It’s not blowing my horn, but just a flat statement: compared to a wide selection of people who work behind the counters at any given McParts stores (namely Advance, O’Reilly’s and AutoZone), my level of knowledge where cars were concerned was in the top-10th percentile. Sure, there are some old-school guys who have near-computer levels of memory and can burp up parts numbers like nothing, and I’ve met a couple hot-shot kids who know how to run books as well as the computers and their smartphone, but we all know that is the minority. The majority of counter clerks are there for the paycheck and parts discount. That’s it. They are bored, they are idle, and if they are younger, they are buried in their phone, waiting for time to pass.
One mistake I made during my tenure behind the counter was exercising what I knew. Within a week, it was plainly obvious that compared to the ones he had been hiring, Store Manager had found a gem in hiring me. This meant that he had The Goose That Laid The Golden Egg. Warehouse Guy, the old-school bank of knowledge and seemingly arch-nemesis of Store Manager, could take a break…this new guy could handle it. And handle I did…if a guy was building a race car and cracked the “It’s custom, you wouldn’t understand” line, I’d pick apart his build until I could determine he was using a 1988 350 hooked to a TH350 in what was left of a 1978 Monte Carlo for dirt-tracking. Some of the more repeat customers started visiting me exclusively. I was high on fame…why, yes, I do know my shit! Come to me for the answers, boost my sales through the roof…Daddy needs a reason to argue for a bigger paycheck!
The downside of fame is that everybody winds up knowing your name, and with that, your workload increases exponentially. Coworkers would suddenly disappear and leave me at the counter to fend for myself when the customers rushed in. I had to be the guy to deal with the angry customers, or the “difficult” ones who were fairly picky about what they wanted. I was tasked to train the new people, who would roll their eyes as I explained the fun of figuring out parts for Ford Super Duty pickups. And finally, management would lean on me to take up some of their slack, since I was doing such a good job, while simultaneously jacking up my sales expectations and letting me have it with both barrels if I made a slip-up. How many of you have hunted parts for a 1950s-era tractor? Some of those parts are made out of unobtanium!
In the end, if I hadn’t left the store to pursue a writing career, I would’ve been burnt out a long time ago. If you’ve even wondered why the good worker at the local store disappears suddenly, there is good money that they either got sick of it or found something with better options, pay or rewards. For the pay received, it just isn’t worth the hassle. Sad, but true.
You can have a job you love or one that pays well. They usually aren’t the same thing and it is sad. In the end, the best of “them” can wreck a job you used to love. C’est la vie
Fifties tractor parts should be getting easier to find though… look up any current cheap as hell chinese tractor? Straight from the 50’s! haha
There’s a sad reason folks like to keep a low profile in the workplace. Even more sad when it’s for reasons that are easily preventable and causing ill-feelings at a place I enjoy visiting.
Seeing the ol’ blue-and-yellow combo just reminds me of helping my Dad wrench on the family pickups, or the time I stayed up thirty hours running across the state for the seats I wanted for my truck, lunched a water pump in the process and had to cram my truck back together in the gravel. Good times wrenching.
Pfft, ironically I had a dream (nightmare?) last night about working at Autozone again, except I was there with all the management experience I have now so just had more reasons to complain about the management and staff.
I enjoyed washing cars at the car dealerships, but there isn’t big money in that.
I had much the same situation with a very different outcome. I was working for a very successful CQ store that only used paper books and had four very knowledgeable parts counter guys. Owner was retiring and sold the store. New owner wanted to trim his expenses so he wasn’t going to retain any of the old counter help. He planned on going 100% computer. So, once the old owner had his cash in hand, he started dropping all the “high dollar” help. Only people that would be staying were parts drivers. After all, why should old owner pay big bucks for good help when he was outta there at the end of the next month? No biggie for me cause I walked right into another parts job, but when I stopped back a couple of months later to check the library of obsolete reference catalogues that they had, I found that the new owner had dumped every bit of the “library”. New help said new owner wanted nothing to do with selling parts for obsolete cars and trucks. Oh well, such is life in the fast lane. Two years later the old parts store building was now a restaurant. I truly hope the new parts store owner lost his ass in the transaction, but who knows? He probably sold the inventory to someone even dumber than he was.
It’s a sad state of affairs in the parts world in general. These days “see paper catalog” has become synonymous with “you’re lying, that part never existed, none will ever exist again, and you will burn in hell for needing it”. I mean honestly- try getting a u-joint for a vehicle with a not too popular drivetrain option (like an 05 chevy 1500 4×4, extended cab with one piece driveshaft- even brought them the damn shaft and ujoint into the store- they still insisted it did not exist!) The big chain stores seem to think that parts professionals can be replaced with high school kids and a computer- it just doesn’t work that way.
It’s not just parts places, either. It’s retail in general.
You left your parts career for a writing career? who knew? how’s it going for you? Did you have to get a haircut?
I manage for the big “O”. I tell my guys old school parts store I grew up in as a kid was known for hot rods.. that is how ya knew who was working. Now a days ya know by going in and listening to who is working. Then you know who knows their stuff. My store has 3 guys who know old school and race cars.
I use to work at a Autozone as a parts driver / parts counter while I was going to school for my HVAC/R degree, I had a young Bosnian “manager” that was hiring kids off the street that had little or no knowledge of cars. On my last day there before I transferred to another store because of him, as I was leaving we had a customer come in needing parts for a MG, the kid at the parts counter didn’t know what a MG was!
Prior to my 20 year US Navy career I was working at a Big A auto parts store as well as auto body shops.
I am now happily in the HVAC field.
Every time I wanted to transfer the manager would flip out and then give me only the shifts I wanted for at least 2 months to keep me there, lol. When I tried to quit because I was going on an internship to Italy for 3 months, he insisted I take a simple temporary unpaid leave so I couldn’t apply at another store when I got back! lol.
Holy crap! That’s *literally* the parts counter I held together for the last year and a half. That’s the Sunset NAPA in Longview, WA. I manned the “last” computer (second island from the top).
Dead center bullseye, Bryan.
Funny you mention all this. I’m a good parts counter guy (don’t know if I’m in your league though), but I’m burnt out. Currently looking for better employment as we speak.
Doesn’t take long in retail customer service.
I have been in the parts biz for over 33 years- I am now disabled with 3major back surgeries . I guess totes , batteries and 55gal drums had nothing to do with it !
It’s a young mans game to start and you have to stay healthy and work smart otherwise you end up like me.
You hit the nail on the head on this one. I’ve seen this many times. Been that guy several times. Burnt out and ready to change – did for a couple of years but missed it and went back .
Up till my back went out I had a great crew,, crappy upper Managment as usual . And some great customers . I miss my crew greatly and am so proud of them 3 years later of how great they are still doing with what I taught them. Not the blue and gold Managment !
But most of all it’s the customers I miss, retail and wholesale . My customers still call my cell today to check on me and tell me there problems and just bs. Only one in Managment has ever called and checked on me ..
When Managment starts caring they will stop loosing good people . Till then oh well life goes on and I still stay in touch hoping things change and I can make it back.
Not to toot my own horn, but I’m “that guy” at my parts store too. Any time someone comes in with a hot rod, custom, or performance swap, whether it’s an old muscle car or an import, they just sort of stare blankly at the customer for a second, and then turn their gaze towards me. “Sure, I’ll help you down here, sir.”
Hey, it may be extra work, but it guarantees I’m fairly important to the operation at least. :p
tigeraid:
Be careful thinking like that ….the big box retailers… Upper Mgmt could careless…. as soon as your store hits the wall of failing to comp over previous year…. they will look at cost of doing business….I.E. …payroll….and what can be done ….. so never get to comfortable
I was “that guy” as well. Worked at a Western Auto after getting out of the Marine Corps back in the early 90’s. Loved it. Boss/Owner loved me! Was a good relationship but, hell, I joined the Corps to get out of my home town and here I was again! I re-signed back up 15 months later. Owner was offering me everything he could think of to keep me on.
I had a multitude of customers that would not even come in unless they saw my Mustang out front.