Hey Guys, I gotta clean up AZ reputation here and explain what your guys are experiencing. First off, I'm a store manager at Autozone. Second, I'll tell you all that I VERY young, like college age. Third, its Autozone company policy not to talk about AZ online, but I think I need to clear somethings up, hence why I will not say what store I run.
Ok, first with the little packets of goo. The reason why we offer it (or at least I offer it, not sneak it in) is a company program called WITTDTJR. It stands for "What it takes to do the job right." So lets say you want to do a brake job. I would sell you the pads, your packets of disc brake quiet (to promote quiet braking, improve the life of the pads by absorbing vibration and making sure that they wear evenly), sell you brake cleaner, fluid, caliper hardware, etc. All those little things are stuff you need to do the job correctly, but AZ makes a little extra cash on it. So when you get AntiSeize or Grease for your spark plugs, its really good to use the stuff, but its the salesperson job to explain why you need it.
Now, in my store, my staff is completely trained to tell you why need it and to SELL IT TO YOU. We don't sneak anything in, because we don't have to. Most customers appreciate the fact that we take the time to explain how it works and why they need it, and in fact, come back for more. So, why would people sneak it in? Because it's tracked by the company and WITTDTJR is the lifeblood of our stores. Its been proven to increase sales and is a form of good customer service when done properly. But stores that don't perform or store that have District Managers that are hard on their SM's will do anything to improve.
As for incorrect ads or promos, its the SM's job to make sure they are taken down and the new ones put up. I'll be honest, I've had a couple customers that have tried to get expired promos, but hey my policy is, the sign is up, we should of taken it down... honor it. Nothing is more important to me than a satisfied customer.
If you guys have any questions, please feel free to ask me in this thread or via PM.