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auto parts store clerk rant

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I recently stopped at a local Pep Boys to buy some Synthetic oil for the TR6. I had to go across town for this because my local store had closed. When I went in, I saw the same people working in this store that were from the closed store. All were preoccupied in conversations, going on break, leaving the counter to wander down the aisles, etc.

I looked around and the store was filthy and a mess, so I left. No one said a word, coming in or going out. I drove to locally owned and operated NAPA, was greeted by three counter guys and the manager as soon as I got inside and was out the door with oil and filter, wax, spray paint, rags, and wipers for my Taurus in less than 10 minutes, with four seperate "thank you's" as I walked away.

Which one do you think will still be in business next year, even though the NAPA is in a strip mall and the PB is on a huge lot, all alone? Come to think of it, the store that closed was on a big lot as well.......

I know about the auto business after spending 25 years in it. The majority of these "big box" places are terrible and will not be around in the next five years.
 
Shawn,
My B-I-L's cars have been modified enough that the dealer wouldn't know where to start anyway. But, to get a VIN just for recall or FSB purposes when the call is for a specific part is uncalled for. Maybe if the call was for service I could see asking for the VIN to take care of the FSB and recalls. Not a parts person problem. If the part is superceded would be parts call, not service, etc.
 
I liken that to a department store clerk asking for your SSAN if you've paid with a ckeck. Unnecessary and wrong.
 
Not saying its right, I've had parts clerks at dealers tell me that is what they are told to do at times. Some follow inane directions from above, others are smart enough not to.
 
I worked as an asst mgr in a local parts store for six years. We had computers, but they were not a lot of help when some of our customers would come in with a handful of parts from a swamp buggy or a hot rod built from half a dozen cars.

Our guys had to be pretty good at finding stuff, and no one was allowed to say that we did not have, or could not get something. We burned through quite a number of guys over the years, but our core crew could find most anything.

I stopped by my old store the other day, asking for a machine stud, and the guy pointed at some all thread and told me that was all they had. I asked him if I could look in the Dorman box that they had in the back, and pulled the stud out in about two minutes. I am hoping either he was new, or on the way out.

I agree about the low salary begets low rate employees. It took some doing to keep our better guys on the counter.
 
Man, I purely absolutely HATE training up parts people. I have bought parts from my local Jag dealer since about 1974 when I was a kid with sprigets. Over the years, the ownership has changed, and so has the parts personell( Not always at the same time either) I have parts books for XJSs, and series 2 and 3 XJ6s (and 12s). So I look up my own part numbers when I can. Newer cars, Jag no longer published parts books,and it is all "In the computer". I will ALWAYS give the vin, so that there is a smaller chance for making a mistake. Every time the staff changes, it is some time before I have them trained. I may only be looking for one part, but as the "professionals" it is up to them to know if I am likely to need something else, because Jaguar has updated an assembly. V8 thermostat housings and water pumps come to mind. I know now....They sell the parts every day, and should have a clue. So, now I collect parts books when I find them, and Lucas parts books, etc. I figure if you are going in armed with info, and do their job for them, most of the time I can get what I want. I even found a program that gives me the same parts screens as the VW and Audi dealers have. Now if I could get Moss Motors ( and many other vendors) to use the proper factory part numbers...
 
Jesse said:
Now if I could get Moss Motors (and many other vendors) to use the proper factory part numbers...
Click to expand...

When penguins fly, my friend. :wink:
 
Maybe not penguins but elephants... See the "If Seeing Is Believing.." thread! LoL
 
Part store clerks can be fun to deal with, yes. Trying to find a fuel line fitting for the Midget's gas tank, they were coming up short and said "dealer item". "It's for an MG." "What's that? Isn't there a dealer around?" Well, maybe 20 years ago.

Finding brake pads for the wife's Subaru I found not all the stores have the right info. The guy wouldn't believe me when I said to look up the parts for the turbocharged version (hers is not), since the ones they brought out weren't even close. He insisted his computer couldn't be wrong and it must have had aftermarket brakes installed :wall:. Finally got him to bring out the turbo version brakes and they were the right ones.
 
I only use the "big Box" stores to buy oil or cleaning products. For anything else I go to one of the local "old style" parts shops. These guys usually know what you need, and can find it, or tell where you can get the part. It also seems to me that mechanical ability is becoming a thing of the past. Back in my youth every gas station had a mechanic and work bays for cars. If you worked at one of these stations you picked up at least a little mechanical knowledge just by working there. Today very few gas stations do any mechanical work. Heck the kids at these stations don't even have to pump the gas in most states.
 
unfortunately the "old style" stores are getting harder and harder to find
 
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