Originally Posted By: LT4 Vette
There is actually an AutoZone manager here on BITOG that works there part time. He seems to really know alot about cars.
Lets face it, customer service sucks every where you go. I had one AutoZone manager yell at me cause the STP air filter I needed wasn't on the shelf, but was located above the display case where all the excess air filters are located/kept.
When the manager saw me reaching to get the air filter from the very top, he told me that was going to mess up his inventory ..... cause that air filter part # would no longer be on the excess inventory shelf.
I work part-time as a manager at Auto Zone. What that manager should have told you is that the area you were grabbing the filter from was "overstock". It is a pain because overstock needs to be correct. Instead of saying something to you, I would have noted what part you had taken and then removed it from that overstock slot. It's not that big of a deal.
Also, people act as if their bad experiences are exclusive to Auto Zone. OTOH, I get customers coming into my store telling me they will never shop at the Advance next door and they only shop at my store. It makes me feel good, but at the same time, I'm grounded enough to know that people are going to have bad experiences with any parts store. It's the nature of the beast. Working in a parts store, you know that half the people entering the store are already upset because their car isn't operating properly. If you have that attitude going in, it's easier to try and satisfy them. BUT, you can't satisfy them all. If that happens, I try to be as polite as possible.
Regarding the other stories, we have had signs that were left up after sales because we simply miss all the little tags hanging around the store. If there was a question with a sale being advertised and you showed me where it was advertised, I would give you the advertised price through override and then remove the sign. This has happened on occasion and I've done it many times.
As far as turnover is concerned, until a few months ago when we hired a manager from one of the local Advance stores, I was the least tenured manager at almost 3 years at that store. The other managers have been working with Auto Zone for 4, 13, 13 and 19 years respectively. There is very little turnover at this store, as you can see. People come to our store because they know the employees. I get people calling to speak to me or one of the other managers specifically, all the time.
In the end, your experiences aren't exclusive to Auto Zone. You will get people who don't care and just want you to leave the store as quick as possible EVERYWHERE.