Just Remember.. They are usually zit pocked kids who cant play with a keyboard unless its attached to a cd burner or a playstation... Or guys who cant find a job after they quit their job at the bus station clean-up crew. If it isnt on a puter, forget it. most cant read the books anyways. I work it this way.. I go to the store.. then tell them for me to look in thier book for the right part.... (If I havent remembered the part number yet... lol So if there is a screw up, then its my fault.. They usually like the help anyways because they dont make enough money per hour to buy thier smokes for thier break!
Autozone guys are the biggest idiots. Wanna have fun with them? Call them on the phone and ask them if they stock a 1968 VW Beetle upper radiator hose or water pump. They'll have you on hold forever as they search every book in the place. It's a riot!!! (the VW was air cooled!) :laugh:
OK Guys! Auto Zone is no worse than Discount (Advance) or Pep Boys. Some of the people there DO KNOW THEIR SH!T - Like Me. We have to remember that they pay crap, and that because of this fact and others (the job basically sux, and the benefits are a joke) they get VERY high employee turnover. Auto Zone employees have to deal with BS every frickin day. People Steal Sh!t, Lie to your face, you get battery acid on your frickin clothes (which YOU have to pay for) by giving people free battery tests and charges. I could go on and on, but I don't want to loose friends here by getting too pissed off. I only work there part time while I am back in College, but I feel really bad for the poor souls who are trying to make a career out of that BS! Blame the company for 1) Paying crap w/ sh!t&Y benefits 2) Not manning enough employees in the stores and 3)Poor overall mamagement Rant over.
So Andrew, now you know how I feel when the discussion turns to the insurance industry :laugh: . I have both an AZ and an Advanced in my little town. Both have knowledgable counter help that will bend backwards to help you out. In fact, one of the best counter persons around is an older (around 60 I'd say) lady! She knows her stuff!!! She would not get fooled into looking for an upper radiator hose and water pump for a 68 VW, but yes, that is a funny one to pull on a young one... :bglasses:
:laugh: :laugh: Sad part, is they would probly send something down rather than admit they couldn't find a listing! That's a good one! :laugh:
I have a couple Autozones near here. One has very helpful but not knowledgeable staff- but they know it, and that's OK, they work with you and you get your part Another one, in Hyde Park, right by the Police Station...the girl rings up my order, and the manager says, "Uh, that can't be right..." and looks up the part. "no, that price is wrong" he says. the girl continues to ring up the order...the manager goes into the aisles in back while saying..."that should be 7.99". The girl STILL rings up the order, and says under her breath "I don't care, I ain't ringin that up again" Well, you can imagine my response. I told her that I wouldn't accept the stuff I just paid for. She stared at me. I told her that if she was ripping me off, I wanted my money, and if she was undercharging me, I wanted to pay what it was worth. There was a slight scene. She was offended. I asked what she thought I might do if she stole money from me on the street, and why she thought it was OK to try to steal my money just because we were in a store. I hinted that I'd have no problem dragging her by the collar to the police station. I'm sure she didn't get fired The "real deal" around here is the NAPA in Foxboro. It's like an old-time parts plae. They have a full machine shop out back :TU:
I've longed for an auto parts store that will give you the option of looking up and retreiving your own parts. They can have customer service people to help out those DIY'ers that need help looking up parts. But give the consumer the option. Why hide all the application books, even for the dumbest things like oil filters behind the counter?
Before I set foot in the store I spend 15 minutes on the computer looking up every possible part number for what I'm looking for, and cross checking them across sites (Auto Zone, O'Reilly's and NAPA all have online parts look up, probably others too.) Here the NAPA is the worst. I've never successfully gotten a part there if I did not walk in with the part number already looked up. O'Reilly is by far the best. When my Ignitor went out I walked in, asked for points for blah blah, parts guy grabbed them off the shelf, no computer or book involved. :TU:
Rudy Where's your store? They just built a few (I think)around the New Orleans metro area. I'd gladly give it a try.
You got THAT right! Years ago, I worked part-time in an Autozone, when I started, the other guys were old-schoolers who knew their stuff and taught me a lot, it was THE parts place. After the older guys got tired of being pissed on from above (and then below from irate customers) they all left. AZ brought in a couple of young guns to "straighten out" the store, all they did was turn it into a McParts store. Hired a ton of part-time, no-skill, no-knowledge young kids for low money, and made it difficult to spend the time needed to actually help a customer. No matter the sign outside, it REALLY depends on THAT individual store's manager. (I was always amazed by the stuff some customers would pull, like bringing back 50-cent parts for a return/refund. ??? I just toss little stuff into a rummage box...)
McParts store - Perfect analogy! Auto parts have become a crappy commodity, similar to fast food. And people bitch if they have to wait in line for more than a couple of minutes! It's just unreal. What you have mentioned is precisely what has happened (and is happening) all over the country.
we have had autozone here for 9 years, and 80% of the ones that were there when they first opened are still there today. i have had good luck there
Went to Advance and told them the part number of the rotors for my truck. He looks it up and says that it is the wrong part number. I told him his book is wrong and that it really should be the number I gave him. " Okay, but we have to order it, will be here tomorrow" Go to pick them the next day and guess what! He ordered that part number in his book anyway! Wrong rotors! Then he re-ordered off of my part number.Same with buying a battery for my GS. Give them the battery number and CA rating. Won't give me a price because they need to know what car it fits. I told him it doesn't matter because his book won't have a listing for it anyway. Still won't give me a price. so I tell him it's for a '70 GS. "Sorry, our books don't go back that far!" No, duh! I just told you that. Fortunately there are 2 girls that work there that really know their cars.
Sounds like around here. The one here moves between two stores... but she can find anything I want or need. I've only had one issue - I needed a part for an engine that wasn't original in the car and they couldnt find it. There is one local place, but they're never open when I need something. and (luckily) we can get any filters we need by using the books in the back of the building to find our part numbers or the corresponding box number.
The other one that's a blast is when you've confirmed you have a counter person with no brain - call on the phone and get really impatient as they look for the listing on a muffler bearing! :laugh:
The problem with all those stores are the employees. I call Autozone Comercial about 20 times a day- I only talk to one guy. He knows alot, and generally knows what I mean. Occasionally one of the non-comercial employees answers and thats a real joke. They can't find anything. Its the workers who make or break a place- its the store's job to give them what they need to be succesful.
HELL YEA!!!!!!!! Very fortunately for me, most of the old timers shops are still alive and well here in Louisville. Eastview Automotive- Family run since the dawn of time. I'v watched 3 generations come and go thru there. The "old man" will actually tell people on the phone to call back if customers are inside and need help. Machine shop in the back does excellent work, and very reasonable prices. Bills Auto Parts- Bill's about 80 years old now, and knows every part and part number by heart... AMAZING old cars parts still on the shelf. He actually had outer tie rods for a 58 chrysler on the shelf, and bragged about the Model-T parts sitting back there he will probably never sell. Unfortunately, due to his age, he only opens 4 days a week, and only from 10:00 till 5:00. Rose auto and Machine- Old man Rose died about 10 years ago, and his 50 year old son took over.... And he is the youngest one there. One of the parts guys there will talk your ear off about hot rodding flat head fords and early chrysler hemi's
I've never worked at an Autozone, but I've worked a lot of retail in my life, and I'm going to stick up for the regular Joes. When one of "you guys" come in I loathe dealing with you as much as you loathe dealing with me. By "You Guys" I mean the guys that expect me to have memorized every part out every car ever made over the last 30 odd years. I'm sure your car is your life, but it aint mine.If you call me looking for a rad house ot a VW who is dumber, me looking for it or you for asking. You just spent my coffee break on hold while I was out back taking a break. You think this job pays me enough to really care? You think your business is really important to this huge multi national company that makes all its money on ricers? Not a chance. I've had my disagreements with parts stores myself, I'd rather deal with a guy that doesn't know a damn thing then the guy that thinks he does. I'm not harping or yelling at you guys here, just presenting a position I've often found myself in before.
