Got Laughed at Today at the parts counter!

Remember,they don`t have a large pool of talent to choose from. At least they are working,"loosly defined" and not on welfare.I can remember when I didn`t know sqat either.If you are easy on them they will remember you .

 

I have had more than one similar experience like that from more than one parts store.

 

I buy most of my stuff from AutoZone. They have the rewards card thing so it's like free money sort of. Napa has bankers hours, I have to take a day off or send the wife for parts. Bennett is great but I have to make 2 U turns to get there across lots of traffic and I'm lazy.

Do your homework, don't be a dick, get what you need.

You don't ask the cashier at the grocery store how to cook do you? Their job is to scan your stuff, put it in a bag and take your money. Parts guys are there to look up stuff in the computer and go get it or order it. Anything you can do to help them just preserves your sanity.

If they give you lip, carefully remind yourself that you are a super badass automobile genius that owns a cool car and isn't working at AutoZone.

 

Like I always have thought about McDonalds. You don't give them more work than they are used to. You don't ask for a speacial kind of hamburger. You just pick off the onions, the pickles and go about your way. Parts store in general aren't bad they for the most part deal with newer stuff. I don't know too many guys buying parts for Rancheros and Novas these days. They're out there but not in the masses. I can't expect the twenty year old kid to know everything there is about cars. I go in with part numbers most of the time. I've also learned that if I need something in particular I know who to ask and not. One fella gave me so much grief at a local parts store that I didn't go back to that one for a long time. Still don't use that store much. The fella should have been selling rims or wax not parts.

 

Uh... Chevy didn't make a Ranchero in 1959... or a 390... ever!

Eli

 

Customer service at Lowe's? HA! Me and my best friend went there to buy a pressure washer, get it home, open it up, its missing parts and half the parts are old and worn out, someone bought it, used it to fix theirs and returned it. Assholes.

So we take it back, get another one. What do they do with the fucked up one? Put it right back on the shelf.

Mediocrity in this country has become SOP and it pisses me off...

But its like others have said and they are right, our cars are such a small fraction of the business at these parts stores its a wonder they sell anything. The only reason AutoZone stocks an oil filter for my Lincoln is because the MELs use a Motorcraft FL1A.

 

I have been using O'Reilly online and having stuff just shipped to my house. It is free shipping on $75 or more and it comes fast in my experience.

 

D & S Auto Parts - Spotswood, NJ

California Speed & Sport - New Brunswick, NJ

..only locations in central jersey to get your auto parts...

mac

 

Lotta truth in that. When I was a parts guy in the late seventies early eighties, it was considered a skilled job, and you were paid accordingly.

 

I agree as well.

I was going to say something several pages ago but didn't, so here it is.

We asked for this! When ever we get a price from someone on anything the first group of statements out of most people's mouth are: Wow, that much! You got anything cheaper?

Well, this is what "cheaper" gets you.

Remember... You really do get what you pay for.

Also remember when NAPA only sold "good" parts. They use to cost you money, but they were good. Now, even NAPA sells shit just so they can compete and keep the doors open.

You asked for it, you got it, now deal with it!

 

we sell a "name brand" and one or two "bargain brands" depending on what the line is; for the most part, the main difference is the level of warranty coverage on the part, not the quality of the part itself. our bargain brands get a year, the name brand usually "lifetime".... yet, most of the time, the parts are otherwise identical. sometimes we don't even bother with a discount brand; not worth the savings.
we usually quote the least expensive part line first, then suggest moving up to the name brand if we think you're leaning towards having some decent warranty coverage. no sense forcing people to buy steak on bologna money.

 

I miss our old locally owned parts store, pretty much all chains here now. Had to get a bunch of brake parts for my new acquisition last night and basically ran the computer at AutoZone and ordered my own stuff. Usually get stuff from rockauto for this reason, but everything I needed came from different locations so they wanted almost $50 in shipping...

 

I took it to mean he was looking to buy a battery to power up the '59 Ford FE 390 (from a Ranchero) that he has transplanted into his Chevy... I could be wrong. I had to scratch my head for a minute on that one too.

 

Do you really need a parts guy to find a battery for your car?

 

I've said it before. Gotta brag on my friends at both of our area NAPA stores. Those folks have saved my bacon more than once! Friendly faces and ready to help! All you guys and gals deserve a raise!

I'll contact corporate about those raises in the morning...

 

I go on the Internet and order the parts, will call them then pick them up. Saves me a ton of time. Or just order from rockauto if I can wait.
Turns out that one of my other unpaid jobs i do on my days off is a pretty decent parts counter person.

 

I guess we are lucky here in Mineral Wells Tx I have not had any probs with AUTOZONE here all are ASE and so on

 

They are teenagers who don't know a damn thing about anything without an ECU or front wheel drive. All they are expected to do is find parts using a pull-down menu system that is basically a process of elimination. They ask year, make, model, engine, etc... and the computer gives them the answer. I don't trust any parts counter guy under the age of 40 or so...unless he shows me that he actually has a brain.

 

in a store like that your part should be buried behind the smoked out headlight lenses and the under car neon lights, right below the trailer hitch covers that say "bad ass" and two shelves away from the confederate flag and bass fishing stickers.

 

Don't blame the teenagers. Blame the companies. Thats what they want to countermen to do. The more knowledge and skill a counterman the better the pay, the higher the price and you start bitching about the price of parts. I worked for NAPA for 15 years. The store is attached to the warehouse. The warehouse has over 220,000 different parts in it. You expect a guy to remember all those parts? And their part numbers? And their location? For 10-12 bucks an hour?

"Unless he shows me he actually has a brain". Spend some time at the counter and see how many dumbass customers that "actually have a brain" and actually know what they want.

 

had a guy tonight who wanted a fuel filter... what car? he didn't know it is his brothers. what size? didn't know. do you have a part number? no. do you have the old one with you to compare? no. can you call your brother and ask? brother doesn't have a cell phone. can you give me any information that will help me determine what filter? he thinks he bought one last year

yeah , that will be a big help

 

Needed a rad cap for my 63 Chevy. Partsman said the computer did not list one. Took 5 minutes for him to find the paper catalogue & then I had to take it from him & look it up myself.

 

here's a good example: customer wants a battery for a Suburban. no problem, got all kinds of batteries in stock. bring a sidepost to the counter, he then says, no, it has top post, i changed the cables.....

okaaay... so now the data from the book and the computer is worthless to me and i simply match the size of the case to a top post with the same CCA.....

here's another one; a guy brings me his smartphone and shows me a picture of the part he needs (great idea, actually) and i can see in the picture that it's burned out and has cobbled up wiring on it...

"um, yeah; can i bring the old one back and get it replaced under warranty?"

noo... not after i saw what you DID to it.....

and my favorite; can you match (local salvage yard) price? they got one for less than HALF what you're asking.....
ummm, again; NO....

 

Didn't Chevy make the El Camino and FORD the Ranchero. Sounds like the kid was right

 

NAPA or none!

 

I love these threads as I work in a big box store. I'm the old geezer that everyone looks for. Because of the nature of the business I try to keep an open mind...

This pimply faced kid walks up to the counter and asks for front brake pads for a late model Honda. I had to ask the kid if the car is a sedan or station wagon as there is a difference in the pads. The kid gave me a blank stare and asked "What's a station wagon?" It was all I could do to keep a straight face. Knowing the next question I had to ask was way over this kids intelligence level I asked anyway. "What calipers do you have the Akebono or Nipondenso? (ok so I can't spell!). The blank look was priceless. Look I said "Bring in the old brake pads and we will match them up." He looked relieved and left the store. He came back later with the old pads and we were able to get the correct parts for him with a minimum of hassle.

Please just come prepared and with all correct vehicle information and or related part numbers and a lot of patience. You can't teach experience that comes with time so a positive attitude is a big factor in a successful quest for the correct parts. By being a smart ass to the counter person your just inviting a bad experience.........

 

a guy comes in and buys a new air conditioning compressor. matched it up to his old one and it was a perfect match. a few hours later he was back in with it and wanted to exchange it for another under warranty. seams he had a little trouble getting it in and used a big hammer beat the crap out of it. broke off one of the mounting ears. that's warranty , right? not his fault


guy returns a core for a rebuilt starter he got for a truck he purchased recently. i'm processing the $25 core charge and he says that actually it should be warranty because the old starter looks just like the rebuilt one we sold him. so it must have come from us. no tags or labels on it to show where it came from. again, he insists it looks just like the one we sold him. you don't think a replacement part should look the same?

my all time favorite........guy says he is having trouble with a battery he bought a few months ago and needs replacement under warranty. showed me a receipt for it. when asked where it was so i could test it he responded he didn't know. seams he was gone for a while and his friend borrowed it , and now he can't find his friend. when i told him that there was absolutely nothing i could do , he asked what he should do next. my response was to find better friends

 

Not really a parts store, but the same mentality that is pishin people off in this thread.

Tools.
I've pretty much given up looking for tools at my local Lowes.

You enter the tools department and the guy there looks up, sees you coming and wanders off to avoid you. Got to the stage that I was starting to question my own sanity, so one time my other half and I was in there and I said to her "Watch this".

I enter the tools section and sure enough the dude keeps a safe distance from me hiding behind shelves as I walk around.

I then told her to repeat the test and sure enough he starts shuffling away doing his best to avoid her.

It's not even one particular employee...they *all* do it.

Man, I'm fairly laid back but that really burns my bacon.

 

If he's driving a Chevy Ranchero he does..

 

As for 20 questions from the parts counter person, I just bought a new latch/lock assembly for my O/T (S-10) last week and had to refer to the VIN to get the correct part. GM had three, yes three different ones listed depending on the build date of the vehicle. This part was purchased through the dealer and of course my particular model had the more expensive assembly.

I used to own a 300ZX and knowing the production date was very important if you wanted the correct parts most times. The windscreen washer pump went out and depending on production date you either replaced the entire reservoir or just the pump. The result almost $250 or less than $100.

If this is the way manufacturers build cars, why on earth would you expect a young counter person to be able to keep on top of every nut and bolt in every car ever built since 1900?