Quote:
Originally Posted by wdfifteen
No NAPA in your area? I like NAPA because (at least around here) they have professionals working the counters. The minimum wage kids at the amateur stores are just annoying.
“I need a group 27 battery please.”
“What is it for?”
“What’s the difference? It’s a group 27 battery.”
“I need to look it up.”
“OK, it’s for a 1956 Porsche that’s been converted to 12 volts.”
“ oh…..”
Go to NAPA and it’s, “We have a 36 month and a 48 month in stock. If you want the 60 month I can have it this afternoon.”
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I get it about the kids that work at the stores. I worked at FLAPS when I was a kid, and was eventually a store manager. I was a gear head, and most of the kids working for me were either gear heads or were eager to learn and/or happy to ask the more knowledgeable guys for help. We had computers, but I was also able to use the catalog books, and even had most of a set at home (would keep the old books when we got shipped new books). Hell, I still remember some of the old part numbers (not many, mind you).
Something that really bugs me is that they no longer have a catalog for oil/air filters hanging on a chain by the filters, or a catalog for wiper blades in the wiper section. The filters and wipers are out in the store so the customer can get them themselves, but there's nothing out there to enable the customer to look up the part number.
Actually, I absolutely know why they don't have catalogs out in the store. We used to have customers that would come in that would say "I need a starter for a 1981 Ford". And when you asked them "what kind of Ford" they may or may not know. Or if they knew it was an LTD II, they wouldn't know if it was a 4cyl or 6cyl.
I had a guy once come in asking for a part for a Ford van. I tried to get more info and his answer was "it's blue". And he wasn't trying to be funny. Obviously, those folks were at the extreme end. And we had folks that were at the other extreme end. But most folks know the bare minimum about their car. If it's not written on the fender, there's a good chance they have no idea. Our cashier's dad got a cool old camaro from his brother. He came in once. "I need an oil pressure sending unit for a '69 camaro with a V-8. It's old. It's cracked, and it leaks." So I asked him "does it have an idiot light or a gauge?" He repeated the same request back to me. I tried several times to explain it to him and to get more info out of him. I never got anything but the same exact words back "it's old. it's cracked, and it leaks." I finally handed him a sending unit that would "plug the hole and not leak".
I almost always do all of my checking online, and then go and know what part number they should be handing me.