I think AAP buying out Carquest and Pep Boys(outside of Philly) might have been a bad move. The Carquest/Worldpac move was probably to counter Federated/Napa/Auto Value for the independent parts house.
Advance Auto Parts to close 700+ stores.
- Thread starter mrsilv04
- Start date
Maybe the corporate office was too small and they outgrew it.
Where is the building of former HQ ?
There are things that break that I need immediately on a Sunday night,
brakes, hoses, lights, especially while on the road.
I don’t think online is very useful in those cases. I blew a tire on the road and ended up with the worlds most expensive 2 year old 165/65r14 tire because it was the only one in stock in the region. (Mounting was ungodly expensive as well, was used to $10-$15 mounts for over a decade until the mom and pop got a bad employee spouting silly nonsense that angered a good chunk of the customers and workers and it wasn’t long and they were closed because they couldn’t find help)
I really hate not have room for a full size spare in most vehicles, it’s almost getting back to 2012, where I will need to only mount my own tire to rim
Don't forget batteries, which are also purchased with urgency.
In that respect, though I generally like NAPA, they also play the game that way. Been shopping for a battery lately, and their warranties have always been below par, though their prices haven't. I tried to give them another shot, and even though the current 20% code makes the price more attractive, the warranty still lags.
The local AAP isn't convenient to me, so I've only shopped there a couple times, online with pickup, a plotted course of action. The first time, it went ok. The second time, LOL, it didn't.
Since I wanted to try the well-liked 7317-equivalent Carquest oil filter, I placed an order a couple days ago, planning to pick up in store next day, or day after, today.
Just got an email that they've single-handedly cancelled my order, which the boilerplate in the email suggests seems to happen frequently, due to "product availability."
So the item I've already paid for, and had seven days to pick up, and purportedly in stock enough to pick up yesterday, was either never in stock, or sold out from under me.
I'm not renting a car here, with the risk that holding a reservation and not having paid a dime means that there might not be a car available.
I purchased and paid for a filter in a common size, and they still kinda sorta couldn't fulfill the transaction? What good is such a store then?
If that's how they conduct business, it's no wonder they're in trouble. I'm not likely to try again, even if the local store doesn't close.
Addendum:
I like to ask questions, understand the situation, and bank that for the future, so I had to call the store to ask what the deal was.
Initially, the guy couldn't find the order, then found it, and says I can come pick up the filter. Huh? Then why was it cancelled? No answer.
Check my PayPal activity, and though the authorization notice was immediately sent, it turns out they didn't follow through on the charge.
Now, it's starting to make more sense, but again, if their systems fail like this in regard to both payment, and inventory, as a customer, why would I take my business to them if they can't even complete a simple online transaction?
So now, do I actually try to go do the pickup, and see if/how they'll charge me, or say forget it, but have to keep an eye out that I do end up getting charged for nothing because their system can handle orders correctly?
Just trying to buy a filter. It shouldn't be this complicated, or hard.
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JHZR2
Staff member
They literally just opened one by me, just saw it. The store used to be a CVS.
There are at least two others within a few miles.
There are at least two others within a few miles.
AutoMechanic
Site Donor 2025
From what I understand it was the CEOs choice to move he wanted to move to a different city and I’m sure other reasons too. Old location is located near Valley View Mall in Roanoke Virginia next to what is now BJs Wholesale. They still own the building but it hasn’t been used in 5 or 6 years.
Around here, the three AAPs within a 20 minute drive were a Pep Boys or a Carquest in a past life. And two of them are near an O’Reilly, AZ or the lone parts house.
The only thing I buy from them now are second batteries.
Two incidents sealed their fate. The first was a weirdo employee who told me that I couldn't take pictures of those batteries. The guy tried to stare me down for about a solid 30 seconds while I walked away and out of the store. Never went back.
The second was a $40 serpentine belt. Mechanic came by to pick up a second one since the first broke. I call the store and let them know about the broken belt and they say it can't be returned. So now we paid twice for something that should have been easily refunded.
Never again. My dealership once did nearly $15,000 in business with them. No way am I ever going to be dealing with that low level of customer service. Life's too short.
Two incidents sealed their fate. The first was a weirdo employee who told me that I couldn't take pictures of those batteries. The guy tried to stare me down for about a solid 30 seconds while I walked away and out of the store. Never went back.
The second was a $40 serpentine belt. Mechanic came by to pick up a second one since the first broke. I call the store and let them know about the broken belt and they say it can't be returned. So now we paid twice for something that should have been easily refunded.
Never again. My dealership once did nearly $15,000 in business with them. No way am I ever going to be dealing with that low level of customer service. Life's too short.
Closing 700…how many (or few) does that leave?
All that info is like in the first two sentences of the OP's post.
I orderwd stuff at AAP online. Went to pick it up at a local store after they said it was ready to pick up and they sold it to someone else. They gave me a refund. Big waste of time.
I see that thanks. Reading thru 5 pages I must have forgotten that one fact. Maybe I just didn’t believe they had FIVE THOUSAND stores. Cowabunga that’s amazing
I ordered two big bottles of Techron delivered to a local store. The teen clerk didn’t know how to ring up that kind of sale so he said, “just take it and leave”.
Yeah, there's really no excuse in this day and age for online ordering from a brick and mortar retailer to function poorly. The early days of online shopping were a long time ago.
Business can be tough, and retailers have to endure conditions not of their own doing, but some of them do make their own beds.
Yes, its nuts here also, but all these stores are way overbuilt - especially in the last few years. It was like they didn't think the internet was a a thing.
They within the last year built an O'Reilly's at the same intersection as a AAP and AZ stores that have been there years. Its prime real estate right on the busiest corner, which I avoid like the plague during busy times because getting in and out is impossible. I do not understand these stores. Building expensive brick and mortor retail in high dollar locations befuddles me. You either need to go to the parts store or you don't. No one goes to browse.
AAP sold Worldpac/Auto Parts Inc., this past summer. New owners took over a few weeks ago. I'm a part time delivery driver.
SammyChevelleTypeS3
$50 site donor 2023
Our local Walmart has a fenced in area with a little shed inside where they have an oil tank. I go there 2-3 times a year and they will open the gate and tell me to dump my oil and toss my jugs in their dumpster. This is right outside the Walmart Tire & Auto section. Pretty easy way for me to get rid of mine.