Pardon me while I rant

[MalibuSSwagon]

Oreillys I go to all the time and they are pretty cool since they know me and will take a part number I have or look up anything I need without issue. But a couple weeks ago I needed rear drum adjusters for my truck. Looked it up on oreilly's website before I went in, forgot the part number tho. The "manager" who was new and I never seen before, tries to look it up, then after a few minutes says "I don't think we have them bud sorry". I'm say, "I need them and know you have them". Looked it up on his computer, and what do ya know they they are! In stock.

[Chrispbrown36]

It kills me every time I go in there looking for something suspension, wheel, etc. and they ask me what motor I have. Why does it matter when I am looking for tie rod ends? Because their computer tells them it does. Ha ha. I ran into Autozone today to pick up a spindle nut socket and got another young kid that thought he knew it all. He told me I was looking for the wrong tool and I humored him. He went to the all mighty computer and started typing....."Year? Make? Model? 2 or 4 wd?"....the usual. As he is typing it all in quickly I notice he went to R10.....so I have to give him credit that he knew the R10 designation. I mention it but he ignores me and continues to type. Suddenly he says, "Well according to this you don't need that." At which point he grabs a catalog. Another guy walks up and asks what I was looking for and guy #1 says (in a pretty smarta** tone), "He thinks he needs a spindle nut socket for an 87 Chevy truck." The other guy looks at me and says, "V10 or R10?" FINALLY! I say V10 and he says, "Oh yeah, right back here man. I can't remember if for the half ton you need the big one or the small one, but we have em both."
These are the cases when I wish they worked on commission...I would have gladly given the second guy my money.

[Jeepwm69]

Originally Posted by Jeramy

I DO NOT WORK FOR O'REILLY'S. just to be clear.

You're in Arkansas so if things are consistant with my 100 mile radius if you know what you're doing you work for Napa or a local mom and pop/ non chain store..

You guys should try buying Jeep parts from the AMC era. They had such a hodgepodge of different stuff that the computers at the cheap chain stores can't keep up.

Couple that in with common swaps like replacing the stepper motor BBD nightmare with a MC2100 carb and it makes you want to go postal when you walk in to get a part.

"I need part number 12344. Carb kit"

"What vehicle is that for?"

"You don't need to know the vehicle. I just gave you the part number. Go get it."

"I have to have the make and model."

"Well it's a carb from a 78 Pinto with 6 cylinder, but it's going on an '85 Jeep CJ-7 with 6 cylinder"

(blank confused stare from clerk, and I expect his head to explode at any moment)

Then he looks up the part, brings me a carb kit for the factory Jeep Carter BBD carb....and argues with me that it's what I need.

"I SWAPPED A FORD CARBURETOR ONTO MY JEEP MOTOR. GO GET ME CARB KIT 12345."

Then we get to do the whole thing over again when I request a cap, rotor, and plug wire set for a 1982 Ford F150 for the same Jeep.

I like to support local businesses, but shopping online is SO much easier.

My local Napa is good. When I lived in NW Arkansas there was NO good place to buy auto parts. They were all morons.

[flashed]

My O'Reiley's is pretty good .

[kalbert]

Parts guy used to be a career, somewhere in about the last 20 years it became a job, and as of the last 10 or so years it is a part-time minimum wage job. It's a shame none of the parts houses are willing to pay people enough to make it worth giving a damn about.

[lilpoindexter]

I hate going to most auto parts stores. At an autozone, i could see a bag with 10 feet of 5/8 heater hose behind the counter...i tell the lady i wanted that bag of 5/8 heater hose...when she asks the same stupid WHAT YEAR MAKE AND MODEL question everybody else gets....i just walked behind the counter, grabbed the bag, and said THIS.
If i want moog or something, i just order it off Summit...

[slotard]

The napa near me is quite a bit better than the oreilly but oreilly but I tend to walk 5 minutes to oreilly rather than a couple miles to napa. If it's big enough that I need to drive, napa it is. At least around here napa is a franchise and they're mostly small business while oreilly is corporate owned and you can tell.

[68Timber]

Originally Posted by kalbert

Parts guy used to be a career, somewhere in about the last 20 years it became a job, and as of the last 10 or so years it is a part-time minimum wage job. It's a shame none of the parts houses are willing to pay people enough to make it worth giving a damn about.

Yep. Pretty soon we'll probably see kiosks where WE tap on the computer and figure out what we want, then one of a few runners goes back and pulls it off a shelf to bring it to us, then we self-checkout. That's pretty much the way rockauto works. The Autozone near me is pretty good, the same manager has been there at least since my boys were little, maybe longer. She must treat everyone there pretty good, there's several more that have been there a long time. Even so, I used to think parts houses were a cool place to go but I avoid them now best I can.

[andrewmp6]

68timber the napa i love is the same way all the guys been there years and the youngest one is maybe mid 30s.

[kalbert]

Originally Posted by 68Timber

Yep. Pretty soon we'll probably see kiosks where WE tap on the computer and figure out what we want, then one of a few runners goes back and pulls it off a shelf to bring it to us, then we self-checkout. That's pretty much the way rockauto works.

In the past year I've been pretty much doing that, treating the local Advance guys like parts pickers at a warehouse. Order online, pick up in store. Almost hassle free, except for when I ordered 5 spark plugs for my Colorado, the high school kid there had tossed a 6th one on the order. I told him I only needed 5, he told me I should replace them all, I said I am, he said what's that on, must be a Saab or something? I said it was for an Audi Quattro and thanked them for the concern.

[1774btcrew]

Well, the parts store that was so great here in Phoenix closed without warning so I am stuck with O'reilley , Autozone and Napa. I suppose it is a sign of the times but it was a sad day for me. Those guys really knew their stuff!

[aharper33]

I cant complain about the O'Reileys where I'm at. Granted we have WYO Tech here so we tend to get some good "gearhead" type people working in there.