Working in the retail industry...RANT

[RITTER]

I am really bored and was just thinking about some of the really stupid things that I hear at NAPA

What is the big secret of the year of your car? I don't care what years you think are all the same, I asked what year your car was. Had a guy looking for a crankshaft bolt for like a 96 Stratus today, and when I asked what year it was he reponded "they should be the same from 92 - 96"

"They all use the same ones" I know that SBC and many other engines will interchange parts, but no not every SBC uses the same exact starter

If you are working on a car you should know what engine is in it and what year the car is when looking for parts for it.

Caliper bracket bolts are not special bolts :!: It is a standard 10.9 metric bolt

Just because you own a domestic vehicle, doesn't mean that there will not be metric parts on it. Our GBody's are almost 30 years old and they have metric parts

Auto parts stores do NOT sell replacement body parts

Don't get mad when we don't keep a rear wheel cylinder for your 1978 Toyota Corolla in stock

You are a 50 year old man and you don't know how to put wiper blades on?

"Well the lifetime warranty starter is $4 cheaper down at Autozone" alright well you go buy that one, this is a retail store, do you try to get the cashier at WAL*MART to give you a better price on a box of cereal?

Alright, I am sure I'll think of more. Feel free to ad any experiences you have had

 

[1evilregal]

can feel your pain ritter, as I work at advance auto....

I had one guy a few years back that came in wanting usual tune up parts for his car.... he told me it was for his 93 dynasty v-6... well looked it up and sold him everything he needed... he came back the next day shouting at me that I sold him all the wrong parts, so I camly looked back up the parts again(after asking him again which vehicle to verify the parts), and found that all the parts were correct for his vehicle... he yelled at me that I didn't know what the f--k I was talking about, and he had the vehicle outside and would show me that the parts were indeed the wrong ones... I calmly and friendly ageed to go out and see the differences, so he led me outside to his wife's ford taurus.. I looked at him and stated that he told me the wrong car, and that's why the parts were incorrect... he then proceed to scream at me, and told me I should have known! I guess advance's shipment of e.s.p. didn't make it that week...

he is one of the only customers I ever asked to leave the property before I called the local police, and also asked him to not set foot in my store again....

the customer may always be right, but it doesn't mean he's not a complete moron!

 

[Brick442]

I was picking up some rotors at a Pep Boys parts counter the other day, and one of the employees was dealing with an ancient man looking for a certain sparkplug. He had brought one of the plugs he needed to replace, but the one was brought in was ancient like him and you couldn't tell what it was.

Well, after several minutes of trying to ask him what type of car it was for, turns out he was planning on using it in some old lawn mower . . . and some repair guy told him one from an old car would work, but he forgot which car.

Total time wasted: 20 minutes.

 

[RITTER]

I find it most annoying when a mechanic from a shop calls and doesn't know the needed information about the vehicle he needs parts for

 

[2fit661ca]

My personal favorite... "I need that thing that looks like a coat hanger under the metal tube thing on top of the motor of my grandpa's old ford."

"What's the year?"
"i don't know, it's one of those really old ones... I'll call him..."
...some time later "It's a 98 Crown Vic. he says it's the gas pedal thing that makes the engine go."


The whole time, I'm standing behind him trying not to laugh. It was some punk *ss kid, maybe 17. Coincidentally, he pulled up in a beat up, bondo covered mazda 626? or something with a huge *ss fart can on it. Kid used to go to school with me before he dropped out.

 

[RITTER]

or when somebody wants a brake hose for a specific vehicle and then say they need it longer than the one made for it :x oh alright, let me go in the back and put it in my hose stretcher for you sometimes I don't like working at NAPA because it's where everyone comes for their oddball junk ... but on the other hand, it does give me some good experience

 

[Camshaft]

Anymore I really only go to NAPA because in my town it seems that the Autozone/Advance Auto guys know as much about cars as I know about flowers, which is to say just enough to get by. BUT they all speak Spanish fluently!

 

[2fit661ca]

Anymore I really only go to NAPA because in my town it seems that the Autozone/Advance Auto guys know as much about cars as I know about flowers, which is to say just enough to get by. BUT they all speak Spanish fluently!

The only reason my local NAPA is still open is because they are the only store that carries Truck parts; big rigs. The guys at Arnold will yell at you if you walk through the door with the wrong foot first or if your license plate number ends in an odd digit. I just stick to O'Reilly's.

 

[NY87SS]

I research what I need before entering the store because this works both ways.
There are as many people working in such stores that do not know what they are doing as there are people entering not knowing what they want.
Now couple that with the new computerized systems for looking sh*t up which the people programming them didn't take there time to do it right and it makes it worse.
Just last summer, went to the parts store, won't say which one, to get a alt for the Monte.
Gave me one according to the computer and I tell him its wrong because my connection is 90 degrees the other way and has a serpentine belt, not a v-groove one and he got all pissy about "ME" making changes the the car and not knowing what I had. So we charged up the battery, took it there and showed him and he still after looking at a untouched engine bay said somebody must have screwed up. Well I went to another down the road and they gave me the right output direction one and asked if I had a serp or V-belt and they swapped the pulley out.

 

[megaladon6]

hate autozone/advance, i go there for random crap or parts i just don't care about. otherwise it's IAP, NAPA, and if i absolutely have to-carcrap(carquest).
i once walked into autozone and asked for plastigage. after 10min of trying to explain what it was, the schmuck behind the counter is still asking me what engine it's for. luckily the manager came in and had a clue.
or when i returned a set of gauges 'cause the coolant temp sensor was too big to fit in any ports. he kept insisting that i could put in adapters, but didn't understand that that would put the sensor above the highest point in the coolant system and in an air pocket. then he finally rings up the return and i start looking for new stuff. he comes over in a huff accusing me of ripping off the store. turns out he refunded me more than i paid---turns out he put it in by description, not part number and screwed it up. IDK how as i gave him the original receipt! that was actually parts-america, think they changed their name.
but you guys have it somewhat easy. try being the tow driver/mechanic and dealing with customers. had a customer with a newer BMW that speced synthetic oil. you wouldn't believe the argument with her to not use regular oil, even if it is cheaper. :x