Pep Boys......

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No clue why anyone would have invested in them. They are a great store, but the competition is also very good. Now with online parts sales, brick and mortar stores have to be unique with their product or service.
 
I suspected something a few weeks back when Mobil 1 ESP 5w30 went from 9.49 to 12.49 a liter in the Maryland pep Boys Store off of route 40. I went to another Maryland Store and they had the price increase as well. I am not good at economics so am not sure if a significant prioce increase correlates at all with the stock dropping. Thought it was noteworthy at the time and posted the increase on the TDI forums a few weeks back.
 
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Ouch. If they arer raising their prices like that across the board, Id guess it is way more than the beginning of the end...

"barely" made a profit first quarter? Isnt that the norm in retail? isnt that why we have a "black friday"?
 
For the most part, I only go there to get Red Line SI-1, VHT paints, or DEI products (none of which ANY other stores in my area, including some speed shops, carry) with the 10% off coupons they send me for being a club member.
 
Autozone is probably the best of breed. Then with Advance Auto, NAPA, and O'Reilly's, it must not be easy to compete. Plus, it seems like their stores here are huge, and the employees not as efficient. There are a lot of employees and many to chill out quite a bit...unlike all the others I go to. They need to restructure their business model and get a Procurement team that knows what they are doing.
 
Still a few locations around here. I mostly go if there is a great deal on oil or trans fluid...Otherwise no need as there are cheaper stores all over the place. They are probably still hurting from the power equipment lawsuit.
 
Originally Posted By: HK_Ace
Autozone is probably the best of breed.


I can't believe I just read that!!! Though I dont have a better option (Napa around here is pretty good, but no store has what I want all the time)... I think all the chain stores are pretty bad, though they all have their high point.
 
I've NEVER seen an O'Reilly's, or Kragen store, so I cannot compare them to anything else.
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Originally Posted By: HK_Ace
Plus, it seems like their stores here are huge, and the employees not as efficient. There are a lot of employees and many to chill out quite a bit...unlike all the others I go to. They need to restructure their business model and get a Procurement team that knows what they are doing.


This is their undoing. They have become extremely inefficient and don't carry a relevant mix of products.

When I go into an Auto Zone or Advance, there are just enough employees to keep the lines moving and all of the employees are doing something. At Pep Boys, there are employees just standing there or wandering around. I'm not blaming the employees for that, but it's definitely an inefficient way to run a business.

And I can't figure out what they are thinking with their inventory. They have these huge stores that are mostly filled with slow moving trinkets. Pep Boys used to be an okay place to find oils and filters other stores didn't have, but now it's just good for stick on plastic chrome and Chinese scooters. I have never even used them for actual parts.

The other chain stores don't have the best oil selections, but they do keep a useful, relevant mix of products on the floor. They have trinkets too, but they don't dominate the store. You can still get the things you need pretty quickly.
 
Originally Posted By: LT4 Vette
I wonder just how profitable is PepBoys auto repair and tire sales ?

You would think that would be a big money maker for them...



Depends on location. They used to do well here, now business is way down...
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: HK_Ace
Autozone is probably the best of breed.


I can't believe I just read that!!! Though I dont have a better option (Napa around here is pretty good, but no store has what I want all the time)... I think all the chain stores are pretty bad, though they all have their high point.



I used to be a big fan of NAPA....years ago. Their parts were top of the line. Lately though, the local O'Reilly store has had excellent service while the quality of NAPA parts has slipped. Also, O'Reilly still has a genuine parts look-up book to resort to if needed, unlike Autozone who resorts to computer look-up, has no paper parts books, and doesn't sell any parts for trucks over 1 ton. NAPA seems to take over a week to get hard-to-find parts, and then they charge high prices for shipping. O'Reilly doesn't charge for shipping (at least they haven't yet to me) and they can usually get it in a day or two. My falling out with NAPA started about 5-6 years ago when they charged me over $150 over what O'Reilly wanted for a radiator...for the exact same make and model.
 
Originally Posted By: daves87rs
Originally Posted By: LT4 Vette
I wonder just how profitable is PepBoys auto repair and tire sales ?

You would think that would be a big money maker for them...



Depends on location. They used to do well here, now business is way down...



The repair sections in the PBs by us are always busy.
 
Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl
They have these huge stores that are mostly filled with slow moving trinkets. Pep Boys used to be an okay place to find oils and filters other stores didn't have, but now it's just good for stick on plastic chrome and Chinese scooters. I have never even used them for actual parts.



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This was well before my time. But at one time could you by bicycles at autopart's store?
 
Originally Posted By: dave1251
Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl
They have these huge stores that are mostly filled with slow moving trinkets. Pep Boys used to be an okay place to find oils and filters other stores didn't have, but now it's just good for stick on plastic chrome and Chinese scooters. I have never even used them for actual parts.



32.gif


This was well before my time. But at one time could you by bicycles at autopart's store?


I remember when I was a kid in grade school (circa ~ 1965), we used to go to the local R&S (now Strauss Auto for what's left of them) to buy 'accessories' for our Stingray bikes.
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Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl
HK_Ace said:
And I can't figure out what they are thinking with their inventory. They have these huge stores that are mostly filled with slow moving trinkets. Pep Boys used to be an okay place to find oils and filters other stores didn't have, but now it's just good for stick on plastic chrome and Chinese scooters. I have never even used them for actual parts.

Yep, if the one by me is any judge things have been down hill since they remodeled the store.
They painted it black, red and blue inside. Dumped almost all the AC-Delco filters, batteries, and other quality merchandise like Plasti-Kote paint products, then jacked prices sky high across the board.

The only things I buy there now are clearance items
 
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