Projects Parts store counter help, or not...

The young kids are worthless, we order everything over the phone and have it delivered, 3/4 of the time its wrong then I have to send it back and check my statement at the end of the month to make sure we got all of our credits, creats more work for us, loss of productivity.
IT has gotten really bad in the past few years, dont know whats up either.
tried to order some stuff for a 401 nailhead the other day from napa, it was a joke.

 

In my neck of the woods, NAPA, stands for NEVER ANY PARTS AVAILABLE...

 

In my neck of the woods we have Baxter Auto Parts. In my opinion they are the best local Chain parts house around. They usually have what I need, know what I'm talking about and usually have people there who give a rip. (They do suffer from some of the low paid employee problems).

Autozone is the worst store in my experience. I worked there for a few months and could not stand it. What can I say they gave me a job when I needed one. But the whole store seemed to revolve around employees taking tests, winning pins, constantly reshuffling shelves and not offering many real car parts. It is a sad place and I dont shop there.

 

Very true indeed. Hey, everyone has to start somewhere, right? I have no problem with inexperience at any job. What I do have a problem with is lack of trying, coupled with a poor at***ude and mix in poor breeding and it's a recipe for frustration. As for using lower wages as an excuse/reason I figure if money makes you better quality anything, you likely weren't very good quality anyway. When I was in school I worked at a fast food place. Did I make any money? Not hardly. Did I catch **** from the customers? Nightly. But I still tried, most people will cut you some slack for an honest attempt and a good at***ude. And you're right about the fact there's often at least one person in a prats store that knows their stuff. I just wish his days off didn't coincide with my parts runs...

 

Burgers. Auto parts. There's a dfference?
Tried to buy a timing light at AutoZoo once. "Whut kinda carizit for?" I just walked away...

 

I've been working part-time at all three of our local Advance stores since I retired from my State of Illinois job. I usually deliver commercial parts to the various shops in the area, however lately I seem to be spending most of my time behind the counter. I realized early on that I am totally at the mercy of the computer system used by the company. I also earned early on that the large majority of entries and programs used by the company were set up by low-paid computer whizzes who know computers but do not necessarily know parts. In order for me to get to the parts the customer wants, I have to navigate through a virtual world of categorical information. The good news for the customer base is that I'm the guy who speaks "old school" in parts and "junk yard" if necessary. I'm learning a great deal regarding the "computer era" of engineering with every p***ing day. What I'm looking forward to, is mastering the data base the company relies upon for sales and service. I know the parts infinitely better than the computer and all it's trappings. Fortunately, I'm only a part-time employee who works 30 hours weekly and not on weekends! I'm equally fortunate to work with a group of guys (and women) who really do care about their jobs and responsibilities and the customers they serve. If they didn't, I would not be there because I have an old school work ethic as well.

 

I have no problem when it comes to finding parts for my old cars, I know better than to go to AZ, o'rs, etc. Best thing here in Toto land is Napa. They at least don't ask stupid questions about how many tailight bulbs does it have! If they don't have the part, they usually can get it. Never had this problem thirty years ago, parts houses with machine shops cannot stay in business with this economy, but hopefully soon we will just go to a warehouse and enter what we need and it comes out on a conveyor belt, or a robot delivers it to your vehicle if heavy. Then those parts jockies will be looking for work at McDee's serving McPorks!

 

Living in the Islands is a trip in its self, but if you need parts Well----- So on a trip to Virginia Beach, went to a NAPA store and the lady was a real treat, for real and very helpfull. So back on the home front. I faxed her with all the info and needed a gasket set for a 2001 Jeep 4 banger 2.5. She called me and asked what kind of JEEP. I said it was a Cherokee, she wanted the vin. I explaned the car was s****ed, but had a 4cyl engine and yada yada. So she sent my gaskets. Ha. Since her books showed NO 4 Cyl engine in a Cherokee, she sent me 6cyl gaskets and hoped they would work. I had to call NAPA head quarters to fix this one. They paid all the freight and got me what I wanted. Ice man

 

I just went to advanced auto parts last night to get a starter for my truck.. guy ask me the usual question..year make engine size.. I tell him its a 5.8 v8.. he says.. wow thats big! I didnt know they made engines that big in trucks.. I just looked at him and said.. yeah.. huge man huge.. hour later I came back to drop off the old starter to get my core charge back and he ********ting with this other kid about how an ****** can do 120mph.. and the other guy was going on about a dodge neon doing 125.. WTF? since when were they THE cars to have?? sad thing was.. I swore last time I went there I wouldnt go back after looking for a rear brake line for a 68 f100.. and the kid kept telling me.. you mean f150? I said no a f100.. well thats not right.. ford only makes 150,250 and 350....so I again said.. I just want a friggin rear brake line.. so he ask what size motor.. I say 390.. and he looks at me like I lost my head.. and tries to act all informative,you mean 302 which I dont know if you know this,but is considered a 5.0.. I say no.. 3 9 0 big block.. F.E motor.. so he says. .hmm taps on the computer then act s surprised its there.. says ok.. 390,(wow didnt know they made them) 68 f100..(wow they really made f100s)hmm.. ok.. is it a manual or an automatic..( me: wtf does that have to do with a brake line..)..auto.. ok..does it have airconditioning?(WTF says me) NO..but the truck is in primer right now..red oxide to be specific.. he says huh? whats the color have to do with it?? I said.. wtf does air conditioning have to do with a real brake line?? Guess if I said it was an ****** he woulda been bragging to me about how fast he could go in one too..

 

I am also a Y block guy and by some real damn luck I can get almost anything I need a chain parts store of all places ! There is one guy in there that his Dad has a 57 Ford Vicky and he know all about Y blocks . Most of the time he says come back behind the counter and points down the isle and says you go find what you want and make your pile here !
All the other people there are dumb ***holes . If it isn't in the computor I can't help you . You need a Honda or something like that and then maybe one of the counter help can find the part you need .
Now we all understand why the catalouge sales are much better to work with . Yea I might have to wait but at least I get what I want !
For all the good parts people out there , I AM SORRY !!

 

All I have to say is not all young parts guys like myself are worthless! There are some like myself that enjoy my job and are good with parts. Not all of us young guys are *****s! Give the few of us good youngsters a break!

 

Next time I'll be sure to do a search of the forum before I post, so as not to bore you....

 

i will say that there are alot of older guys that when i started working at oreillys they stayed away from me. but unlike a couple of my coworkers...i do give a **** what i am doing. as a parts guy it take pride in getting someone everything they need to finish a job and finish one right. i also take pride in the fact that even the older workers refer to me for hotrod/muscle car questions...especially sbf. most of the kids i have worked with in the last year believe that anything that is not efi is useless.

i do hate when my coworkers make young people behind a parts counter look bad but i can honestly say i do think i am an exception. i am always willing to learn and do not hesitate to ask...oh and i dont ask if it has a/c for a set of brake pads.

ps. anymore honestly there are situations where it is amazing what determins what part something uses. some newer chevy trucks can have 4 different brake pad options depending on caliper, gvw,wheels, and number of doors.

 

I certainly didn't mean to bash the kid, he at least was looking, but didn't know what it was I wanted. The guy who offered that they had stocked flare kits, but sold them right away, was older than I am. He didn't offer to order one, see if the sister store had one they could get me or even act like he cared. As for the "Most guys just use wire" comment, well, it's a purty redneck kind of town, and that would in truth be how 90% if the shadetree mechanics around here would secure brake lines.

 

NAPA is not my favorite store. Seems like every time I go up to a counter man for advise, the phone rings and I'm left standing there while he or she answers the dumb questions they get from phone shoppers. I figured out a way to solve that. I have their number on speed dial and if they walk away I ring them up. Gets their attention and I get the service I went in for.

 

I get questions at Autozone and I'm not like some of these kids that are fresh out of high school that don't want to work to make a living. If someone in your position was to call me I'd do what I could to help. There are poeple in the "Box stores" that are willing to help, unfortunatly you got to come accross them. Sorry you had a not so good experience with that one!!!!

 

Go to the parts house with the part numbers
problem solved
no more counter people, just Parts Fetcher.

 

Well said!

 

Yep......same old **** I deal with every ****ing day. I try to help on the counter when I can but I am the old graybeard that drives the commercial delivery truck. AutoZoo puts more emphasis on being bi-lingual than being car smart. I do have a couple of the younger counter guys that get my help on the older stuff. They worry waay too much about moving the latest line of neon lights and ****ing air fresheners than the stock of hard parts and the hiring of KNOWLEDGEABLE people. Most of the store managers don't know **** either.
Catalogs you say ??? Forget that ****......most of those ***clowns throw the damn things away because they have computers....
Gimme the old days......... catalogs manned by someone that knows something.....stools at the counter....ashtrays.....an an old dawg laying over by the drink box licking his balls.

 

It seems most of these places just want to have a warm body stand there who knows nothing and doesn't care to learn then to have someone who will provide great customer service, knows the product/field and will produce sales.
I found this out recently as I went to get parts for an O/T vehicle. I learned from the person at the counter (and no he wasn't young) that the tie rod I needed is an engine part and NOT a steering part
A few minutes later I showed the "parts professional" where the part was located.

Oh yeah.....When I come in buying some wax and polish please don't try to sell me your special snake oil of the week. At least try to ask/sell me something pertaining to what I'm buying.

 

Ok, Here's my .02 cents....
I've been selling Auto Parts for over 20 yrs. I've worked at NAPA, Pep Boys, Ma&Pa shops you name it. Problem is with so many Auto Parts Store Chains Out there, Profit in low (compared to carpet sales, hardware stores, etc...) Back in 1986 the store I managed had a profit margin around 43%... in 2006 when I quit the Auto Parts Retail world profits were around 18% - 24%...
So, what I'm getting at is...
In order for these stores to sell parts at the price you/me/us is expecting to pay for these parts, they can't afford to pay a guy (such as me, with experience) what he/she is worth to stand there waiting for the few people like us, that know what we want to come in. It's easier to pay $$$$$ for software to install on the corporate wide computer system, that walks a 9th grader through the sale.
NAPA is the best place I ever worked when it comes to "How it should be" because they are Ma & Pa type indepently owned (for the most part) places, hooked into the NAPA franchise.
And.....
Yes, I'm that parts guy that was behind the counter that would rather use a book than a computer...
AND.... no, no parts stores wanna "PAY ME" what that experience is worth. 'Cuz what I'm worth to them & what I'm worth to you are 2 totally different figures.
OK
OK
Ok...
Sorry, Im done....
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This has been covered a million times before, but I won't let that stop me from chiming in

I worked for Autobone 20 years ago and it was the same computer **** it is now. I think the employees were marginally better in that they at least seemed to give a **** about knowing something about cars.

EDIT: Just for the history books I believe they had just changed the name from Auto Shack to Auto Zone around the late 80s...damn I'm old.

 

Agreed....

 

always support your local parts store, even if they're a little more $$$.

 

And coffee break...

 

I have gone into the parts store which felt more like walmart and have had to wait for someone who spoke english.

 

yep, so true.
Like an annual flower, it pops up every year . The bulb needs to be killed in the ground to stop it.

 

And if THEY are the un-helpful ***holes? I've run into that. The "local parts store" here is a Bumper-to-Bumper. I dealt with them once, and was less than impressed.

From a different point of view, check out some of the web sites for these stores. Try to find a part on Oreilly's web site! Unless they've changed things, I won't even bother. The guys in the local store were the smug know-it-all ***hole types too. No, I don't shop at Oreilly.

Autozone's system was pretty easy to use. It seems they did an "upgrade" last year that ****s! In the store, or online, it isn't a very friendly system.

NAPA tends to leave me standing at the counter these days.....ever since my parts guy took over the insurance agency I use.

CarQuest is gone.

Advance is ok, if you can find someone willing to help. Most of the folks around here are pretty good.

I'll readily admit, as I think others should realize, that WE are in the minority. If you think the guy behind the counter should know every single detail of YOUR vehicle, maybe you should try it some time. I've never worked in a parts store, but I have worked retail. Dealing with idiot customers is never fun! Know your application going in, and be prepared for people to have no ****ing clue what you're talking about when you're buying parts for things that have been out of production since before their parents were born. Don't expect them to be ASE certified Master Mechanics - those guys work on cars, not standing behind a counter selling parts.

We all want excellent service, people who know exactly what we need (even when we don't) and all at the lowest possible price. It's not a plausible equation in today's world. I think it falls on me to do my own research before walking into the parts store. The situation I hate is when they come up with the wrong thing, argue with me about what I need, and just have no interest in doing a decent job. I haven't found a field yet that doesn't have those people - auto parts, tools, appliances, groceries (I'm really **** about my soap not being bagged with my food!), electronics, computers, you name it!

It's not just parts stores, it is everywhere and everything. I blame it all on computers

Tim D.

 

Oh FWIW...if you can find one in your town, maybe call a garage or two? Find a place that caters to auto repair shops and delivers to them...There's one here in Hollywood I found out about a few years ago and they know their stuff...they have like 30 feet of parts books and you can't stump them..PM me for info

oh and I went to PAW in the valley the other day and realized they're just a block away from TT Boy's studio, if you know who he is

 

Yeah . . . I never could figure out why a store - of any kind - would have their employees spend lots of time answering questions on the phone which usually gets down to price shopping and the guy seldom comes in when they have a real live customer with real money in his pocket standing around.

A local gun store has a fair parts selection, but the last two times I went in there the guy was trying to sell his carry concealed permit cl*** to someone and ignoring the walk-in customers while he held forth etc.
Yesterday, the second time.
I left, not going back.


Far as the behind the auto parts counters in the blister-pack stores, they don't pay enough, the employee walks and a replacement comes in, goes through the training process and then he/she walks.


If the dumfa's who run the blister-pack store franchises would think about it, the loss in sales, loss in customers and constant turnover of employees due to their cheap *** methods is costing them more money than paying a decent wage would cost.

'Course, nowadays we have companies giving out multi-million dollar bonuses for execs who fail so I'm guessing they don't give a ****....