Stopped by a Pep Boys

[macarose]

I landed a nice deal on brakes that was mentioned at the 'Rebates' section of BITOG and so I stopped by the nearest Pep Boys to pick them up.

The folks out there were nice and decent. It was a departure from a nearby rival parts store where two of the employees have meth behavior along with meth mouth.

The biggest issue I saw at this Pep Boys is that their prices were too high and their merchandise was too broad. Some of the stuff had no reason to be there. Such as Ipad covers (40 varieties) and de-icer products which simply aren't bought in Georgia. They also had taken the area where their used to be cheap scooters and four-wheelers and repalced it with a Lyft rental area where drivers could register a vehicle and then sit down and watch TV. Not a single customer was anywhere in the store, but they did have decent business with the repair and service side.

I wonder if they would be more successful if they embraced more of an Aldi's model. Fewer products. Better prices. Avoid trying to push impulse buys and instead focus on consolidating inventory towards those items that most older vehicles need.

Rant over. All the best!

 

[NormanBuntz]

I wonder if they would be more successful if they embraced more of an Aldi's model.

I'm an old Philly area guy. That's where Pep Boys was founded. The company would have been more successful over a longer period of time if it wasn't screwed up by greedy and clueless family members in the 1980's.

 

[eljefino]

Walmart puts the grass seed in their lawn & garden area here when there's still six more weeks of snow on the ground.

Pep Boys was A+ professional, knowledgeable, and nice to me when I bought my $27 starter for a 1985 dodge 318. Everyone else wanted $80+ for it.

PB needs to figure out what they're doing online. They could be a tire drop shipping dynamo like simpletire or DTD. They do a little on ebay.

 

[HangFire]

I have no recent experience with Pep Boys. I would give them another chance, but they keep closing locations that would be convenient to me.

Twenty years ago I tried to get some drums turned at a then-local location (now gone), waited a while it was quite busy. The guy at the counter struggled with the calipers for 5 minutes and then declared them one inch undersized and therefore ineligible for turning. One inch! I took them down and said "I'll take them somewhere where they know what they are doing."

When I was a kid my Dad would sometimes buy parts there. I was amused by the big-head trio of figures strapped down atop the store, one of them chomping a cigar. The cigar is gone, the statues are gone and that location is gone. I much preferred when Dad took me to Western Auto, which had mini bikes, fishing rods and hunting rifles.

Supposedly this chain practically invented the aftermarket parts store.

 

[Hall]

Originally Posted by eljefino
Walmart puts the grass seed in their lawn & garden area here when there's still six more weeks of snow on the ground.

Hard to argue that they're doing it wrong. Any seasonal items like this are always "ahead of schedule". I mean, things like winter coats are probably making their way to the clearance racks in Walmart stores by now. Looking for a pair of shorts in August ? Good luck ! But you can buy winter coats, gloves, etc in August and September.

 

[Hall]

Originally Posted by macarose
The biggest issue I saw at this Pep Boys is that their prices were too high and their merchandise was too broad. Some of the stuff had no reason to be there. Such as Ipad covers (40 varieties) and de-icer products which simply aren't bought in Georgia.

Things like phone/tablet cases and covers seem to be available in almost every type of store so they clearly sell. Have to presume they're 100% impulse buys in these stores. I mean, who goes to an auto parts store for a phone case ? But if you're there and need one, it works out....

De-icer products are probably there to get people to buy them as "emergency" items that they might need.

 

[CleverUserName]

I got a good deal on a NOCO GB40 yesterday at a local PB. $10 Cheaper than amazon and in-stock. Also scored a great deal on lubes and accessories a few years ago when launching their online presence. Gallons of D1 ESP 5w40 for $8 after promo and MIR! Still have some of that product for future use.

Overall they do have deals but I don't check their website very often to see what promotions are active.

 

[spk2000]

I had Pep Boys install a trailer hitch on my Montero. They had the best price and free installation to boot. Then when it came to wiring they wanted $180 for some special converter and I declined the wiring. Took it to Uhaul who did it for $26. I would gladly have let them do it if they weren't trying to stick it to me so bad. A type of bait you in with one item but then mark up something else you will need to go with it.

 

[JayhawkRoy]

"Supposedly this chain practically invented the aftermarket parts store.[/quote]

I would tend to disagree. For me, having been brought up in the South, and Midwest, Western Auto was our go-to national chain. My Dad got all of his aftermarket parts from either Sears or Western Auto in the 1960's. When we moved to Springfield, Mo, he started using O'Reilly Auto Parts. By then O'Reilly's were well established in the Ozarks.

I knew nothing about Pep Boys until the 1980's, and they have near-zero market penetration in Kansas-Missouri.

 

[Leo99]

I'm from nearby Philly and Pep Boys used to be very good. Not any more.

Spoiler alert: Graphic violence

My daughter's boyfriend and hopefully future husband (he's a great guy) took his Subaru to Pep Boys for an oil change before a road trip with my him and my daughter.

Pep Boys drained his ATF instead of the oil and then added another 4.5 qts of oil to his crankcase. He drove it home but only made it part of the way before breaking down near their home. He's a calm guy but my daughter had the Pep Boys manager out at 11pm with a flashlight under the Subaru to fix things. The manager had it jacked up on the streets of Philly to make it right. Well, we'll see tough a Subaru is after this debacle. I told my daughter she didn't go ballistic enough on them.

There is nothing that I couldn't do myself that I'd trust Pep Boys to do for me.

 

[das_peikko]

It's the auto repair side of their business that keeps them afloat.

If they had to depend on their store strategy, they'd be in the red ink quick.

 

[das_peikko]

Originally Posted by Leo99
There is nothing that I couldn't do myself that I'd trust Pep Boys to do for me.


How 'bout letting them do the brakes for you next time?

 

[CR94]

Originally Posted by das_peikko
How 'bout letting them do the brakes for you next time?
When I lived near Richmond in the early-to-mid-90s, Virginia required cars be inspected annually at a licensed shop. The only one of 3 that did not grossly overtighten the lug nuts---and even worse, the rear wheel bearing too---was Pep Boys.

Another time, loitering around the tire sales counter at a Pep Boys near Raleigh, I heard some really nonsensical sales pitches, trying to take advantage of naive customers.

 

[macarose]

The ipad and iphone cases were in the clearance bin at the front of the store. Hate to say it but I doubt that product will remain a regular feature.

 

[andyd]

The Pep Boys on the rt 44 Automile in Raynham Was the worst shop/ parts outlet I've ever seen.

 

[FordBroncoVWJeta]

Not even a pep boys in Kansas or KCMO...

 

[Malo83]

Only go to Pep Boys for their huge selection of wax,polish and other detailing products.

 

[billt460]

Originally Posted by eljefino
Walmart puts the grass seed in their lawn & garden area here when there's still six more weeks of snow on the ground.

I'll never forget the time back in the 90's, when I went into the Lake Havasu City, Arizona Wal-Mart, in June after we hit over 120F. I went to get some oil and at the end of the isle they had a end cap full of windshield ice scrapers.

 

[PandaBear]

Around here PB seems to have no customers in the retail, just like O'Reilly.

The service side seems like a typical tire shop, they do have decent tire price and their oil change seems to be pretty good price wise. Battery seems to be ok too. They are the only one around me that takes used oil, so I'd give them credit for that.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Originally Posted by PandaBear
Around here PB seems to have no customers in the retail, just like O'Reilly.

The service side seems like a typical tire shop, they do have decent tire price and their oil change seems to be pretty good price wise. Battery seems to be ok too. They are the only one around me that takes used oil, so I'd give them credit for that.


Aren't all auto parts stores supposed to take used oil?