Oh-Oh-No O'Reilly

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Oct 7, 2012
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Location
North Carolina
Is it me or does O'Reilly Auto Parts not have nearly the clearance bonanzas (oil, car care products, etc.) as AAP or AZ? Maybe they manage their inventory better/differently?
 
We have O'Reillys around here but I've never stepped foot in one. For some reason, it doesn't even come to mind when I have to hit up a parts store for something.
 
I had a similar thought a few days ago driving past one, cant ever recall O'Reilly's having a memorable clearance. They were extremely helpful when my truck blew a heater coolant line and I had to cobble a fix with a few parts from them in their parking lot, and always friendly folks.
 
I went to my local O'Reilly looking for an oil filter . They're selection was next to nothing . I usually stop there first because they are the closest auto parts store to me . That's the only reason .
 
The population density of my region gives all the auto parts stores plenty of avenues to move old stock through repair shops etc.
The only clearances I've ever caught have been by luck. I believe label changes are the source of those I've seen.
I did buy a bunch of 4 quart oil jugs on clearance as the switch to 5 and 5.1 qt. jugs happened overnight.

I bet you're right regarding sharpened inventory management.

As far as O'Reilly's go: we have none in NJ but I've been in two; a huge one in North Carolina and a small one in Hudson Falls, NY.
The latter is one of 3 in a tight triangle in "greater Glens Falls". I bet none of those 3 needs to be big.
I too noticed that the 'shelf selection' was meager but that was shortly after opening. I should pop in again.

I saw 20 big, identical V8 Y-pipes being unloaded. No doubt these go to shops all over via other stores purchase orders.
Today's parts stores have always been mini warehouses.

Now, does anybody know if today's keyboards have a shamrock for the apostrophe?
 
We have an O'Reilly, an Autozone, and Advance Auto all within a stone throw of each other. The O'Reilly is the highest priced of the three by a long shot. I've been in there a few times when looking for something specific the other stores didn't have and it is always empty. I'm not sure how they stay open to be honest.
 
I never notice the sales in any of the parts stores, but I do quite a bit of business with O'Reilly because they are the most convenient to my home and office. Their prices on oil and oil filters are very high compared to Wal-Mart. I don't normally buy oil or oil filters from O'Reilly, it's mostly air & cabin filters for my kids' cars, and the random tool here and there.
 
There's not many O'Reilly's around me, compared to Auto Zone or Advance. And yeah, they're expensive.

But certain of their locations can still turn brake rotors, which I don't think can be said of the other two brands I mentioned. So there is that.
 
Now, does anybody know if today's keyboards have a shamrock for the apostrophe?
The sharp inventory management is actually completed by a team of leprechauns at the secret HQ in Ireland.

Seriously though, I don't recall AutoZone level clearances at O'Reilly's. This is why I prefer AZ, never know what you can find on clearance so it's worth going into AZ if I will be choosing a parts store.
 
We have an O'Reilly's in our small town and it's very well-run and very well-kept. I've never seen any clearance products there. If I had to guess, I'd agree with the others that they run a much better inventory system and shift slow-movers to other locations more frequently than other retailers or they send them back to their warehouses.
 
Their prices on oil and oil filters are very high compared to Wal-Mart.
No one competes with Walmart but I will say, their oil + filter bundles can be reasonably priced. Sometimes they'll offer a $5 or $10 gift card (sent by mail later) as well. I still buy these items at WM though but have bought them at O'Reilly a few times.
 
I am and have been a member and a donor t the American Battlefield Trust since 1987. I wanted to share that it was O'Reilly's that gave great assistance in handing over land they owned at the Stone's River Battlefield to the Trust. Without their effort, this great Civil War site would have been lost to development! So kudos to O'Reilley's for their effort and contribution.
 
None of them do real deal clearances in my area it seems. Every time I buy it online the order gets cancelled or if I see it in store it is a slight discount only.

Ex: rolled by AZ to get something awhile back and saw oil on the clearance table. VL FS 0W20 and 5W30 was $30 and VL blend $24, which is only a couple buck off regular price and still more than WM.

Finding clearance oil where I live is like trying to find Bigfoot apparently. Best I can find is a decent oil bundle or rebate offer occasionally.
 
No one competes with Walmart but I will say, their oil + filter bundles can be reasonably priced. Sometimes they'll offer a $5 or $10 gift card (sent by mail later) as well. I still buy these items at WM though but have bought them at O'Reilly a few times.
The only times I've bought oil filters at OR is when nobody else had them in stock locally. I think I got some OR house brand oil once a long time ago because it was on sale.
 
I drop my used oil and filters off at O’Reilly’s but rarely shop there. Deals are hardly ever worth it. But they do have the easiest access to the oily waste tanks and used filter drum so they get all my used stuff.
 
Town of 12k … we have O’R, AZ, Napa, and CQ …
Your town/village must be on the main road or servicing one side of a river/canyon.

One feature of auto parts stores I only recently learned is their willingness/ability to get top shelf parts, even if it takes an overnight.

A pal would patronize an AAP in Connecticut (again, relatively dense population) and could get delivery of the best parts later in the day or next morning.
 
I shop at OReilly's only when they send a birthday bonus or other special discount to my email -- usually it's a $5 off $5 minimum purchase or something similar. They always have a clearance rack full of stuff I would never buy (Lucas oil supplements, octane boosters, tire repair in a can, etc). No other reason to step foot in there unless I am desperate due to the convenient location.
 
I personally was never impressed by O'rielly and even though I have a commercial account with them it no way compares to the deals and service I get from Autozone. I think I only purchased one thing from them all year and it was only because they had it and nobody else did.
 
I don't frequent O'Reilly's nearly as often as AutoZone or Advance Auto due to their higher regular prices and smaller selection of supplies. However, I have found O'Reilly's to be superior when: (1) seeking out certain hard to find items (e.g., Redline SI-1, WIX branded filters) and (2) especially when purchasing parts with a lifetime warranty. O'Reilly's computer system maintains the warranty information indefinitely and it is networked between locations. AutoZone deletes the info from their system every few years when their software is updated and some Advance Auto brick and mortar locations play fast and loose with interpreting what "limited" lifetime warranty means. I have actually been told by two different A.A. store managers that "limited" means that the warranty was limited to the functional lifetime of the alternator that failed 5 years later! 😲 Go figure...

Advance Auto also has a history of superseding a part with a new brand/label (e.g., Driveworks vs. Carquest), often rendering the original part number void in their inventory system. They can't honor a lifetime warranty on a superseded part number that is not in their current POS* system because there is no way to enter an exchange into their system. I had the printed receipt for a lifetime warranty Carquest door lock actuator that was superseded and all the manager could do was refund the original price and offer to sell me the same actuator in a different labeled box for $15 more than I originally paid. I said no thanks and ordered it from Amazon for $15 less than what I originally paid. Also, online purchases picked up at a local Advance Auto B&M store do not appear in their computer systems.

*double entendre by design
 
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