Shifter knob shakes violently going over a bump.

[Snoranger]

and I still tried to lick people.

Doesn't surprise me.

 

[Dirtman]

and I still tried to lick people.

I made it out of advanced without licking anyone... my legacy is untarnished!







Edit - scratch that. There was this fat girl who kept buying oil filters....

 

[Uncle Gump]

The last good auto parts store in our small town closed up a little over a year ago. Just prior to the new O'reilly's grand opening 1/4 mile down the road and after the Autozone set up shop 1/8 mile the opposite direction about 5 years before.

Now days... I'm my own parts counter person and avoid going to the local parts store unless it's a "need it now" situation. It shouldn't be this way... but it is what it has become. Now... to the tattoo'd gansta female store manager at Autozone with enough metal in her face to cast a crankshaft... kiss my tailpipe!

 

[adsm08]

I could imagine that in that job, you have to "help" so many clueless idiots each day, that you are too numb to recognize the one or two intelligent/knowledgeable customers who walk in and actually know what they need.

Yes.

So company policy at Advance is that any time a customer has a technical question about how to do something on their project you are supposed to use it as an opening to try and sell a Haynes book.

So I had this idiot come in asking me which tool he needs to remove his door panel. I told him I wasn't sure because I wasn't super familiar with the vehicle and had never taken a door panel off one before, and suggested he consult the Haynes manual. None of that was a lie, or out of line for the question asked. He then tells me he knows he needs a push pin tool, he just needs to know which one fits his car. I give him the blankest stare ever, because this has now gone from a somewhat reasonable interaction into "how do you find the gas cap" territory real quick. He keeps pushing me, and I tell him that there is only one. So he flips out, yells at me about not doing my job, and demands to know, based on the information on the back of the package, which pin popper works with his 2007 Yukon. When I tell him, again, that there is really only the one, he demands to speak to my manager, who I knew had been standing behind me the whole time. I stepped aside and just said "Ryan, this guy wants to talk to you". Dude just left.

I had another old bastard who I had a 20 minute conversation with because he was convinced that the NGK spark plugs someone else sold him where going to burn a hole in the piston of his BMW because it was made in Germany and the plugs were made in Japan. When explaining to him that that isn't how that works I even went as far as pointing out that they should work together fine because both countries were on the same side during WWII.


But yes, the number of people who come in not even knowing what vehicle they are there to buy parts for, or guys who have their wives who have no idea what is going on call or come in for parts is truly astounding.

 

[adsm08]

I made it out of advanced without licking anyone... my legacy is untarnished!







Edit - scratch that. There was this fat girl who kept buying oil filters....

I never actually licked anyone. Had a cute girl flash me her snatch after I helped replace her starter in the parking lot. 3.0 Ranger, super easy, slow day. She was "adjusting" her yoga pants and pulled the front out about as far as they could go, while I was looking right at her.

My calling card was leaving things in the time-lock safe. Pens, staplers, brake cleaner. Anything that fit in the deposit chute really. I was the regular closer, and one night the day guys pissed me off as they were leaving, so I went through and rounded up all the pens and staplers and left them in there before I went home.

The last good auto parts store in our small town closed up a little over a year ago. Just prior to the new O'reilly's grand opening 1/4 mile down the road and after the Autozone set up shop 1/8 mile the opposite direction about 5 years before.

Now days... I'm my own parts counter person and avoid going to the local parts store unless it's a "need it now" situation. It shouldn't be this way... but it is what it has become. Now... to the tattoo'd gansta female store manager at Autozone with enough metal in her face to cast a crankshaft... kiss my tailpipe!

I have been told by a guy that was an AGM for Autozone that their policy is literally to hire the dumbest person that they thing can learn the job and then pay them as little as possible. When my old GM started the process of moving and finding a new job he applied to an Autozone for the GM position there as was told he was overqualified because he had 8 years prior experience in parts retail.

 

[Uncle Gump]

Overqualified is a polite term that says... there is no way we can meet your salary requirements.

 

[adsm08]

Overqualified is a polite term that says... there is no way we can meet your salary requirements.

Usually yes.

Ryan was better than the average part slinger though. We had a pretty good crew at that store.

Ryan and Jimmy knew Hondas and Jeeps, I knew Fords, Jake knew Chevies, Dustin knew VWs, Nate knew custom fab, and Dylan knew how to tie his shoes.

 

[Curious Hound]

Yes.

So company policy at Advance is that any time a customer has a technical question about how to do something on their project you are supposed to use it as an opening to try and sell a Haynes book.

So I had this idiot come in asking me which tool he needs to remove his door panel. I told him I wasn't sure because I wasn't super familiar with the vehicle and had never taken a door panel off one before, and suggested he consult the Haynes manual. None of that was a lie, or out of line for the question asked. He then tells me he knows he needs a push pin tool, he just needs to know which one fits his car. I give him the blankest stare ever, because this has now gone from a somewhat reasonable interaction into "how do you find the gas cap" territory real quick. He keeps pushing me, and I tell him that there is only one. So he flips out, yells at me about not doing my job, and demands to know, based on the information on the back of the package, which pin popper works with his 2007 Yukon. When I tell him, again, that there is really only the one, he demands to speak to my manager, who I knew had been standing behind me the whole time. I stepped aside and just said "Ryan, this guy wants to talk to you". Dude just left.

I had another old bastard who I had a 20 minute conversation with because he was convinced that the NGK spark plugs someone else sold him where going to burn a hole in the piston of his BMW because it was made in Germany and the plugs were made in Japan. When explaining to him that that isn't how that works I even went as far as pointing out that they should work together fine because both countries were on the same side during WWII.


But yes, the number of people who come in not even knowing what vehicle they are there to buy parts for, or guys who have their wives who have no idea what is going on call or come in for parts is truly astounding.

Reminds me of a time just over a month ago. I was at the drag strip with a friend. After his first pass, he pulled his plugs to check them. #1 had burned the electrode a bit. Quickly figured out he had inadvertantly set the rev limiter lower than his shift point. Anyhow, while he was correcting that and checking the other plugs, he sent his 16 yr old daughter to get a set of plugs. Gave her the exact ngk part #. Wish I could have watched the guys at Advance while she was there. She's good. Its actually her alcohol burning ls-swapped s10 blazer that her dad was driving that night. She came back with the right plugs and Dad started adding nitrous. It was a good night.

 

[Dirtman]

I had a guy throw a u-joint at the store window once. He had a early 90's f-150 that lost a u-joint on the highway and he walked a few miles to the store to get a new one. (No idea what his game plan was for replacing it on the side of the road)

I start with the basics, look up the truck... go to the u-joint section and I gotta narrow down the options. Front or rear shaft, one or two piece shaft, manual or auto, engine size, rear end, u-joint position etc. There were literally at least a dozen different u-joint sizes for this truck all depedent on the specs. The guy is getting pissed and says "why the eff do you need to know all this stuff!" I calmy said well if you have the vin number I can check it that way otherwise I need this info to give you the correct part sir. He slammed his hands on the counter and says just give me a "effinf u-joint!". I turned to the assistant manager and he shrugged at me, I shrugged back and grabbed the first u-joint on the list...

About 5 hours later the guy came back (walking) and threw the u-joint at the window. Didn't break but cracked it. He was going to come in but one of the guys ran and locked the door. He pounded on the glass while I called the cops. He realized the cops were coming and left, they picked him up walking back to his truck. The cops said the guys truck was actually in a ditch under the on-ramp. They think he was high on something and wrecked.

 

[helpme]

There's an O'Reilleys opening up in my township in TWO WEEKS. Only half a mile from home. Probably just wait till then.

 

[adsm08]

Reminds me of a time just over a month ago. I was at the drag strip with a friend. After his first pass, he pulled his plugs to check them. #1 had burned the electrode a bit. Quickly figured out he had inadvertantly set the rev limiter lower than his shift point. Anyhow, while he was correcting that and checking the other plugs, he sent his 16 yr old daughter to get a set of plugs. Gave her the exact ngk part #. Wish I could have watched the guys at Advance while she was there. She's good. Its actually her alcohol burning ls-swapped s10 blazer that her dad was driving that night. She came back with the right plugs and Dad started adding nitrous. It was a good night.

Oh I hate finding NGK plugs. They have two sets of numbers, and of course the one that Advance organizes them by on the shelf and in the computer is not the one that is printed on the plug, so even with the part in front of you you have to do a reverse look up.

 

[helpme]

Looks like it'd be easy to change. Just jack up the tranny and remove the crossmember. Thirty to 45 minute job.

 

[adsm08]

Looks like it'd be easy to change. Just jack up the tranny and remove the crossmember. Thirty to 45 minute job.

Something like that. Really shouldn't take more than 20.