About done with Autozone

[atikovi]

I rarely buy anything there anyway, but my two recent experiences make me less inclined in the future. A few weeks ago I ordered online 2 bottles of the Turtle Wax spray on clearance for $10 each from a store 20 minutes out of my way. Get there to be told they don't have it and can't get it. Waste of time. Today I order 4 bottles of Valvoline Dot 4 brake fluid on clearance for $7 each from another store a bit out of my way. Same story. Get there, they don't have it, can't get it. Anybody else have this problem with AZ?

 

[Passport1]

I only go to the one nearest me to dispose of used motor oil and several times during the oil rodeo in the fall. The employees are always friendly but generally I don't buy anything. Their prices are way out of whack.

 

[demarpaint]

I'm done with them too. I ordered a few closeout items online they had marked in stock at my local store for me to pick up. I get there show the receipt and the counter clown says "oh you're the guy who ordered the gloves. We don't have any of them but I can sell you these for a discount." I wasn't about to pay their rip off prices for something else they had in stock. I'll stick with Amazon, RA, and on occasion AAP. Maybe I'll bring them my waste oil instead of going to AAP with it.

 

[fsdork]

Do they not provide confirmation once your order is picked? It seems odd to just have people show up to the store while the product they paid for might still be sitting out on the shelf, or have since been purchased by another customer.

 

[Redright9]

I agree, and think this is about anywhere anymore. Most places the customer service has been declining for a long time now. The old auto parts stores we used to have or remember are mostly a thing of the past. We now have parts stores that are a big chain with most employees not very knowledgeable of anything mechanical. Maybe someday the pendulum will swing back some and we will get some workplace pride and pride in our work again....

 

[fsdork]

I agree, and think this is about anywhere anymore. Most places the customer service has been declining for a long time now. The old auto parts stores we used to have or remember are mostly a thing of the past. We now have parts stores that are a big chain with most employees not very knowledgeable of anything mechanical. Maybe someday the pendulum will swing back some and we will get some workplace pride and pride in our work again....

Different strokes, I suppose. My experience as a young consumer in those "old auto parts stores" was a lack of pricing transparency that made me feel as though just maybe I was being fleeced, while an acquaintance of the parts guy might get a different price on the same item. I'll take an efficient product database, online ordering and in-store pickup/delivery process over old-school any day.

Now, if someone is offering a good experience when it comes to rebuilding a starter/alternator/transmission/etc... I see value there.

 

[Eddie]

Call first I guess is the best.

 

[NormanBuntz]

I prefer to use NAPA and Advance Auto.

 

[el Nuke]

I rarely buy anything there anyway, but my two recent experiences make me less inclined in the future. A few weeks ago I ordered online 2 bottles of the Turtle Wax spray on clearance for $10 each from a store 20 minutes out of my way. Get there to be told they don't have it and can't get it. Waste of time. Today I order 4 bottles of Valvoline Dot 4 brake fluid on clearance for $7 each from another store a bit out of my way. Same story. Get there, they don't have it, can't get it. Anybody else have this problem with AZ?

I don’t necessarily see this as being an Autozone problem. And to be honest, I’m disinclined to be sympathetic at all.

A) Online orders for clearance merchandise is sketchy at best for any of the local auto store entities.

B) If the trip is to an “out of the way” location, why even risk it without confirming the order is ready to pick up before heading out?

C) Every online order I do with a local auto store starts with the online order but doesn’t progress until I get the email confirming the order is ready for me to pick up.

If I don’t get the email saying my order is ready, I don’t make the trip, regardless of how close or far away the location is.

Use Autozone, don’t use Autozone ever again; it doesn’t affect me either way. But if you wish to avoid these types of hassles in the future, I recommend taking advantage of the various tools (phone call, email, etc) available to confirm pickup before making the trip.

 

[demarpaint]

Do they not provide confirmation once your order is picked? It seems odd to just have people show up to the store while the product they paid for might still be sitting out on the shelf, or have since been purchased by another customer.

I think that was the case with me. I got confirmation, and had it in hand. I got the obligatory I'm sorry. I left ******, and they lost a customer. Life goes on.

 

[jsean]

They’re garbage around here. I’ve ordered a few different on sale items online, which have been marked as ready to pick up. Go to the store and the clown behind the counter will go - oh you’re the one who ordered. Yeah, sorry we couldn’t find it.

I gave up on both my local AZs last year and take my used oil for recycling to AAP.

 

[supton]

Haven't had an issue but I don't go often. I usually try to order my parts from Rock or similar; if I have to buy from a parts store, I'm usually not in a position to worry about price--just availability. Need it today.

 

[twouvakind]

Could be they are using the Southwest Air inventory system.

 

[wag123]

Home Depot does the exact same thing.

 

[Malo83]

No problems with our local AZ, ordered some filters and picked them up the next day, O'Reillys has been my go to store, if they don't have something in stock they will have it by the end of the day. just picked up some headlights for my Silverado this morning.

 

[WylieCoyote]

Things at my Auto Zone have taken a weird turn in regard to the employees. When you walk in, there's usually 2-3 men of advancing age behind the counter, which is usually a good thing. Not in this case. Those guys are like the Keystone Cops of the auto parts world. Completely dumbfounded by things like fuses. They have resorted to hiring anyone who applies, regardless of their experience or interest in automotive subjects.. Not a big help when you're looking for something even remotely obscure. The everyday items are too much for them.

 

[andrew_j]

Home Depot does the exact same thing.

Lowe’s is great . They deliver item quickly to vehicle with no fuss etc. I don’t have to set foot in store.

 

[atikovi]

Lowe’s is great . They deliver item quickly to vehicle with no fuss etc. I don’t have to set foot in store.

Lowe's carries auto parts?

 

[andrew_j]

Lowe's carries auto parts?

They do carry a limited set of stuff. I was able to source a taillight bulb for daughters Acura ILX on a Sunday nite. All parts chains I would have to order it.

 

[fsdork]

I think that was the case with me. I got confirmation, and had it in hand. I got the obligatory I'm sorry. I left ******, and they lost a customer. Life goes on.

That's frustrating. I've said it on a couple other threads in the past, but although their processes still need some refinement, Canadian Tire has really become my go-to retailer for anything they carry because of their in-store pickup lockers. Pay for the thing on line, get an e-mail when it's picked, punch/scan the e-mailed code into the terminal at the locker bank, and "pop" opens a door with my purchase. It absolutely eliminates wasted trips to the store, there are no lines or waits for anything, and I can still go browse the oil aisle while I'm there. A thing of beauty.