Anger about parts store staff...question to you

Status
Not open for further replies.
K

KGMtech

Joined
Oct 17, 2014
Messages
3,366
Location
SW Ontario Canada
Many threads here about the poor knowledge / service / attitude / etc. for your local auto parts house. Question to you:

Would you pay 5-10% more for everything in that store if they maintained highly trained, well paid staff? be honest here, the average BITOG'r takes pride in knowing more than most, we analyse the knowledge of others in the auto parts realm against ourselves, watch out if they come up short!
27.gif


Not trying to solve the problem, but would you pay more for your stuff at a bricks & mortar store to have a solid, knowledgeable, well paid, regularly trained counter person? Don't just say yes because it sounds good, say yes if you honestly would support such a store concept.

Disclaimer: I don't work in the aftermarket automotive parts industry, I have no financial interests in this industry, just a curious consumer.
 
Would I pay more? Nope. I know what I need before I walk in the door. Just give me someone who can read the labels in the stock room.
 
I would not. When chasing parts I know what I need/want. I would pay extra for a local "mom and pop" style parts store though, if the quality was acceptable. A quality part is priority #1 for me. Outside of that I don't care if the parts counter is knowledgable or not. I do not ask them for their opinion on anything. It would be better to ask on this forum. Unsolicited advice from AA, or AZ, is pretty much ignored.
 
Last edited:
I can honestly say yes.

My NAPA is more expensive, but I go there because the staff are 100x better, and the parts usually are as well. The chances are also higher they will have what I need, or can get it within a day. I have had a number of bad experiences with Autozone and Advance, so I skip them unless I really need to go there. The hassle to me isn't worth the few bucks I might save. Oil is all the same between the stores, so I go to WalMart for that since they have the best price, and can plan for buying it when I need other things there.

I've also noticed the Napa is better staffed. The last few times I was in Autozone or Advance, I waited in line for quite a while. I used to frequent the Autozone quite a bit a few years ago. They had a young kid there who was very friendly, only asked necessary questions, and was very willing to try and locate parts. Now they have some low life guys working there who couldn't care less, or will tell you not to buy certain things.

Edit: I will add that the parts have to be decent as well. That is part of what turned me off from Autozone and Advance. I don't give a [censored] about a lifetime warranty when I have to go back 50 times.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: KGMtech
Would you pay 5-10% more for everything in that store if they maintained highly trained, well paid staff? ... but would you pay more for your stuff at a bricks & mortar store to have a solid, knowledgeable, well paid, regularly trained counter person?


It depends on what I'm buying, and sometimes I do.

I get that at Napa.
 
Originally Posted By: jeepman3071
I can honestly say yes. My NAPA is more expensive, but I go there because the staff are 100x better, and the parts usually are as well.
I have had a number of bad experiences with Autozone and Advance, so I skip them unless I really need to go there.


LOL, we were typing almost the exact same thing at the same time.
 
I always do the research well in advance of going to a parts store. Most of the time I know exactly what part I will need and do not have to rely on the counter personnel for help. If it is a part I can get from a car dealer I will go with OEM every time.
 
Originally Posted By: KGMtech
Many threads here about the poor knowledge / service / attitude / etc. for your local auto parts house. Question to you:

Would you pay 5-10% more for everything in that store if they maintained highly trained, well paid staff? be honest here, the average BITOG'r takes pride in knowing more than most, we analyse the knowledge of others in the auto parts realm against ourselves, watch out if they come up short!
27.gif


Not trying to solve the problem, but would you pay more for your stuff at a bricks & mortar store to have a solid, knowledgeable, well paid, regularly trained counter person? Don't just say yes because it sounds good, say yes if you honestly would support such a store concept.

Disclaimer: I don't work in the aftermarket automotive parts industry, I have no financial interests in this industry, just a curious consumer.


If they did, they wouldn't go to Autozone/Advance Auto/O'Reilly's/etc. They would go to Napa or another local establishment, such as (in my area) Kunkel's which is now Auto Plus.
 
This type of store won't last a week. Humanity has shown time after time that it's willing to accept rock bottom prices in exchange for bad service.

But it is nice when the auto parts store has smart employees. I grew up in a military town and the AutoZone was mostly employed by retired Army folks who would always go out of their way to help. They weren't always up to date on the newest products but they could tell you how to get anything working again.
 
I think the real problem is online can beat pretty much any brick and mortar store for something you don't need immediately.

Nothing like going to Autozone and getting the same Chinese junk you can find on eBay for 100 dollars more than the online price. Amazon Prime for many parts hurts them even more. I know I no longer buy small engine parts locally. I can get pretty much anything from Amazon Prime or eBay for the same price or lower without even leaving my house.
 
No. I don't care what they get paid, that's between them and their management.

If someone is standing behind the counter at a parts store, I expect them to have a higher-than-most level of general knowledge about cars. I expect them to know the basics at least. I expect them to understand that some customers know a lot more than they do and should be able to recognize it. But I also expect them to just give me what I ask for regardless if it does not make sense to them or they can't find it in the computer somewhere.


"Here is your part number for the item I've already researched and need. You guys sell it. I'd like to buy one, please."

"OK, what vehicle is this for?"

"*sigh* A 2013 Hyundai Genesis"

"*typing, confused look* Hmm... Genesis... Genesis... I'm not seeing a Genesis listed under Honda. You sure it's called a Genesis and not something else, like a Corolla?"
 
I do not and would not.

There's a NAPA here that charges slightly more than web MSRP... a $21.99 item will be $22.99 for example. The location is convenient and the staff are great and professional... but it smells like a rip-off particularly when I know that pros get a different, lower price.

I shouldn't have to be in a guild or know a secret handshake to get the best price. It's a turn-off. Same as a local tire store that offered 10% off to seniors. That just screams to me, our prices are inflated 10%.
 
Nope. I buy most parts on Amazon and occasionally Rock Auto. They're cheaper and I get to pick a brand instead of house brands.
 
Originally Posted By: eljefino
Same as a local tire store that offered 10% off to seniors. That just screams to me, our prices are inflated 10%.


The senior discount is usually to bring people in. When I worked at Dunkin Donuts in high school we had a senior discount. Guess what the lobby was filled with between the hours of 10am and 3pm? SENIORS!
lol.gif
 
That was a funny repartee posted by Bottom_Feeder.

But since we here on BITOG are a cracklin' smart bunch we have to recognize and cooperate (to a degree) with a store system's requirements to check through the sourcing of a part number.

Hey, I don't like it either but I can play 'em without getting too exasperated.

"My" NAPA store sold me a real good air conditioning compressor. I go there for that kind of stuff even if it costs a wee bit more. I have NO PROB with returning cores via the USPS or other service but bringing the dead thing to the same counter is just easier and faster. It truly helps keep my mind clear.
Sometimes, a parts source which supplies repair shops CAN be helpful.

No mail order shocks or struts have ever been wrong. If that happens, I'll buy that stuff local too (I guess).
Ordering a set of Bilsteins might tip the total too much for a local sale though.
 
Absolutely! A good parts man can make or break the job for you or find things that will fit or work when parts are discontinued. Some of the guys I buy from do charge a bit more but man do they know their business, they will let you know if this part is a problem and suggest something better that sometimes cost even less.
They check the part out there with you address any fitment concerns and so on, to me that's worth a premium.

These are few and far between usually family owned stores or in my case also a Napa nearby where the same guys have been there a long time. One guy is 82, his dad started the store in the 30's and he has been there since he was a kid except for a stint in the Navy as a diesel mechanic. Amazing stock of NOS high quality parts!
 
No. I buy parts at the dealer or online. The quality of the part I am receiving is more important than the cost or "knowledge" of some counter employee.

I sometimes go to parts stores to satisfy my curiosity, but usually leave empty handed.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

D
"But X Auto Parts Store has SO MUCH better parts than Y Auto Parts Store!"
2
Replies
24
Views
1K
Cheetah-kins
The_Jeff
Parts store logistics rant
Replies
14
Views
1K
bdcardinal
Capt W
Do parts stores accept rebuildable cores anymore?
2
Replies
32
Views
4K
lbhsbz
A
What is the most you have spent on repairs, relative to the value of the car?
5 6 7
Replies
139
Views
4K
HowAboutThis
Number_35
2009 Mazda5 - Rear wheel wells rusty, questions about replacement parts
Replies
11
Views
3K
addyguy
Back
Top Bottom