Are Parts Store Employees Getting Worse?

Originally Posted By: Thax
Here the deal with this. The industry is moving to a low pay model, you are just not going to find the same experience you did 20 years ago. You will never see a counterman who "knows" all the part numbers by memory anymore. Reasons for this are simple A.) except for a few of us , the vast majority are low payed employees B.) cars now have far more parts now with the switch to fuel injection. Honestly do you really expect the average counterperson to know about specific parts on a 70's beetle? Or know that your VW requires 502 oil? This industry especially with the big 3 , are rapidly becoming just another massive retailer. They just happen to sell stuff for cars. The problem is that A.) Mary doesnt know anything about her car , so she falsely believes someone behind the counter knows EVERYTHING about her individual car B.) Ted who gets a real hard on showing off how much he knows about this motor, part etc. So what does he do , treat the person who is probably trying to help him like a common idiot. With the move to lower wages and increasingly becoming extremely retail , the days of finding skilled and knowledgeable counterman is fast disappearing. I still do it because I love it and love to help people. And the skilled counterperson , with the correct certifications can still make a honest wage. On a side note to this rant , I have seen far more just plain stupid customers than just plain stupid counterman. So in short be nice to your parts guy , we are people too. We cant read your mind , we dont have a crystal ball . Most of us just want to do a good job and help our customer out.
Yep, the low-pay model simply cultivates and incubates a poisonous working atmosphere. Some parts chains are nicely profitable, but the way they see it, it's because they've grown their way to success by slashing pesky things like benefits for their foot soldiers manning the counters.
 
Originally Posted By: Bottom_Feeder
I'm an informed customer. I do my own research on something I need before I step in one of their stores.....
+1

Sadly I try to take as much of the human interaction as possible at parts stores out of the equation. Do all research and many times purchase online prior(at AAP) to store visit.

I generally accept going in that I will know more about what I need/want and that the counter jocks will be of little assistance. As mentioned, sure the minumum wage employee aspect is a big factor.

No idea if they are getting worse, but ime generally speaking not too knowledgeable. I will say local Napa seems to have the most knowledgeable folks, a family owned operation with employees that have worked there a long time. That said, still do my research before a purchase there.
 
I agree, to a point.

All three of my kids are now working retail. My 16 year old just got a job in the local mall.

On her second day of work, she is doing almost as well as the more experienced employees. Good chance her seasonal job will turn into a part-time gig.

My 20 year old daughter, just got off the plane from Argentina Sunday night after spending a semester abroad. She got a job yesterday because of her prior experience and folks who know her work ethic.

My 22 year old son has kept his job in retail for the past 2 years. This is while going to school full time. I'd like to believe they are all competent retailers.

Moving to the auto parts arena, locally we have a new Advance Auto store. I told the story elsewhere about the battery test and replacement. Good help. While the guy wouldn't remove the strut tower brace, he replaced the battery after I removed the brace. I did have to educate him regarding the order of removing and installing the cables. I'm thinking he was thinking jumpstart order, not cabling order. But he did it the way I suggested and none of us blew up or let the smoke out of any critical electronics.

When I was in there Saturday night for an ignition coil plugs and an FL820S filter to put me over $125 for the $50 off $125 discount code, he didn't try to upsell me a packet of anti-seize. He said he never understood why someone would by the packet when for a little more, you could just buy a tube that would last many many jobs.

He seems genuinely interested in helping customers, not making some quota or pushing the latest magic in a bottle.

I suspect some of what we see is ignorance. Some is top down from management, and some is just don't give a rip by the employee.

The secret to success for the consumer is to figure out what you are dealing with and be prepared.

We likely have higher expectations as participants at an automotive related enthusiast site compared to the general population.

I'm sure if I'd walk into any of the stores where my kids work, I'd not be as critical because I don't know much about shoes, apparel and household items.

Originally Posted By: bvance554
I don't think this is limited to parts stores.
 
Parts made in China and minimum wage for their employees...next I suppose customers will have to learn Spanish in order to converse with these employees?
 
Originally Posted By: eljefino
Worked at a parts/tire shop as a tech but was loitering at the checkout desk. Customer wanted antifreeze for "X". I started explaining how the generic all-makes stuff was like dexcool but without the dye. Waaay over her head. (I should have kept my mouth shut.) Manager/ checkout guy says, it reads on the label it's for all makes. Click. Sale.


Unfortunately, playing dumb is usually the best course of action in these situations. Keep your BITOG stuff to yourself unless you want a headache. In a retail chain this is hard, because people want to know about this or that "head gasket in a bottle" or "thick stuff for the oil."

A lot of people don't even have enough of an idea of what they are doing to know when they are in over their head, or need to do more research.

The problem is, when they ask for or demand help, what they really want is for you to diagnose the car, and guarantee that diagnosis, for free, because "that $90 the shop wants to charge is crazy." Yes, I guess it is crazy to pay someone else to do something that they themselves obviously cannot do. And of course the person selling the parts should guarantee their diagnosis, for free, and take back the mangled parts the customer attempted to install if they were "wrong." I do not go out on a limb with customers looking for a free diagnosis for this reason.

Another growing issue is people using backyard "mechanics," parking lot "mechanics," etc. to do repairs to their cars. Often these "mechanics" send their customer to go chase down parts, but they have no idea what they are getting. I can't really help them when the best description they can come up with is "he said I need like a hose thing that go on the motor." A couple weeks ago a guy came in wanting a knob for the HVAC control head on a Colorado. The fan would only work on high, and the backyard/parking lot mechanic he was using told him it needed a knob. How he came to that diagnostic conclusion was beyond me. I couldn't take it, and broke my own rule. I told him that the truck probably needed the blower motor resistor and harness, which he ended up getting, and which ended up fixing the problem (he thanked me a couple days later).

Sourcing parts is really a technical task if you want to get the right parts. There's a lot more to it than "need the hose piece on the motor," but people actually think that tells me something about what they are looking for. People just expect me to know everything about their car, even though they can't tell me the model or year...forget a VIN. I am not physic, nor do I have millions of parts cataloged in my head.

But I can understand the frustration many here face with people who can't competently look up things in their own catalog no matter how much information you provide. Believe me, I know it is frustrating, especially since I buy from Napa and O'Reilly daily. Total lack of competency is a growing problem in the industry. The same people who have no business trying to source parts for their own car somehow end up behind the counter at the various chains. Paying counter staff $8 an hour probably has a lot to do with this. And they are everywhere. Going to Napa is no longer a guarantee of competency. If you want to cause chaos and panic in a Napa store, just go in and ask for the Zerex G-05, that they probably have. And it gets worse than that. I posted in another thread about a Napa employee telling me they did not have a battery for a Toyota Highlander...I checked online, and sure enough the very store I called had a lot of batteries for a Toyota Highlander. It has gotten so bad at the Napa we use at work, that I just immediately ask for one of two people. I hate to be "that jerk" who won't even give the less experienced people a shot, but the Highlander battery incident was the last straw with that. I get part numbers ahead of time when possible, but with some things like bulk items, universal items, etc, the item may not be listed online.

Too many idiots on both sides of the counter.
 
Years ago when white men first journeyed to the cold and frozen regions of the globe, they met people called "Eskimos." These explorers from southern lands wanted to be friendly and so extended a hand in greeting.

The "Eskimos" held the hands of the white men saying to one another, "We don't know why these strange individuals are doing this, but if their hands are tired, we will hold their hands for them."

From time to time, I think of this.
 
Originally Posted By: GreeCguy
I buy my parts mostly at the "Advance Auto" around the corner from my house. There's one "old timer," working there who really knows his stuff. His name is Ben and no matter how long the line, I always wait for him rather than deal with anyone else for the very reasons you guys are mentioning.


I've also been buying most of my stuff at Advance. However, I purchase online using the discount and do the in store pickup. I do it this way with any parts place if I can. Takes the idiot factor out of the equation.
 
Most consumers don't want to pay for business to hire competent counter people.

If you go to a real parts store not geared towards consumer sales you will find people who know how to spell BMW.
 
The best auto parts store in this area by far is the local franchised NAPA. The manager at Autozone is friendly, I can not speak for O'Reilly's because I go there to recycle the oil and have only made a purchase of closeout Chevron H.M.

This is due because Motorcraft oil filters are over $6 and Wix filters are over $8 at O'Reilly's here. I do not want to chance my heart skipping a beat when I get a quote for a fuel pump there.
 
Originally Posted By: dave1251
The best auto parts store in this area by far is the local franchised NAPA. The manager at Autozone is friendly, I can not speak for O'Reilly's because I go there to recycle the oil and have only made a purchase of closeout Chevron H.M.

This is due because Motorcraft oil filters are over $6 and Wix filters are over $8 at O'Reilly's here. I do not want to chance my heart skipping a beat when I get a quote for a fuel pump there.

dave you might want to get a quote as O'reilly will price match any brick and mortar store. Also most importantly all fuel pumps at O'reilly are Precision by Federal Mogul and made in the USA. Much better than the Airtex [censored] at AZ ,AAP and some NAPA's. In a year and a half since we switched to Precision from Airtex , I have yet to warranty a defective pump.
 
Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl


Too many idiots on both sides of the counter.


That sums it up quite nicely. I just try not to be the idiot.
 
Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
Most consumers don't want to pay for business to hire competent counter people.

If you go to a real parts store not geared towards consumer sales you will find people who know how to spell BMW.


Here is the thing, Auto parts stores are TRYING HARD to make the transition from the "traditional" model.

The traditional model of parts store counters: There are seat stools there, you sit and light one up! Talk about what you are doing and the parts you need. The counter guy looks "in the books" and on the inventory computer, after the sale you discuss local community things and what's going on, and how you are going to spend the afternoon up at the lake, counter guy will show you what is new and try to sell you up. Dress code is Key jean overalls.

Simply put, a parts store is like a barber shop.

The only problem was if you were in a hurry, sometimes they would ignore you as they tell about their new corn hybrid they planted....

Now they gave gone to "grocery store checkout" model. There are no stools(only NAPA has seats) there is a "parts zone" and a "checkout zone". You cannot pay for your parts at the parts counter, you must walk down to the register that has not sufficient cash in it. They have a lot of Junk on the counters for the "instant gratification" sale. They have no books, everything is on the computer, and if it's not listed, it does not exist! They are about efficiency and getting you in and out(and this can be good sometimes)
 
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I tried to go to a partsplace close to my work to get brakeshoes and drums for the rearaxle on my ZJ, for the first time in 3 years.
My jeep is one of those early ones that got a D35 and drumbrakes in the rear and a 5.2.
Heres how that went...
M= me E= employe.

E: how can i help you?
M: hello i need brakeshoes,hardware and drums for the rearaxle on my jeep grand cheroee.
E: what year?
M: 93, with a 5.2 v8 and abs.
E: what engine?
M: didnt you listen? 5.2 v8
E: oh sorry.
E: abs or not?
M:....abs...
E: sorry but that year dont have drumbrakes in the rear.
M: are you sure about that?
E: yes, the computer never lies.
M: so my jeep in the parkinglot dosent exit?
E: yes.
M: want to come out and take a look at how wrong you are?
E: no, the computer says tat it dosent exist so i dont have to.
M: what ever, buy..

I then called to my regular shop and by phone they picked out everything that i needed within 5 mins.

There are 2 persons working there that get what i need everytime, there is a third one but she is insecure about getting parts for my jeep, i let her try almost everytime (sometime she will learn) but it allways ends up in she calling in on one of the others to find the part i need.

The best thing is they know my name so i am never greeted with "how can i help?"
Its always Hello Pierre what weierd part do you need today? then i anwer with hello (their name) and "insert random not real part here"
(We mess with eachother that way)
 
9 times out of 10, the great people you see with an unskilled labor position are either earning a higher education, seeking a more skilled job or working to get promoted in that corporation.

The losers such as the ones the OP is complaining about are stuck in the entry level positions.. and the ones that the public gets to deal with.
 
One could also guess that entry level jobs are also becoming harder to fill because with our nations current position, one makes more money being unemployed and sucking on the village cow.

Long story short, a company needs workers so they hire anybody.
 
Originally Posted By: AdRock

I've also been buying most of my stuff at Advance. However, I purchase online using the discount and do the in store pickup. I do it this way with any parts place if I can. Takes the idiot factor out of the equation.


I do exactly this also. Its foolproof!

Plus I earn airline points this way, by ordering online, even with the in-store pickup. Advance earns me 4 points per dollar, compared to Autozone which is just 3. Advance has a better selection of parts too, at least for my vehicles. If they don't have what I want (or I don't like the price), I can get it from Rock instead.
 
I've probably told this story before. I went into autozone and asked the counter guy ( about 25 years old), for banjo bolts for my avalanche. He stared at me , i'm sure he though i was asking for musical intstrument parts. The other counter guy smiled and took over. At least one of them knew what i needed.
 
Originally Posted By: Vern_in_IL
Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
Most consumers don't want to pay for business to hire competent counter people.

If you go to a real parts store not geared towards consumer sales you will find people who know how to spell BMW.


Here is the thing, Auto parts stores are TRYING HARD to make the transition from the "traditional" model.

The traditional model of parts store counters: There are seat stools there, you sit and light one up! Talk about what you are doing and the parts you need. The counter guy looks "in the books" and on the inventory computer, after the sale you discuss local community things and what's going on, and how you are going to spend the afternoon up at the lake, counter guy will show you what is new and try to sell you up. Dress code is Key jean overalls.

Simply put, a parts store is like a barber shop.

The only problem was if you were in a hurry, sometimes they would ignore you as they tell about their new corn hybrid they planted....

Now they gave gone to "grocery store checkout" model. There are no stools(only NAPA has seats) there is a "parts zone" and a "checkout zone". You cannot pay for your parts at the parts counter, you must walk down to the register that has not sufficient cash in it. They have a lot of Junk on the counters for the "instant gratification" sale. They have no books, everything is on the computer, and if it's not listed, it does not exist! They are about efficiency and getting you in and out(and this can be good sometimes)


The only competitive advantage they have over the internet is you can pick up your part the same day.

To be honest I'd say 90% of the parts I get I always order online, if I can plan the repair out the shopping is better and I'm more capable of figuring out what I need than most of the parts counter guys at Autozone.
 
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