I support my local whenever I can. I do live in Canada so if it is something that needs to be ordered it turns into a different story. The local speed shop makes you pay for shipping. Factor in brokerage fees and there mark-up and I can get what I need faster & cheaper by ordering them from Summit. The local hot rod shop I deal with does not charge shipping & usually gets anything that needs to be ordered in 10 days. This also saves me a trip over the border to pick up any freight. (I pick up my own frieght because the freight companies charge a minimuim of $40 to bring anything over the border).
As a shop owner, I have a little different point of view, but maybe not what you'd think. I have folks coming in all the time looking for advise and suggestions on different parts. I don't mind helping them out, I try to help here where there is no chance of making a dime. But if someone comes in for suggestions every week and never spends a dime with me, they are really costing me money by taking my time. Gets old after a while. And I don't mind telling folks where they can buy parts cheaper than I can sell and/or installing their parts. But it's with the understanding that I don't guarantee the part and if it doesn't work or needs replacing, they get to pay the labor for troubleshooting and pay the labor for changing their part again. I guess what I'm saying is that if you buy locally, part of what you're paying for is service and warrantee not just the part.
With the advent of the internet and on-line sales, i'm not sure how any independent or even brick and mortar chain speed shop can stay in business? On idea is for a shop to deal only with used parts. But that may not work because the volume of sales might not be there.
I owned a lab supply business for a few years and although it was in a different industry, we faced the same issues being discussed here. It really comes down to simple math for the business owner. I'll use very basic numbers to explain: If your warehouse costs $1,000 per month to rent and you have 100 shelf spaces to store parts, then each spot that a part is sitting on is costing you $10 month. (I'm not even taking inventory taxes into account.) If you have a part that you make $10 on, each time it sells, then you have to sell at least one of those every month, just to pay for the warehouse space that it's consuming....that's called "product turns". The more times you can "turn a product", the better off you are and the better it pays for that shelf space that it's sitting on. It therefore stands to reason that you don't want that $10 profit part sitting there for a year....just so you'll have it when that random customer shows up and wants it. Some business owners make the decision to eat the cost of storage so they'll have it on hand for that random customer....but they do it at their own peril.
Usually by speed stuff on line. I also buy local for everyday type auto parts. Although the store I use has an on line option which I can pick up or have shipped. Works well with my budget. I would support local business when they're reasonable and good to get share info with.
Hell, at one time I knew 90% of their employees from High School. Even today many of the people there are friends or relatives of people I know. They are more "local" to me than the Autozone down the street from where I live now.
I actually had to draw a line the other day, the house next door is forsale and they were telling people that part of my backyard went with the property. Larry, What you are saying is spot on friend. As a businessman you also have to decide where to draw the line. If I am the one standing in your door asking questions day in and day out you have to finally cut me off. That is how you make your living. I have an old aquaintence (friends is a stretch here) and I have actually heard him ask a perspective customer if they are there to spend money or just glean knowledge. It is the correct at***ude to have in many instances, vending engines or engine parts is how he makes his living. I do try to throw as much of my business toward the local folks as I can. But as an example I use a certain machine shop locally now that I am not in a position to do my own machine work any more. I took an engine block up for a second opinion on bore cleanup to them. The machinist through an inside mic on the block and came up with the same numbers that I did, no charge. I told him to snag a set of pistons and get her done when he had room in the line up. He said, "well Benno you can get your own pistons cheaper and then all I have to charge you is the machine work." I guess what I am saying is you do what you got to do to keep afloat, my machinist friend didn't figure that he needed the markup on the pistons, at least not from me. he also knew that when I hit the door it was not for a freebe and didn't mind taking time to run some numbers with me. You have to do what is necesasary to keep beans on the table, if that is hunt a bargain then so be it, but it also pertains to running off the free loaders. Two way street. That said don't run me off yet I'll figure put a way to even things up when I come after those hard to find pieces you are going to find for me.
The Jalopy Journal
