radiator? I told him it was for a Chevrolet S10 - which is what he told me he needed it for. He said that I wasn't paying attention that he told me it was a 97 Ford Escort which just about went through me because he got smart about it. So I appologized because we were busy at the time I originally looked it up and possibly looked up the wrong application. So I went and I looked up the one for his 97 Escort, got it and when I walked out the door to match it up with the one he brought with him that time... guess what he was driving? A CHEVROLET S10 - I saw it immediately when we walked out the door and I asked him, is that your S10 right there? He said yes, I told him well, that's what the radiator you asked for fits. He got smart again about it. Telling me that's not what he said, I didn't listen, yada yada. How else would I have known it was for an S10? That he even had one? He come in and asked for the RIGHT PART, but for the WRONG VEHICLE of his. But wouldn't man up to it. It was automatically my fault. I did cut him another discount for his mistake since he had to make a second trip and I was apparently taking the blame for it. Now Today, although I didn't work today, but I stopped in and was talking to a co-worker and he said the guy come back today and was complaining that he lost anti-freeze out of his car from his water pump and wanted us to replace that anti-freeze for him. He got mad and threatened to call the district manager on the guy that was helping him because he wouldn't give him anti-freeze for free. The guy lost the antifreeze because he just changed radiators... but that's supposed to be our fault too I guess.
------------------------------------------------------------ Touché . Pontiac,<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o> AutoZone, and Big-Box Parts Store alike, are in the customer service business. Their culture demands to be helpful and informative using a verity of tools to accurately test and procure parts timely, with empathy and respect to the customer. They try to get the customer involved by turning the computer towards the customer so they can contribute in the decision making process.<o></o> Yea youre right, we so called professionals, sometimes get annoyed because we are asked for a VIN # when requesting a wiper blade refill. We get impatient and maybe think theyre stupid or just lazy. That is why we have all these one-sided autoparts stories we tell (as you can see, Pontiac at AutoZone has stories he can tell too). However, I agree that the Big-Box Part Stores convey an If we dont have it, you dont need it attitude. I will analogies with a wiper blade. This is because they dont have dozens of wiper blade refill manufactures and hundreds of warehouses to procure wiper refills from, as we did few decades ago. If they still had a bunch of catalogs, they couldnt get it because they dont do business with everybody or theyre fewer refill companies today, to buy from. This is by design (So we can get Carb Spray .12 cents cheaper).<o></o> Remember back in the day, the 50 foot long catalog rack where a parts-guy would jump from catalog to catalog, sourcing, cross-referencing to get youre parts. If not in stock, they would somehow, at least, get it next week (Incidentally, if the catalog asked for the VIN # for a wiper blade refill, we still thought the parts-guy was stupid or lazy for asking). Back in the day, mid 70s, there was Billy Davis Autoparts in Spring, Texas, that had a booming business. This place had comfortable barstools in front and behind the parts counter and a customer Grab a Tag Numbering System. Customer service was at a snails pace. Believe it or not, they tapped a refrigerator with a beer dispensers and this daily routine beaconed every mechanic in town, to fill up a beer mug from the backroom and take a number, and sit on bar stools, waiting for service. Sometimes a three Beer wait. Dont get me wrong, this place was awesome. Best place around and they knew their stuff but, I noticed the mechanics that got the correct parts always supplied part numbers, cast numbers, VIN numbers or the replacement parts for reference. This was part of the process for the parts-guys and the mechanics were gladly involved to ensure correct parts. The mechanic that didnt supply this info, blamed the error on the parts-guy (even if he only had just one beer). Somethings never change.<o></o> Nowadays, the respect for the customer is better, the services is faster and more accurate but it seems hard for us to take responsibility in the decision making process. Today theyre still catalogs, just fewer of them and we can help by getting involved respectfully. I am confident if I had the Distributor #, I could get points or if I needed a 2 1/2 inlet, 2 1/4" outlet, 27 long muffler, I would walk out with the correct parts I needed but, would have to wait till I got home for the beer!. LOL 56Chevy4Dr<o></o>
Give me a set of r45ts plugs what kind of car sir? WTF is the difference? i just gave you a part number I want to make sure you are getting the right part, HTF would you know? I am going to look it up! Ok then, for a 2009 3 inch diameter potato gun. 2 or 4 wheel drive? KILL ME NOW!
Been in the biz for 22 years & trust me, we've got as many war stories about you guys as you do about us. A lot of "car guys" walk through the door just looking for an argument & don't want to believe you know what you're talking about or, God forbid, might actually know more than they do. I work for a small "Mom & Pop" chain only in MA & my guys go out of their way to help "car guys". When I'm hiring, I give a auto-knowledge test, including parts ID. This is not required by my company, but it is by me! I'm sure, somewhere on the planet, there are good guys working at Auto-Zones, but around here, they just make me look good! They won't even step away from the computer. They just send the customers to me, everyday. I wonder how many of these people they could have helped with a little effort? Oh, well! It boosts my business & I get to meet another local "car guy". Thank You Auto-Zone!
Staging line at Hot August Nights 1998 '50 De Soto Custom S-14 with the IAT distributor - (vs the IAP option) and the G.D. condenser craps out. Go into parts store and ask for aforementioned part.... ' tough ' chick goes for a computer, then a catalog ...slowly realizes she is over her pointed head and is pretty much stuck. My pal that hauled me over there - loosing his prime staging spot - is getting pissed. I offer to help her - she gets huffy - I point out the IAT was common mid 1950 and up...that its pretty common and that it fits many forklifts ... finally I explain I have been a parts guy since 1981 and its probably easier if I teach her something. She yields the catalogue rack and was willing to learn instead of tell. Everybody won.
Another Auto Zone story here to add fuel to the fire. I need to make my own front disc brake hoses for my OT project. I have already ordered one of Russell's universal brake hoses from Auto Zone and that was an ordeal in and of itself. But now I need to order all the do-dads that go with this project such as adapter fittings, banjo bolts, brackets, clips, etc. I did my homework on three fronts: got the part numbers from Russell, double checked that they were on AutoZone's website and even made sure they were in the Edelbrock catalogs that are in store. First thing out of the counter guy's mouth was....(wait for it)...."year, make and model sir?" I told him that I already had all the parts numbers and he goes to look them up. "Sorry sir, they're not in my computer system. What was this for again?" I told him that it was all custom work and that the parts were from Russell. A few more keystokes and he gives me the same line. "Sorry sir, they're not in our system." So I take him over to the Edelbrock catalogs, show him the part numbers and instantly got the deer in headlights response. To make a long story short, he takes down my name and number along with all my part numbers and said he'll get his manager to look into the situation. I'm still waiting for my phone call.
The local store near me that's been around for 50+yrs is on the brink of going out of business, so I buy all my stuff there. I get greeted by name, get a few free insults and get all my shit at near their cost. It still costs more than a chain, but I get the satisfaction of not having to deal with drop outs and stupidity... When I was in high school I worked at a garage and some buddies worked at the local auto supply house. I could recount hours of stories about those days, but they are pretty crazy. Mostly because the parts house owner would hire drivers and staff from the local psychiatric hospital's half-way house b/c he got a tax break and they were cheap labor...
I used to use a Mom and Pop parts store/machine shop here. 10 years ago I got a call from them said the machine work is done on that block your buddy dropped off for you. What motor? That sbc your building for so and so and you owe us 500 bucks. I'm not building a motor for that guy, call him. He's already been here and picked up the block, he said to call you about the $$$. Tough shit. (click) I would shop and a Mom and Pop place if we had one that was worth walking into.
Every auto parts store should have at least one old guy who can pull a set of Chevy smallblock valve cover gaskets off the shelf without having to look them up. These days it's all a bunch of young kids who don't know shit about cars. They only know how to read a computer screen. Want to be frustrated for an hour or 2 ? Go in and ask for a Holley 4 barrel base gasket.... Recently I needed a set of rear shocks for my OT 67 Camaro but I needed them to be 3" longer than stock due to a spring swap. I had to go to my local parts store and show the counter guy the chart in the back of the Monroe book where you can look up compressed length, extended length, type of attatchment, etc. and found a stock Ford van shock that fit my needs perfectly. He had no clue those charts even existed....
Been there!! Its really sad when you know what you want & have the # & they still can't give ya the plugs without a problem!
OMG .....Save the aggravation and mail order the stuff. It's cheaper and it shows up in a few days. Figure in the savings on gas and you are way ahead. These parts store guys (NAPA and most mom and pop excepted) are generally people with an attitude problem for starters and life-adjustment issues that remain unsolved. Life is too short.
Bought new brake lines for a Jeep Commando at NAPA..took the old one in for reference, and the counter clerk looked it up in a book. Trusting NAPA, I took it home and discovered he had given some metric threaded pieces of shit. Too late on a Saturday afternoon to go back...lost the weekend's project. I am an excellent squeeky wheel type and when I went back on Monday....well, let's just say I walked out with the right stuff and a nice discount for my inconvenience. Plus they had to take back the first set of lines, now bent to fit a Jeep.
That's what I ended up doing. I'm old fashioned and like storefronts in case I need to do a return...and I hate paying for shipping.
A really good friend of mine went to work at a auto parts store right after getting out of the Navy in 1969. It was the same store he had worked in part time before enlisting. Over the years he worked at several stores ,some were bought out, some closed.He can literally tell you almost anything about older stuff,a car guy at work and after work. He just told me at the store he had managed for several years he was demoted to the counter again. I ask why and he said "I can't speak spanish and I'm too god damn old to go to night school. " He is counting the days till retirement.
Well I'm one of those kids (20 years old) who works in a auto parts store part time. I come from a well Automotive back ground, my grandpa and dad both had Machine shops and raced at the local short track. I took auto in high school and always messed around with newer style cars and my dad race cars (super late model & a Modified) but i don't know shit. I know the basics and can usually find the part for the customer rather quickly. I have learned so much in the year I've worked there, and most of the time its the old timers teaching me who come in. My store puts the customer first, we don't argue with them, no hassle return policy, I'll let the regulars look through the hoses and brake lines and such to make sure they get what they want. And as far as using the computer, its a tool to help find the part quicker thats all. Btw just bought a 1936 chevy pick up to learn on.
As a guy who worked the counter as a trainee, I have to agree that customers can make a difference in how fast you learn. They don't owe us jack...but they can sometimes give us the benefit of their experience. Same goes for the more experienced guys working the counter; they already know a lot about parts and about customers, and most won't mind sharing what they know.
Went to get an alternator for a ot rig the other day. The kid behind the Autozone counter went through the make model year part ok, but got hung up when I told him it was a 2.0. After clacking around on his computer for a while with a confused look on his face, he asked me if it was the 4 cylinder v6. I went to Napa
Since I can't bring politics into this - all I can safely say is - this is the direction we are headed in - when it comes to that area
You are a rare bird and here's an opportunity in a sea of slothlike stores preying on the willing and ignorant. Start your own parts store. Stay a little longer to develop some skills and management capabilities but if you can learn that you can start a parts biz. Be careful with the debt and maybe start small and live upstairs. Don't always compete head on with specific items but do what a Speedway does and sell slightly different items that might have a little better markup. Find a business with a model you like and just do what they do. Avoid what those who have failed did. Use your own smarts from already successful parents and politely ignore the rest. Just my two cents. We need more kids like you.
Last night me and a buddy took his model T to the local Autozone for a few parts, we're standing in line when a guy runs in all frantic. He spurts out are you the guy in the T tub? It takes me a second to respond as he was really panting and outta breath. I go uh yeah thats us. He goes I got water leaking all over the passenger floorboard of my 90's something ford truck. Now what that has to do with a model T I will never know. I thought immediately wtf? well it sounds like your heater core is leaking. He goes what do I do? He stated he did not want to spend the money on a new one. I just said take a piece of heater hose and connect the inlet and outlet from the block together. He says ok runs right out of the store and into oblivion. Never once did he ask the damn store clerks. Best story I have yet in a autoparts store.
Th other day I went in to a autoparts store to get a thermostat housing gasket for my car and the guy asked me what it was used for. after I explained he looked it up and said the car was not made with a thermostat. So just for fun I asked him for the Muffler bearings and he found it in his computer and brought me some wheel bearings. After telling him what he brought me, I went to another auto parts store.
The Jalopy Journal
