Had an argument with an Auto Zone parts guy yesterday

So, I was putting rotors on my Golf and went to Auto Zone for the parts. Yeah I know, lecture me later.
So, I made the fatal mistake of not opening the boxes before I left. I get the golf in the air and open the rotors and they are solid. The counter guy asked me if they were solid or vented and of course I said they were vented. Anyway, I hopped in the wife's van and headed back up there, pretty irritated. So, I tell the guy these are wrong and he looks them up again. It turns out that they had MK3 parts in the MK4 catalog. Not his fault, I understand. So, he looks up a 2000 golf rotors and I see the picture of 5-lug rotors that are vented. He looks at the different pictures on the computer and says they don't have the vented ones. So, I point to the portion of the screen that says "2 in stock, Dr Boost needs 2, go get his rotors" or something like that and say "don't you have two in stock?" He says, "we have two of these, but they aren't vented". Now, I can be pretty dim sometimes, but I was sure they were vented when I say the side view so I asked him to look at the side view. He pulls it up, looks at the side view then goes to the front and rear view and says "but these are solid, not vented".
I'm totally corn-fused at this point and I said "but that picture is of a vented rotor, is that the wrong pic?" He says it's the right picture and shows me the face of the rotor and reiterates that these are not vented. Then it clicks. I point to the profile view and say "those are the vents. You are thinking about slotted or cross-drilled rotors. That's not vented"
He looked dumbfounded. I could see it sinking in. He had NO idea what a vented rotor was. And he's been at that autozone for well over a year. I know they have online training that they are supposed to take, I've seen it. How can you work at Auto Zone for a year and not know the difference between a vented and solid rotor?

I try to go to the smaller stores when I can, but this time I caved, and regretted it.

theres a certain amount of basic knowledge that is expected, even for 7.50/hr. if the guy didn't know what vented meant he should have asked wtf it meant.

In reply to Strizzo:

Nah... first rule of retail: Never admit your ignorance.

My NAPA guys know the difference

I worked at Napa, advance, and AutoZone over the years. I never had any training.

There is no requirement of knowledge to work at these places. I work for a big box auto parts store and all we get as far as training is some incredibly basic stuff on our in house computer. Like the one on brakes was as simple as having a picture of a disc brake system and you match the names to the parts...... I'm not even kidding.

The problem I run into is that we only offer minimum wage and that doesn't buy you a whole lot of knowledge. The money doesn't get good until you get into store management, but that job is less about selling parts and more about running the store itself.

Thursday at the NAPA we have our shop account with. New kid at the counter.

Me "I need a starter for a 63 Ford Falcon, 170ci

New Fish: Looks like I can have one in the morning for 89.99

Me: Naw man, You have one for 39.99 retail. I will just take that one.

Kid: Umm, Sir. That is a "Ford Style" starter, not what you need.

Me: A what style?

Kid: Ford Style

Me: A ford style" you say, I am betting tha will work in my Ford then. I will take my chances, order it up.

Kid: but it has a different nose on it that will only work with Fords.

Me: Come on man, Lets take a gamble

:note: All of this was said with a smile and in the most light hearted , polite manner I can muster. People who yell and get angry at people to force their will belong in a special circle of hell and only embarrass themselves and spread negative feelings in a world that already has too much of that going around.

It was the right starter and I will be damned if the rebuilt in China POS wasn't cleaner, better finished and spins the motor faster than what my local rebuilders charge $80 for.

Had a similar conversation at the parts counter in a local big box store.

Me: 2000 Ford Focus twin cam engine

Kid: They didn't come with a twin cam engine only a SOHC or a DOHC

I explained to him that DOHC stands for double overhead cam and it's the same as a twin cam. He honestly didn't know this and thanked me for the info. I don't blame him, I blame the store and I blame myself for shopping there. At least he didn't give me attitude. That I can't stand.

SWMBO says I'm Ron Swanson every time we watch Parks & Rec.

This basically sums up my thoughts of every trip to a Big Box hardware/parts store.
http://youtu.be/Td-Lb5NeFZo

• Lee

yay... a "let's bash the idiots at the auto parts store" thread...

i like these..

a few years ago, i was trying to find a filter and gasket for the trans in my 84 Regal T Type... at 4:30 on a friday afternoon so i could have the car on the road the next day... so i start calling every parts store that showed up on google maps in an increasing radius... one guy at a NAPA about 15 miles from me asked me for the details- i told him 84 Regal, 3.8 turbo, overdrive trans... he stops me right there- "they didn't put an overdrive trans in a Regal. i've got a filter here for the TH200 that you've got"... i explained to him what it was- "just look up a damn filter for a 200-4r trans", i said... he got cocky with me because he's been in the business for 40 years and blah blah blah... i hung up and called the next place on the list- ran thru the make/model/trans info and he said "i've got a filter for the 200-4r trans right in front of me".. so i go there, and ask for the guy... he was all of 18 years old and knew more about his job than the "expert" at the other store.. he wanted to know more about my car- said how cool they were and how they were a sleeper compared to a mechanically identical GN....

ME: "Hey, didn't you work down at RadioShack right after I quit?"

AZ: "Yep."

ME: "I didn't know you were a car guy."

AZ: "I'm not."

Yesterday I went to NAPA to get some spark plugs wires to fit the GMC Yukon coils I was installing in my RX8. I knew that wires from a 2005 V6 Ford F-150 would work with some modifications, but wanted to see if anything off the shelf would work.

I explained what I was doing to the counter guy and he asked what engine I had in the RX8. I told him it was just the stock rotary engine. He asked if it was a 24 or 36 valve and I told him "no valve. It's a 2 rotor wankel." He looked at me like I was speaking in tongues. I decided to just get the F150 wires.

In reply to bgkast:

In his defense, I only know the apex seals come out the bottom one.

Spoolpigeon wrote: The problem I run into is that we only offer minimum wage and that doesn't buy you a whole lot of knowledge. The money doesn't get good until you get into store management, but that job is less about selling parts and more about running the store itself.

Maybe things were different when I was 18 and working at parts stores. I'll admit I barely knew jack back then, but every one of us working there were "car guys" to some extent.

Granted, once I got a bit of knowledge, I moved on to a parts house that paid a bit better, although even then, I had to learn the ropes as a delivery driver before they let me talk to customers.

ditchdigger wrote: :note: All of this was said with a smile and in the most light hearted , polite manner I can muster. People who yell and get angry at people to force their will belong in a special circle of hell and only embarrass themselves and spread negative feelings in a world that already has too much of that going around.

You've clearly never had to make an emergency autozone run for something simple that you can spec out to the guy exactly with no uncertain detail, and have him ignore you completely. In this case, I needed a brake union in 3/16" bubble flare, whatever metric thread an H body uses that I can't remember right now. First the guy brings me a brass compression fitting, then a double flare SAE threaded union, at which point he began arguing with me that all 3/16 brake stuff is the same. Now please note, I had been under a car getting drenched in brake fluid in a cold pole barn all afternoon, I've put together some pretty oddball braking systems, go find nuts for a old fiat sometime. Now I'm pissed, this is when I learned the fastest way to get a manager at AZ is to yell BULLE36 M3. Then you get exactly what the hell you came for.

IMO Being a dick is never the solution. Knowledge of thread pitches and the difference between metric and SAE fasteners is a much better way to go.

I have YEARS of experience in finding/making parts for obscure Fiats and other cars. I have japanese sport bike calipers connected to 60's fiats, GM, Ford, Yamaha, Honda and other injection pieces mounted to VW and Fiat motors with off the shelf hoses and couplers sourced at local parts stores. Showing the person that I have the required knowledge gets me farther than shouting. Most of the time they either hand me the catalog or invite me into the back to rummage around for what will work.

People are stubborn creatures. Simply berating them and telling them they are wrong only strengthens their resolve. Stating you need a a metric compression fitting with a M10X1.25 instead of a M10X1.0 thread goes a lot farther to get what you need.

I'm usually cool with that sort of stupidity especially when I'm more or less asking for trouble looking for weird stuff, but when I tell you EXACTLY what you need to get off the rack in back and know damn well there's got to be a pile of them, I expect things to go somewhat smoothly. Not be given the wrong thing twice and then told that all 3/16 brake parts use the same threads.

The local stores know me know and usually let me go behind the counter and get what ever I want. They have also learned to not ask to many questions and just give me exactly what I ask for.

In there defence virchally all the guys at the various stores I go to are great guys and know cars very well.

I have told the story severial times here about the new kid that the store manager sent to help me get plast-o-gauge. He told me they only sell Autometer gauges after taking me to the "performance" isle and stared at things for about 5 minutes.

I usually roll with the ignorance but yesterday was different because I had JUST told him exactly what I needed and he acted like he had a clue....but didn't. That cost me time and trouble to go get the correct part. If the situation was the same, but I hadn't already been home and had to come back I'd have been less irritated, but still would have posted here cuz not knowing what a vented rotor is is not excusable for a parts counter dude that's been doing it for at least a year.

pretty much all the major chain websites will link to your local store inventory so you can see if they actually have the part or not before you even get to the counter.

no need for year & make & model nonsense - I write the brand & part # and give it to them, they key it in and then go fetch - simple as that.

you guys are just doing it wrong

I worked for several auto parts houses for (too many) years, and I always tried to treat my customers the way I wanted to be treated in a parts store. Mostly left alone unless I absolutely had to go to the front counter, where you're met with a smiling face! I had lots of customers that did oddball builds, and honestly I'd just let them come back and rifle through our bins and stacks. You know what you need, why should I make a dozen trips back and forth showing you single parts at a time, right?

On the flip side, let me complain about "idiot customers who think they know more than I do".

Them: "I need exhaust gaskets for a small block"

Me: "Ok, do you know what year about?"

Them: "It doesn't matter, all small blocks are the same."

Me: "....alright. Well do you know if it's big port? Small port? Round or square?"

Them: "Idiot parts guy, just get me the damn gaskets! I KNOW MORE THAN YOU." Walks out with random gaskets.

2 hours later

Them: "IDIOT PARTS GUY, YOU GAVE ME THE WRONG GASKETS!"

You know what I'm talking about

I'm going to miss my local shop as they just closed their doors last week.

I went in and said I needed a set of plugs and wires for the BG series 6pot in the international. I had them the next day and they were correct. If you go to any major chain, they tell you "International didn't make a c-1500 in 1963".....

These were the worse. The 12A which is 1.1 liters, and the 13B, which is 1.2 liters (as I recall, it's been years now). Some catalogs listed them by size, some by engine number; 1.1 and 1.2, or 1.2 and 1.3.

Either way, I simply needed parts for the smaller of whichever was listed, which would fit my 12A.

But that always involved a stupidly long conversation with the clerk which would involve me asking them what two numbers did they show, and them refusing to tell me (like it was a magical propretary secret). Me insisting I had to know to property tell them which I needed, as well the explanation above.

Volvo parts could also be fun, but at least most places had the decency to not even try (they didn't carry them).

I've been driving the extra 2 miles to NAPA for that reason.

I haven't lived close to a napa for almost 10 years. The nearest one is about 20 minutes from me. But, that's less time then driving back and forth a few times looking for solid vented rotors for a small block rotary.