My local NAPA store...

[Pablo]

The owner just called me. He is going out of business. Napa Carnation is going to be gone.

He was a prime supplier. We bought many parts from him. Really sucks. He had to let 5 people go. Just didn't have the money to pay all the taxes, and didn't have the customer base to raise prices.

Been a family business for 27 years. The guy had the class and honor to transfer our account and give us the same price structure at any store of my choosing. I will see him tomorrow to pick up my last order.

 

[daves87rs]

That sucks....


We just lost ome around here too...

 

[tig1]

Sorry to hear this. Going on all across America. We have lost several small auto parts stores to AAP, AZ etc. Taxes are getting worse by the year. Just paid my registration on a car and it went 25% in one wack. No end in site.

 

[JHZR2]

Bummer, loosing good autoparts business to cheaper chinese and mexican made AZ and AAP junk is just sad and means that maintaining our cars the way we want to is only going to get harder.

 

[rszappa1]

and the taxes will only get worse.......

 

[doitmyself]

Our country continues to swirl down the toilet. I always look to NAPA or Carquest for better service and parts (most times). Only us "older" guys remember the mom and pop auto stores that also provided the goods.

Saving money at Rock Auto and other places is costing us in other ways.

Sorry for your lose, Pablo.

 

[rshunter]

Originally Posted By: doitmyself
Our country continues to swirl down the toilet. I always look to NAPA or Carquest for better service and parts (most times). Only us "older" guys remember the mom and pop auto stores that also provided the goods.

Saving money at Rock Auto and other places is costing us in other ways.

Sorry for your lose, Pablo.

I'm not sure what constitutes "older guys", but I don't even have to remember the "mom-and-pop" stores, as I've got at least one of those operations here. Well, they've got two locations to be honest and it's more of a father-and-son business. The son owns and operates the place now.

I've done quite a bit of my business with them through the years, usually with the owner personally. He'll hunt to find me a good deal on a quality part, even if it takes a little extra effort since European cars are far from being his specialty. He started greeting me as "The Volkswagen Man" (even though I've bought stuff for countless other brands as well) and now the staff have taken to calling me that as well, as soon as I walk in. Even when I haven't stopped in for quite some time, I'll hear it as soon as I walk in the door...

 

[greenaccord02]

That's a shame. They just opened a NAPA here and one a few miles away in my parent's town (nice store, too). There was also an AAP that opened not more than 3 months ago.

Sounds like it might be regional.

 

[andyd]

The local NAPA closed up about 4 yrs ago. A new Auto Zone opened just recently downtown, so it isn't too bad. But I miss the NAPA and Jim's vast expertise in auto parts

 

[bradepb]

napa just bought the 2 privately owned auto parts we deal with at our shop and made the previous owners into very well off retirees in there early fiftys, they also kept most of the employees, also opened a couple other stores in the area and seem to be expanding here.

 

[Pablo]

I think this is a bit of a reflection on just how nasty WA state has become for businesses. Nazi sales tax collection policies, B&O tax, income tax for business not individuals, property taxes based on 2006 valuations, etc..... people gripe about prices, yet business take it with no lubrication and really the general public has no idea.

 

[Kruse]

I've got a local NAPA store that I'd hate to see close down. Pricewise, he's not the lowest on everything, but the quality is hard to beat and he'll bend over backwards trying to get a hard-to-find part. I had to get a fuel pump for a V4 Wisconsin air-cooled motor a few months ago and after a little looking, he had it the next day. Nobody else had it listed and a guy on ebay wanted twice the price.
The increase in taxes that will soon hit will put a lot more of these brick-and-mortar business into the dumpster.

 

[CivicFan]

Aren't the taxes transferred to the customers anyway?

Or was the customer base dwindling for that particular NAPA franchisee?

 

[mrsilv04]

Originally Posted By: CivicFan
Aren't the taxes transferred to the customers anyway?


Are you serious with that comment?

 

[benjamming]

Originally Posted By: doitmyself
Our country continues to swirl down the toilet. I always look to NAPA or Carquest for better service and parts (most times). Only us "older" guys remember the mom and pop auto stores that also provided the goods.

Saving money at Rock Auto and other places is costing us in other ways.

Sorry for your lose, Pablo.


+1

 

[CivicFan]

Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
Originally Posted By: CivicFan
Aren't the taxes transferred to the customers anyway?


Are you serious with that comment?


Are you serious with your question?

The sales tax is charged directly to the customer. Income, property and other taxes are passed on to the customers through the prices.

 

[Gary Allan]

Business pays no taxes. It only collects them.

 

[mrsilv04]

Originally Posted By: CivicFan
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
Originally Posted By: CivicFan
Aren't the taxes transferred to the customers anyway?


Are you serious with that comment?


Are you serious with your question?

The sales tax is charged directly to the customer. Income, property and other taxes are passed on to the customers through the prices.



Yes, I was serious.

Here's yet another serious question... Have you ever run a business?

 

[rshunter]

Originally Posted By: CivicFan
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
Originally Posted By: CivicFan
Aren't the taxes transferred to the customers anyway?


Are you serious with that comment?


Are you serious with your question?

The sales tax is charged directly to the customer. Income, property and other taxes are passed on to the customers through the prices.


You can only pass on so much. Once you reach the point where it has made your prices non-competitive, you do what this guy did. You go out of business.

 

[CivicFan]

Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
Originally Posted By: CivicFan
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
Originally Posted By: CivicFan
Aren't the taxes transferred to the customers anyway?


Are you serious with that comment?


Are you serious with your question?

The sales tax is charged directly to the customer. Income, property and other taxes are passed on to the customers through the prices.



Yes, I was serious.

Here's yet another serious question... Have you ever run a business?


Have you?