Are they snobs or do they simply detest the attitude that SOME countermen take, which is they will make stuff up if they don't know the facts?
I have no problem with someone not knowing. There are many times in my job where I don't know. The difference is I'll say, "I don't know, but I'll find out."
So when I encounter someone who acts like they know, when it's obvious they don't, well color me un-impressed.
Is that being snob, or simply expecting honesty from the guy behind the counter? I'd like to think it's the latter.
Are there snobs here? Probably. But I suspect most just don't want to put up with folks who make stuff up or pass down "old wives tales" about how XYZ oil is junk because their great uncle's best friends barber said so.
Originally Posted By: exranger06
This thread is in response to "The truth about oil: Autozone style" thread. It is one of many threads where everyone on this board makes fun of parts store employees, looking down on them as morons who only know what the computer tells them to do. As a part-time "counter-jockey" (as some of you like to call them), I take personal offense to this. I have never seen an automotive forum that bashes parts guys as much as this one. And why is that? Because this is an oil forum, and other auto forums are not. Other forums talk about things like racing, off-roading, lifting, lowering, basic mechanics, and other things that most other people, including parts guys are commonly knowledgable about. But since these people don't know much about oil, that makes them utter morons who shouldn't be let within 10 ft of a vehicle.
Even many expert technicians who have been in the field for over 30 years don't know anything about oil, so why should anyone expect a parts guy to know it?
It's funny how a lot of guys on here call parts guys "armchair mechanics" when THEY'RE the ones who have never done anything more advanced than a cooler-line flush on their car. And based on some of the ridiculous questions I see asked on this board, I wonder how many of you guys are "oil experts" and how you have any right to criticize others' oil knowledge.
I don't claim to know every last thing about oil, but I know more than enough to give customers good, safe recommendations about the fluids their vehicles need, as well as recommendations/advice about other areas of their vehicle such as gaskets, air conditioning, suspension, and brakes. I'm good at my job.
I'd like to see some of you do a better job than me. I really would. Rant over.