In my experience you mostly experience this problem at Walmart. My theory is that the company is so huge, the staff so obviously underpaid, and the stores so cold and unfriendly that people feel no personal connection to anything there. The staff are obviously not treated very well in most of them, and they have little incentive to do conscientious work. I have found used oil filters put neatly back into the box, and often I have found the wrong item in a box. Unfortunately, Walmart does often have the lowest prices and best selection of basic stuff I need, so I continue to shop there, but I would much rather give my business to a friendly local store run by a knowledgeable owner or staff person who takes pride in his work. These places are few and far between, but they do exist. Strangely, my local Walmart's car service department is well run and has an intelligent manager who knows her stuff. One time I had them replace a tire pressure sensor and I later had to return because another sensor was leaking air. The manager came out to me and apologized for not spotting the other sensor and she showed me why they missed it due to a hairline crack that apparently was just ready to go. She replaced the second sensor for just the parts, no labor. I could see her through the glass window explaining to several other staff how to properly test the sensors and check for leaks and they were obviously listening. They take the care to do a good job. They are one of the best local places to go for basic car maintenance needs, tires, batteries, etc. You get far better service and products there than at any local car dealer. There are one or two local independent garages that are good too, but only when you need repairs--don't go there to get a reasonable price on an oil change, like you can at our local Walmart.
