AC compressor clutch started "singing" on my wifes Grand-Am the other week. Figured with 110000 miles I'd just replace the whole assembly. Went to Autozone's web site, looked up the application and it spit out a price of $187.95 (plus $10.00 core). So I scurried up the my local Autozone and it comes up on their system as $239.99 (plus the $10 core and tax). Ask the manager what the deal is and he says he's not allowed to match the webs prices. So back home I go. Call up an Autozone on the other side of town and they want $219.99 (plus the $10 core and tax). We are looking at about a 25% variation in price here boy's and girl's.... So back on the web I go and start plugging in different zip codes from around the area and picking different stores as my preferred location and find prices that are all over the map. So I call the web custo. service number. Lady there tells me that they try to keep prices competitive with what I would find locally. I think what she meant to say was "what the market will bear". The bottom line here is that even with just using my zip code and picking among the 4 or 5 stores offered to me I found a $50 variation. Your mileage may vary. regards
Have done the same thing here also (40229). Found out by accident because my store was out of something I wanted and the clerk looked for the part in my area.
Ken, That sounds about par for the course with Autostoned. I try & stay out of the local stores, though I will buy their big jugs of Powerclean vs Superclean at WalMart. On r/e & front end builds, usually use BCA-Bower bearings & races & buy through a wholesale operation, as have a good acct. In several instances (customer wants Timken), I have bought Timken bearings/races through local affluent suburban Autostoned as the price was decent. It would be amazing if price was cheaper down in "the Hood". Off to try out Autostoned's online computer... I bet it's going to ask me what year & make of car, & if it has four wheel drive? 4cyl, cyl, 8 cyl... I just get so hacked off with these idiots when you walk in & give them an industry wide part number, & they blankly stare at you, then if they can't find it on their Radioshack TRS80 era computer, they ask a series of stupid questions :3gears: Roger
Was looking at Autozone on line yesterday. Their prices on Clevite bearings for the 455 probably can't be beat. $33 or 37 for the mains etc. It also said I could order the stuff on line and pick it up at the Autozone I submitted according to zip code. Didn't sound bad at all.
Back in the day, around 1978, I used to work for a place that was based out of Cleveland called Forest City Auto Parts. No longer in business, no surprise. We were trained to not ask specific questions over the phone, just quote a low price over the phone to get the customer into the store. Once there, then we were suppossed to ask if the car has a/c, HD whatever, anything to make the part number different so you would have an excuse to raise the price. Would you like a lifetime warranty, Sir?......... All we have is a re-manufactured one, Sir, I quoted you for a rebuilt and it costs more money........just a few. Needless to say, I got fired after 6 weeks because I sold auto parts the honest way, refusing to do this. I have my own business, and I have a commercial account with Auto Zone, and I always get the lowest price. It's a shame it has to be this way, having to have an account. I have one at NAPA too and they are worse, and their parts are junk. At least at the Zone I know the part is probably going to be of good quality. When you call, tell them you are comparing prices and ask for the best quality parts then you know they are giving you their best price.:bglasses:
I have a business account with Autozone, my prices are usually within 1 or 2 % of the online price. It does suck, but that's how those places stay in business.......NAPA is even worse, but at least their counterpeople are well trained. The problem with forest sh!tty, was they had few if any business accounts because of the poor quality of their parts and the only parts man in the store who really understood how to look up the correct parts was the store manager. Many of them knew nothing about cars, they were just salesmen.
I enjoy using the online AutoZone. When you order over $100.00 the shipping is free to your door. If you can wait the 2-3 days for it to arrive it's just fine with me. After an order or two specials seem to pop up for 15-25% off of entire catagories when you log in again.
I have an Advance and an Autozone close by. It's amazing the difference in prices between the two on the same part number. Autozone tends to be cheaper, maybe because it's in a bad part of town. I have found several times the store price was lower than the web price.
If you have a Checker, or Kragen's in your area check out PARTS AMERICA I think they may be connected with other parts stores too, not sure. Anyways, I've been ordering parts for the last year through their website, and then picking them up at the local Checker Auto. The parts are already pulled by the time I get to the store. Walk in, pay and walk out. Without having to deal with the "I know it all, you know nothing" counter person. The store manager said they have to match the lower web site pricing. In one case, the store price was cheaper, and they gave me the lower price. :TU:
Yep, That zoned pricing thing is BS. Lucky for me I have a buddy who works for advanced, so he allways rings me up on the "Corporate" computer... It saves me like 30-40% on the store prices:TU:
Before I started my business, when I would go to NAPA for my parts, I would just tell them I worked for Firestone or a car dealer (which I really did a few years prior) and they never checked and I got the lower price. Now that I have my own business account, I only save on a few things.........I'm better off paying the tax using Firestone's account than my own! On the days the store manager is off I have to pay higher prices unless I want to wait until the next day for my parts when he is there. Since changing to the Zone, I get the lowest price with my account on all things I buy there and the quality is better and the counterpeople have better attitudes, but that may be b/c I use the commercial desk. I have never liked Advance, at least the one out here anyway, the counterpeople are stupid and their prices are always too high.:bglasses:
In recently found out that Advance is part of the Checker and Kragen operation. I had bought a lot of stuff at kragen while stationed in California. Most Lifetime replacement stuff. When I found out Advance was part of this colaboration I thought great now I know where to return my items to for replacement because they have no Kragen in Austin, TX. :beer
It's like Russian Roullette with these auto parts stores. For every 10 people who say Napa sucks, there will be 10 who say it's been fine for them, likewise for Autozone or or anyone else. I've heard a lot of bad crap about Pep Boys too, but I've even heard guys on this board say they have had no problem with them either. I personally think I could find people at the local library or day care center that know more about cars than the people that work at pep boys, but again, that's just me... Like I said, I think it's a crap shoot, whether you've worked there or not..... just my lame humble opinion of course.
Ken, I agree with you 100%. Theres a thread here now about valve cover gaskets,cork or rubber?? 2 sides to every story.:grin:
