yep, that's most likely going to be me!!! sorry, kinda long...i just had to share it with everyone though!! i've been with laquinta inns as the regional maintenance supervisor for quite awhile but the company has gone down the tubes and i am no longer appreciated for the hard work i do. been halfheartedly looking for new work for several months but haven't had much luck because of the nature of my position, i don't really have time to look. well yesterday i ended up in the left turn lane going to the checker auto store and main warehouse for the state and although every time i'd checked to see if they needed anyone they didn't, i decided to stop in for shits. i ask one of the guys if they might be needing anybody...i know everyone in this store btw, guess i spend a lot of money there or something...and he says yeah and gets me an app. i fill it out and meet with wayne, the store manager, who makes some comment about how he thought i was waiting for another part rather than to talk to him. the brief meeting goes well and he says i'll hear from them soon so i let him know that i'm off today so i can come by any time. i wait all day for a call back and about 5:30 my cell rings, i look and it says "checker" (yeah, i know...wtf, you have it in your cell?) so i answer and talk to justin, the asst manager. he wants to get me in there but apparently wayne didn't tell him i could have come any time today so it's looking bleak for getting in there soon to meet with him because of the schedule conflict. i wanna get outta laquita FAST, yesterday was the last straw. well i say to him i can make it in 20 min, it's less than a mile from my place but i need to shower and shave before an official interview. he says ok and i'm naked and in the shower in seconds flat. after i'm cleaned up and presentable i show up and meet with justin, who also makes some joke about the amount of parts i buy there. interview goes spectacularly and they are looking at putting me right into the manager training. i've wanted to work at this place forever and now, thanks to my experience and the fact that all the guys know me and the kind of person i am, it looks like i'll be moving up there FAST! well i just had to share that with everyone because i know you'll all care...and you know now that if you're ever in SLC, come to the corner of 45th and state street and ask for patrick to get help from someone who actually knows that a flathead isn't just a kind of screwdriver thanks for listening guys and wish me luck! it's about time something goes right for me
Sounds like your pleased to be making the move. Good luck and I'm sure you'llbe sharing "Idiot Customer" stories with us in no time. Congrats!
I second that with all the idiot customer stories. (Lets just hope they dont call and say "Can you tell me whats wrong with my car" and then put the phone up to the car while its running or trying to start.)
That's great and a wonderful Christmas 'present' - congratulations. Coulda done without the nekkid and in the shower bit, tho....
You mean there is something else besides a screwdriver called a 'flathead"? How confusing! lol. Good for you man! I call my friend who's an owner/manager of a parts store every now and then to test his customer relation skills.... "I need a gasket." "Ok, what kind of car is it for sir?" "It's a truck." "Ok. What make is it sir? Chevy? Ford?" "It's a half-ton." oh man I'm bad...eventually he figures out its me....
Congrats, Let me know when you start. I definately need to find a parts guy in this town who knows an answer besides "our computers don't go back that far". I'll be seeing you soon! Tom
"Arguing with a parts guy is like wrestling with a pig in the mud, sooner or later, you realize the pig likes it." Good luck on your new job.
good luck remember 3%of the customers are "car guys"the rest are just cheap"sob"'s "trying to keep thier drivers running .. did this line of work for 15 years my suggestions ....2 cents stay away from a management position ( for a while).. as being the boss of others changes every thing.. your job then depends on the performance of others. more time at the store unpaid too never give huge discounts to "buddies" it will always bite you in the ass work the morning shifts and volenteer for the inventory work..restocking / pricing ...you will know your stores stock real quick also bring fresh ideas to keep the store revitalized..most of my store display ideas where used by upper management through out the chain take time to learn your local special order vendors as they wiil save your ass and customers who will shop somewhere else to get thier parts its supposed to be fun leave the bad jerk day at the door before going home my fav is the guy who handed me his keys and asked for plugs ... like i could tell from his key shape or somthing? finding a fuel pump for a tiny tim donut machine.. and many more i miss the discount now after all these years away from it so stock up while you can afford it in my day we thru out all the 50's and 60's parts as dead weight... i'd be rich now from the resale... paperdog
Parts counter folks that know thier poop,... what a concept! Actualy, we're pretty lucky here, have a load of car nuts in the area, so our parts house is pretty good at finding odd things. What gets the new people in the area is they have a couple purty young gals workin the counter, and they know more about, cars, whats in the store, & what it all does than most of the customers. I'd ask em all to marry me if it were legal!
Congratulations and have fun. Hope it works out well and leads to bigger and better things in the future.
Yeah CSK is a pretty good company to work for and there is definately room for progression in the parts field. I got a job at Checker October of 2005 with absolutely no automotive experience and by October 2006 I was hired on at a Nextel cup team for parts. Primo
thanks for all the kind words you guys. i really can't even express how excited i am for this because i'll get to do my two fav things in one...play with car parts and work with people. i'm really looking forward to the discount too these guys are honestly excited that i'm looking to get on and it's a really weird feeling after all the bullshit in the last year since things started going south with laquinta. druss-that's a great quote, one i've always loved. paperdog and others-thanks for the advice, i'm always looking for new ideas and ways to do things so the recommendations to do to only strengthen my resolve. funny thing too, i stopped by this afternoon to get some oil and check on a part i'm looking for. a couple of the guy i've gotten to know pretty well told me they were going to get me back for all the odd parts that i made them look up over the last couple years.
Congratulations! I did 10 years in retail auto parts for foreign cars. Now after 15 years in an unrelated field, I'm thinking of going to work at a parts distributor.
well guys, i just had to update. i've been officially offered the job, pending the background check and drug test so they know i'm not some crazy crackhead. i'm excited as hell for this change, to finally be in a place where i have opportunity to grow and be recognized for the efforts i put out. plus i'll get a 25% discount on my parts for all you salt lake hambers, stop in at the checker auto at 45th and state street any time and ask for patrick.
Quote: Originally Posted by 32chevysedan I second that with all the idiot customer stories. (Lets just hope they dont call and say "Can you tell me whats wrong with my car" and then put the phone up to the car while its running or trying to start.) Probably not. I was a counter guy for about 2 years and I heard all sorts of crazy things. My favorite was the guy that called asking for "check-up service for a Bolbo". I said yes, we have a mechanic that can diagnose the trouble. "NO NO - check up service for the Bolbo!!" I say, Yes, Skip the mechanic can tell you what s wrong. NO NO!!! CHECK UP SERVICE FOR DE BOLBO!!!!! and he hung up. Fine, whatever.... 15 minutes later a Volvo screeches to a stop out in front and bounces like a stripper on a trampouline. A large angry Latino man storms in and throws 2 shocks on the counter while screaming at me "S-H-O-C-K -A-B-S-O-R-B-E-R-S CHECK UP SERVICE!!!!!!!" "Oh", I said, "you want shock absorbers... why didn't you say so?" He didn't find me very amusing but I sure did.
the walmart style part stores dont want to pay for expierence of a parts guy..it is a dying breed..sad but true...
ROFLMAO!!!!! I did 3 years in downtown Santa Ana in my parts career. 'bout 3 blocks south of Edinger Ave, on Main St. Always hard problems with the Language barrier down there!
Screwing with dumbasses at the parts counter is probably one of my favorite things to do at work. I love it when people need a part for a SBC or SBF, and you get the, "it doesn't matter what year, they're all the same." I've pissed off a lotta people with that one.Always give them parts off a late model because 90% of the time it's not what they're after. Congrats on the new job, hopefully they treat employees better in your neck of the woods then they do out here. Good thing I'm only part time!
hope you get this job anybody as excited as you are to work with us car sum bitches is a rare dude a long drive to see ya tho.. after my original post i thought of some more tips.. do not ever throw out old catologs save them all..study the indexes and back pages when there's is a slow time(crapper break) as all the cross info is there if you know were to look.. even some with pics when you geta chance look up every thing for your own engine and list all the part numbers /$... good practice .. how i taught all the new girls how to use the book! most customers will be in a bad mood cuz there ride is down..so think related sales ... sealants with gaskets ...tools with brake parts the right lube/rust emover for any job .. just mention don't push your customers will thank you(some thing their clouded head forgot) and the boss sees $$$$$good sales get in the habit of writing down every phone calls parts and save it you will not have to look it up all over when they come in i may just go look for partime work again.... nahhh i am to old paperdog
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