What's the dumbest thing you've heard at a parts store?

The stupidest thing is when I go into my local Oreillys (who I have a commercial account with and I go there all the time) and the same dude never remembers me. My commercial account manager can sometimes finish my sentence for me when I am looking for a part but this guy, I am not sure if he is just being a douche or he is just that dumb!!!!

 

Besides the price I like NAPA but it seems wierd that they always have to pull out the book. last time I was looking for a certain size copper seal ring and the dude could not find them in the book so I kept telling him they were in the seal and gasket section and the dude had to look at every other section then the manager told him they were in the seal and gasket section. Duhh.

 

Not sure what the dumbest thing I have heard was. Around here the parts guys speak broken English, and I am not sure WTF they are saying most the time.

Me- I need wiper blades for a 2000 chevy p/u

What jear did jew ah-say? tango air conditchioning or no? Mira! We dont ah-have it.

Me- I hate my life... Never mind.

 

I've had my fair share of problems, just had to order a condensor and rotor for the Vauxhall, I had the part #s but it was a battle, I had to cross reference them to get them ordered, turns out the Triumph GT6 uses the same parts which is the only reason they could even get em I suspect.

Anyhow, this is the sort of shit that happens when everyone in the country wants everything for 10c on the dollar, chain stores pop up and sell cheap chinese garbage, hire "bodies", sell stuff for cheap, and because the garden variety asshole wants a light bulb for $9 vs $11 this is what we end up with.

The local auto parts stores that knew their shit where I live (Bergen County NJ) are gone.. RBC is gone, Napa is gone, and what do we have now? Ugh.. Strauss and ZutoZone. But it's part of a bigger picture, when I was a kid, and I'm only 36, say.. around, oh 1990 or so, there were still machine shops around, Auto Parts stores sold stuff other than ricer tail lights and chrome plastic hubcaps. And that's because people still worked on their cars. These days modern cars need a fraction of the servicing that older cars needed and when they do go bang, well, I don't have a $10,000 computer to diagnose a bad body control module on my OT BMW.

It really pisses me off but it's the same crap with hardware stores and appliance stores and anything else, big box crap.

 

I was standing behind a guy years ago that was trying to get a new axle bearing for his 69 Mustang. He was holding the axle in his hand, explaining that he bought the car new and this was the first time he'd had a bearing go out. The counter guy looked up the number on the bearing and told him that the bearing couldn't have come from a Mustang-it wasn't the right size or number. After a 10 minute discussion, during which I though the counter guy was going to eat an axle, someone finally said that maybe they used a different bearing at Ford and just give him what was on the axle.

 

this is getting old , there are bad experiences in every business....how many of you guys slamming parts stores never drop the ball or mess something up in what you do for a living?the problem with customers dealing with parts stores is that they all expect to be waited on IMMEDIATELY no matter how busy you are , that you know every part of every car ever made , you can determine what parts they need without knowing basic information ( my dad's blue car doesn't help much) , every part is in stock at all times , and you can read minds

why don't some of you guys that seam to know it all apply for a part time job at these poor messed up parts stores and straighten them out? if they are as bad as you say they are i'm sure they are hiring and would notice your brilliance immediately and put you on the payroll

 

I never mess up. Never.

Well I was wrong once. It was because I thought I was wrong then it was pointed out to me that I was actually right the whole time. I guess that counts as a mess up. Besides that I'm good.

I'm gonna open El Shad's Universal Joint, auto parts, paint, tile, plumbing, Bible, bike tubes, y mas!

 

The stupidest thing I ever heard at the parts store was some self proclaimed hot rodder talking shit about the guy working behind the counter who makes minimum wage and has no incentive to adequately service the 1% of their customer base that has a 73 chevy van steering column in his flat black 4 door valiant on red wheels.

That is the dumbest thing I have heard.

This is a circle jerk. We got the point. You're all so superior.

If a moderator is out there, please put a .45 round through this thread's head.

 

You should excel at any job you do regardless of pay.

 

Bingo! That's exactly what happened...BUT...Why was she looking up that number under the Mr. Gasket "code line" and not the Edelbrock code line? I guess using the word "gasket" sent her in that direction. It really did piss me off when she rolled her eyes at me and flipped the piece of paper back at me that I spent my time to find the correct item number, "Edelbrock# 1472", and write it down and give it to her to make HER job easier....

 

And they have calibers and breaks, too.

 

Stupid Volkswagen ruining the "waterpump for a VW Beetle" trick for everyone......

 

somebody actually buying the 50/50 anti-freeze mix.
It cost almost as much as regualr anti-freeze and it's half water! Hell I have free water at home..................

 

I need parts for a Ford truck.
What kind of Ford truck?
A 1992.
What kind of 1992 Ford truck? Sir, if I'm going to be able to help you, you're gonna havta help me.
And on it goes..............and gets repeated.

 

you pick and choose what you want to quote from my post as if that makes what you want to hear valid? i've been in the parts dept rodeo for a long fucking time; my customers depend on me and i depend on them.
we all have those off the wall fuckups that can't get their shit together long enough to form a sentence longer than three words, like "fuel pump, chevy".... and then they act the ass when you ask what model and year.

ninety percent of the time in our dept, we start off from the VIN number. there's no goddamn point in guessing at what the hell the customer's car has in it; make the computer TELL you exactly what the correct part is, IF and WHEN the customer actually knows what the problem is.

and as far as pay? not a swinging dick amongst the younger crowd is willing to put up with shitty scheduling and low or non-existent commissions to stay long enough to learn anything. that's why you get "English as a second language" and "somebody's mom" as counter help.

and it's true; this thread comes up more often than a teenager's dick at spring break. lock it down soon, somebody.

 

So a friend and I roll up to a Checker location in Tempe, AZ one day about 15 years ago in his '35 ford truck. We walk into the store and up to the "on deck" area before the counter. Before to long Skippy there behind the counter gives us the motion to come on up. I state our order "we need a pair of lower ball joints for a '74-'80 Pinto, please. "What year" asks parts kid... '74-'80, You pick it, says I. "Sir, I NEED to know the actual year of your vehicle... "It really doesn't matter, just punch in, say 1978..."SIR, is THAT the actual year of the vehicle? Do you know that to be true?" "If you simply pick any year between '74 and '80, and look up a lower ball joint I promise you it will be the right thing!!!" IS YOUR CAR ACTUALLY A 1978?! "Look, if you gotta know, that truck we just rolled up in has a front suspension from a Ford Pinto. I have done several of these front suspensions, we use any '74-'80 Pinto, Please just get me some ball joints!!!" YOU CAN'T DO THAT!!! YOU CAN'T SWITCH PARTS ON CARS LIKE THAT, IT'S NOT SAFE! I WON'T SELL YOU PARTS THAT WILL KILL YOU...."

 

Studebaker was that made by ford?

 

Hahahaha

 

Just about everything they say, most autoparts barely pay minimum wage

 

62rebel-I'm with you. These guys have no clue how it is on our side of the counter. I work at a Chevy/ Nissan dealer. If the customer can't tell me year, make and model for the part, I probably can't help. And I'm sick and tired of you a-holes looking for anything for a 68 Chevelle, or similar. We aren't a resto shop. GM quit making the part when demand dried up. Just because GM built a car 40 years ago doesn't mean they have to make parts for it forever. I actually had a guy get pissed because GM discontinued a part for his 49 pickup. I'm fucking tired of hearing "well Goddamn ya built the thing didn't ya?" Get over it. Our focus is keeping late model vehicles on the road. The vehicles our customers buy from us.
You wanna put a 5.3 in a Pinto I don't care. But if you come to me for parts for that 5.3 I want year, make and model. And if it fits 15 years of vehicles, pick a fucking year and tell me. And I can't tell you if a 261 transfer case will work in a vehicle that had a 243 originally. My computer is not set up for that. If you expect ME to know it, then why don't you know it? Most of us are not stupid. I challenge any one of you to do my job and do it well. It ain't as easy as I make it look. So fuck off.

 

Now this is hard to believe---Sorry, but your credit card was declined. What!! ~sololobo~

 

Autozone, I'm looking down the aisles..."What can I help you find?" I need a pair of 3" header collector gaskets. "What year and make car?"...1956 Morris Minor 1000. "I'll check". While genius is kept busy I find aisle 5, and my gaskets. Go to other guy to pay for them and tell him to check on junior, he may have a problem finding something.

 

I find these threads entertaining because there are definitely some dumb counter people but there are stupid people everywhere. If you cannot provide basic information or expect the guy on the other side of the counter to know exactly what the part you need is when you cannot even call it by the right name then you will probably get the wrong parts & it is mostly your own fault.

If you needed parts and all the information you provided the counter help was "ford truck, 1992" & then think the guy is a moron for needing more information then you are going out of your way to be difficult.

Just off the top of my head (and I am not a ford guy) I would think that parts from a Ranger, F150, F250, F350, will probably not interchange unless all you need is wiper blades or a headlight bulb. Try to be a little more helpful & things will probably go a lot smoother.

When you have a specialty vehicle that is assembled from several different parts sources then you need to ask for parts for the vehicle that was the donor. Try to be a little better prepared & you will have less hassles in the long run. You cannot completely avoid dumb people but you can try to minimize the ones you do have to deal with.

 

Thank you sir, you understand. And to your list, add the meduim duty F-series stuff and the heavier L-series stuff.
I just barely hit the lack of info from my 1992 Ford truck parts inquiry.
I am a parts counter man with a dose of experience from watching and helping others along with the being the guy that many know me as being the guy in the shop that has scars and knowledge to be able to give a good answer the first time. The answer might be the answer to do, or a correct "I don't know for sure" and have/don't have time to research for what THAT job is.
If I go to my local parts store to get parts for my A hotrod, I step in with answers and they also allow me to RESEARCH THEIR PARTS CATALOGS if I don't have access to that info in my hands. I don't bug them with very many questions. Guess what?? They go out of their way to help me when I'm at my job needing their help. I have taught some young men to fish within their own jobs.
Teach a man to fish, he can feed himself for a lifetime. It makes friends for some reason. Also, the man needs to want to fish. If he doesn't want to fish, it's wasted time, words, effort.

 

Easy now, don't get yer panties in a bunch...sheeese!!

 

So do you really smart customers that know more then the Parts guy know every car and every thing about them from 1930-2012?? Just remember that guy behind the counter that can not find a 331 engine in a 1930 ford, Just might be the guy that can help you when your wifes suv is broke down on Sunday morning and you have know idea where to start!!!

 

Just FYI. My wife drives an SUV and I can fix it on Sunday morning (Or any other day/time for that matter).

 

walked in saw this guy counting the splines on a wheel stud!
no, im not kidding!

 

whooooohooooooo

 

Walked in to a sears tire center today and the guy behide the counter said how can I help you...... And I said I'm looking for a for some tires for my truck..... He said what size.... I said H78's..... Then he said no no no what size, Does it say like 195 50 15 on it or 225 70 15 on it anywhere? I didn't know what to say so I turned around and walked out!