Thread: I think all of our parts stores are doomed

Tweet

So, I called a car part store tonight and asked them if they had a can of Fluid Film rust inhibitor, because their website says they had some. A nice man answered at the store and I told him what I was looking for, a can of Fluid Film rust inhibitor. He then asked me what the year,make and model of the car was, I knew the conversation was over at that point. 🙄

Originally Posted by 53 Chevy5

So, I called a car part store tonight and asked them if they had a can of Fluid Film rust inhibitor, because their website says they had some. A nice man answered at the store and I told him what I was looking for, a can of Fluid Film rust inhibitor. He then asked me what the year,make and model of the car was, I knew the conversation was over at that point. 🙄

I would have told him it was for my great grandaughter's tricycle.

Originally Posted by NTFDAY

I would have told him it was for my great grandaughter's tricycle.

I always like getting a bit snarky when that question happens. Can't help it... it's who I am! LOL. And I enjoy telling some young guy "Oh, it's for a 1933 Ford Model 40... then they go "A what? 8-) Or even some obscure history like a 1912 Overland.. I've no idea if there is such a thing, but it is a blast (to me) to see their expressions. My local shop owner loves it as much as me when I nail his counterman.

Just yesterday I stopped by my local parts house. This place has always been my go to store since it's closer to an old time parts house than anything else in the area. I needed a #6 air conditioner hose end. I know they carry them under the Four Seasons brand as I have bought them there before. The young fellow behind the counter told me very matter-of-factly that they don't have those and even if they did he didn't have anyway to look them up. I asked him if he could just search for Four Seasons and see what comes up. Nope, that won't work, he says.

I went home and looked up the part number on my own computer and then called them to see if that number was available. Guess what, it was in their system as I'm sure all the other Four Seasons parts as well. It was going to take too long to get it through their regular channels, so I ordered it online.

As DIY hobbyists, we are well and truly screwed. I might as well just give up on the local stores and order everything.

Yeah, it's fun to "...get a bit snarky" or give a silly answer to their silly question, but the "countermen" today are kids who've been taught that a computer is the only way to find things. If you ask "Can we look in the book?" they'll say that they have no idea which book to look in (if the books haven't been tossed into the trash...), and if they do know the right book they have no idea how to find things in it. This is why RockAuto has grown so big so fast. I'm lucky to have a NAPA store with a few countermen older than 50, but even then they're told to use the computer first. Sad.

I seldom go to O'Reillys or Auto Zone without a printed list of what I want.
Years ago I was after a fuel pump for the 400 I had in a 62 1/2 ton. I made the mistake of telling the kid what the engine was so he tried to sell me one for a 71Caprice Classic station wagon, what the engine came from. I tried to get one for a 62 1/2 ton with a 283 but they were out of stock. I settled for one for a 57 with a 283, same as 62 1/2 ton but I didn't tell him that.

The days of old fashion service at a parts house are, for the most part, gone forever. Online ordering is so very convenient and if you’re not in a rush, a big money saver. I’m guilty – order a lot of “stuff” from Amazon as well as Speedway, Classic Industries, Jeggs, etc…

There was a time when our local NAPA store had a coffee pot near the door and stools on the customer side of the counter and I would go in for a part and leave after a cup (or two) and some social time with the guys at NAPA. Years ago, I used a machine shop in Tacoma, Washington (while stationed at then McChord AFB) and they employed a lady machinist who would always have time to either come out front and discuss my latest project or invite me into her domain and we would visit while she was running a set of heads or decking a block. Had I not been a happily married newlywed, I would have certainly been interested in her as she was “every-man’s-dream” in terms of looks and she was a fantastic machinist. Those days are gone and (at least in my area) AutoZone and O’Reilly’s are staffed by 20 something Hispanics who know the computer system, but if you need institutional automotive knowledge you’re out of luck as the big ol’ counter catalogs are nowhere to be found. Nothing against the current help, but they think a 2010 Civic is a classic car.

We still have a NAPA store – but the last “over 60” guy retired and they too have succumbed to relying on only what the computer tells them. There is one chain of old speed shops called “Baxters” with one location left near where I live and they still carry a decent line of AN fittings. Last time I was in there (it’s been a while) picking up a serpentine belt a gentleman came in carrying an alternator all wrapped up in a rag and in a box. When asked, he explained it was from a 1976 Jeep and, “…no one else even has a listing for this part.” The lad behind the counter consulted his computer and shook his head slowly explaining that he didn’t show anything either. As the man was ready to walk out, I couldn’t help myself so I asked if I could look at his alternator. Sure enough – it was a Delco 10-SI. I asked the counter-kid if he had an aftermarket GM alternator to which he replied sure and brought out a nice chrome “Performance 100 amp” re-built unit. Laying the two side-by-side it was obvious that they were physically identical.

I smiled and said, “This will work just fine for your Jeep sir. It’s actually a rebuild of a GM core that’s been beefed up inside and chrome plated.” He nodded, thanked me and for about a hundred bucks, his Jeep would live to see a lot more days. The kid at the counted asked me, “How did you know?”

Well…. When you know, you know.