Parts Stores

[Dayzedandkonfuzed]

It's obvious to me you are a way above average parts guy, especially compared to the ones I deal with here in the metro Houston area. I can't believe how bad it's gotten since I left the business in around 1998.

Thanks, but the sad part is if this was 20 years ago I'd only be slightly above average 😏

 

[joesregalproject]

One of the real problems I think auto parts stores, at least the ones around me, need to figure out is the high employee turnover rate.
Until they are able to keep some employees around, this is just an endless cycle of clueless employees looking for a paycheck.

Everytime I walk into AutoZone, O'reillys, or Advance (I don't go to Pep Boys anymore because it is the worst store in every possible way) there are 3 or 4 new employees and the ones who were there last time have since quit. Obviously with a high turnover rate like that, no employee has a chance of learning the system.

Parts store employees don't have to be mechanics, but they should know the products they are selling.

 

[joesregalproject]

And to some other people's points, I don't expect a store to stock rocker arm retainer buttons for my 1987 Regal or an oil pickup screen for the 1972 Buick 350 that is in it.

But when I go to buy a set of front brake pads for my 2015 Subaru Outback and the counter person tells me they can have them Monday afternoon and it is Thursday morning, I'm taking my business elsewhere. (This happened at a NAPA).

Same thing if I go to buy 8 Autolite 25 spark plugs for my F150. If you have 3 in stock, you can just keep them, I'll go to the next store. Who is the idiot who sold the last 5 plugs and didn't order more in? Who changes 3 spark plugs, in anything? (This was a former Carquest, shortly after the Advance buyout).

 

[Dayzedandkonfuzed]

One of the real problems I think auto parts stores, at least the ones around me, need to figure out is the high employee turnover rate.
Until they are able to keep some employees around, this is just an endless cycle of clueless employees looking for a paycheck.

Everytime I walk into AutoZone, O'reillys, or Advance (I don't go to Pep Boys anymore because it is the worst store in every possible way) there are 3 or 4 new employees and the ones who were there last time have since quit. Obviously with a high turnover rate like that, no employee has a chance of learning the system.

Parts store employees don't have to be mechanics, but they should know the products they are selling.

Pay.

Most chains dont want to pay for qualified help. They think anyone can do the job cuz it's just as simple as using a computer, right?

I've heard comments about the "high priced help" in my store. But my store does the same volume in a town with 20000 people as one an hour away in a city of almost 150000

 

[melloelky]

i need part stores outside of work,i give respect to try and get respect..and parts.

 

[hayabrusa]

Hey all, i know i am new to the group but here is my perspective:

I have made a career of the auto parts business for 32 years, over that time i have seen and dealt with alot of changes. Parts are not the same as they were 20 years ago, you don't stock one set of pads that fit 20 different applications. You now stock 5 sets of pads to fit one application. You come in for a simple set of pads for a new gm or Subaru but what you don't understand is that there are 4 possible options for that exact vehicle!!

We deal with everyone and their brother who are expert mechanics but could not for the life of them know what year and model of vehicle they drive, we are given wrong info constantly and the customer gets upset when wrong parts are ordered and unfortunately we are the bad guys because they are clueless on what they need or drive.

I am fortunate to have a great group of guys who make a decent living but i can understand how many business can only afford minimum wage help as people would rather order online and complain about the staff than support business's so they could afford to pay higher wages.

I personally would rather deal with Women or the younger generation who will give us a VIN number to help them get the proper parts than a middle age guy who thinks they know all and try to make our staff feel stupid because they like to use the phrase " they are all the same "

I also hear that you need to use books to be good, yes that is correct as we all learned on books but now a days suppliers do not give out books due to cost so we need to use the internet to supply parts. Our store alone deals with 100's of thousand part numbers and have over 3000 vendors so yes we do sometime need time to find the correct parts but we will do our best.

Remember the person you are making fun of at the counter and who you think are useless is starting a career or at least making a living, our jobs are extremely difficult and time consuming and with Ecommerce being a factor everyone thinks that they can do your job or better..

All i can say is look in the mirror and think what you were like when you were starting out, i sure didn't know everything 32 years ago and i am still learning to this day. I personally think times are tougher for the younger generation now and i am glad that i am not starting out now in the automotive business!!

later
bruce

 

[Texas82GP]

Most chains dont want to pay for qualified help.

Shame on them. That's part of the reason going there sucks. I didn't even mention that most of the parts store folks I deal with don't seem to like their job, aren't good at it and don't seem to want to be there.

 

[Ribbedroof]

By no means did I mean to offend anyone, just feel belittled sometimes when I see generalized comments that paint all parts stores with the same brush. But the funny thing is, even in my store I have at least 4 counter people that I would never deal with, so I really am able to understand people's frustration.

I can certainly understand that feeling. I'm a bodyman....perhaps one of the most maligned, misunderstood trades. Thing is, all those negative feelings towards my trade were earned by people with no moral conscience or ethics. And, sad to say, we have one of those idiots in the shop I'm currently employed at. It makes life hard if you happen to be the guy that actually cares about the work you turn out. And you're right, it is unfair to paint all parts guys with the same brush. I think the rise of the chain stores and their focus on absolute bottom dollar labor costs got the ball rolling. I remember as a young fella going with my dad to get brake shoes and the drums turned at the local store (which was attached to a grocery store, or all things) and the counterman asking about arcing the shoes. We always had a NAPA (never bought there, that was the "expensive" store), then after a while we got a Big A store, then a Bumper-to-bumper. By the time I got to Dallas and then Oklahoma, the independents were just about done.

this is just an endless cycle of clueless employees looking for a paycheck.

It's everywhere, it seems. We have a guy I refer to as either "the zombie" or "pockets" since he either looks lost and clueless or is watching the other half-assers work while his hands are in his pockets. Almost every person I talk to that's in the trade expresses the same sentiment about finding people to work. You never know from one day to the next IF/when any of them are going to bother to show up

 

[Bailey28]

I often go into these parts stores just to look around from time to time. Many of them put items like oil on sale at random. Last time I was in AAP I found quarts of Magnatec for 65 cents, so I load up. However, I feel guilty walking out empty handed so I bring my 5 gallon used oil container and empty it in their dump tank, and might buy a filter or something small.

At times I feel so awkward, like I'm being watched or they think I'm there to steal from the place. . The stores around here are usually pretty dead and I may be the only person inside.. Sometimes I have no specific thing I need, but I go in just to see what's on sale. I know a few of the regular sales people but mostly I get strange looks when window shopping...

Anyone else feel this way?

 

[Gwarren79]

I know you have sort of bowed out of this thread but since my quote was the inspiration for its creation, I'll respond.

I'm old enough, like many on here, that I grew up going to the auto parts store with my dad. When you needed something for your automotive project, that's where you went, and they had what you needed. The notable exceptions were things you had to get at the junk yard or swap meet, and stuff from the dealer. We didn't have a whole bunch of money so dad rarely bought parts at the dealer. I

Auto parts stores were a lot different back then, and in my view, a lot better. They had knowledgeable people, sold higher quality merchandise and had better inventory (Remember the Dorman drawers of every conceivable piece of hardware you might need). There were less of them then, the way I remember it, too. I have five years of experience working in the auto parts industry. I had a job with Auto Zone for about a year and a half in high school. The rest with Hi/Lo Auto Supply (bought by O'Reilly in the early 2000's). I have some insight into the modern "just-in-time" inventory practice and how these stores are run.

'm not a young guy who is pre-disposed to buy online. For me, buying most of my stuff online is a big departure from how I grew up. Why do I buy most of my stuff online? The overall experience. For me, the experience is better ordering what I need online and waiting for it than going to the auto parts store (pick which one) and dealing with them for numerous reasons, which I'll touch on below.

Inventory
Now days there have to be at least three times as many auto parts stores as there were when I was a kid. There are six O'Reilly, seven AutoZone, five Advance and one Napa within a five mile radius of my home. My argument is there are too many stores with not enough inventory. It is impossible to sell something if you don't have it. I don't expect stores to stock a lot of stuff for the LT1 in my Roadmaster but I do expect to be able to buy AC Delco spark plugs for a Vortec V8 (4.8, 5.3, 6.0 and others) when there are at least tens of thousands of them running around on the roads in this town (Houston). Also, don't just stock 1 of anything. That goes for hard parts and parts out on the sales floor. When you stock 1 and your stock quantity is off for any number of reasons (theft, shortages, etc.) then you have none. When I walk out the door empty handed, that wasn't a good experience.

We can get it today
That's great but that means I have to go to the store and order the part that I think you should already have, and then I have to come back and hope it is there and pick it up. Or I can call and ask you to order it and hope it is there and pick it up. Or I can get online and order it and then hope it is there and go pick it up. I don't want to go twice and wait in line twice. I don't want to call because then my phone call is placed in front of people that are actually already in the store. If I have to order the part anyway, why not just order online and pay a better price in the first place, unless if I have to have it today?

Not enough help in the store
The two chains I worked for were stingy with the hours. It was seldom that there was enough help in the store. You have to clean the store, you have to re-merchandise the store (plan-o-grams), you have to inventory the store, you have to wax the floor, you have to fix the lights, oh and you have to help the customers on the counter. When I come in and there are six people ahead of me, two people working the counter, and maybe a third outside working on someone's car, this is not a good experience. Especially if I just want to check out. I also have to wait behind every Tom, Dick and Harry that wants to call instead of come down to the store. I have cash in hand. Get me out of here or it isn't a good experience. I can handle the staff not being knowledgeable. I can do my own homework. I can't handle waiting 15 minutes to buy a can of spray paint.

Price
Price is not my biggest concern but I don't want to go out of my way to overpay. If the experience was great, I would gladly pay the price to buy from the auto parts store. Here's an example. I had a 2002 F-250, V-10, 2wd, extended cab, long bed. It needed a muffler. I went to a muffler shop and was blown away by what they quoted me. When I worked for Hi-Lo, we had lots of exhaust in stock (tail pipes, extension pipes, mufflers, hangers, etc.). I go to O'Reilly, all at the warehouse. Still, I looked up the cost of an extension pipe, muffler and tailpipe on O'Reilly's. Then I looked it up on Rock Auto. I was able to buy it from Rock Auto and pay the shipping for a lot less than I could buy it from O'Reilly, who had everything at their warehouse in town. When this is the case, you are not competitive, at all.

I could go on and on. The net-net is somewhere in the past five years or so I've found myself going to the auto parts store less and less. For me, it's easier to shop around online, find/decide exactly what I want and who I want it from, buy it and wait. Anything I buy from Amazon, Summit or RockAuto, I don't wait long. The experience is just better.

You want inventory, no waiting , at a reasonable price.
You can have Two, but not all Three.

Think cheap, fast or good