Why are the guys who work at NAPA...

...more miserable than the women that work at the DMV? This is a nation wide thing I've seemed to notice. I feel like I get the ole "I'm older than you so I'm smarter than you and I can treat you like E36 M3 because I'm older" bit when I go in there. I usually visit Advanced and while their people aren't always top of the line in the knowledge department, they are at least friendly and treat me with respect.

I guess that's a big deal to me. Treat me poorly and I'll be damn'd if I spend another dime at your business. /end rant.

Not sure. I have worked at 2 different Napa and at advance.

Everybody was super nice and friendly.... Except the old crotchety guys who actually do know most everything. If you need something strange, go to the old guy and stroke his ego. It works.

P.s. these guys get paid nothing.

Meh, there are good and bad at every chain. The guys at my usual NAPA are very knowledgeable, and always have something nice to say about the vehicle I show up in or the band on my shirt. The local Pep Boys has a dude who will let me raid the parts shelves looking for something oddball and "close enough". The local Advance and Auto Zone are full of dumb berkeleys

So depends on location. The NAPA near CMP is useless. The Autozone in Flint where I went to school was amazing, and the O Reilly's near my house is great.

I do agree it all varies greatly by location, but this is a pattern that has seen to repeat itself across the country in my travels to the south, northeast, midwest, and southwest.

I went yesterday and had a cute, friendly and helpful girl help me. I that store isn't the closest, but I may have to return.

The NAPA in Collingdale PA is great. I'm on a first name basis with most of the staff.

It may help that I have "professional relationship" with them, because my employer has a wholesale account, but 99% of the businesses that do with them has nothing to do with my employer. It also probably helps that when I'm looking for parts that aren't everyday items, I supply OE part numbers.

They get yelled at a lot by angry mechanics. Most times it isnt their fault. That isnt condusive to good morale.

Another large portion of their customers are morons. That doesnt help either.

The counterpeople at my NAPA are averaging 20 years old, 3-6 months of experience, and 50 cents over minimum wage. They are yelled at and berated by Service Writers who don't know an F-150 from an inground pool, "Technicians" who have the special edition Snap-On panties, and customers looking for "Sensor 2, Bank 2". None of them stay more than a year, but our management treats them like crap, too. (No benefits, no PTO, no sick time, and horrible ever-changing schedules).

We do have two older semi-retired guys that have 35+ years of experience, but they are generally very nice to walk-in customers.

Then there's me, I'm an shiny happy person.

I find the local NAPA also has horrible counter help, and it's more an attitude thing than a knowledge thing. Our O'Reilly's on the other hand has some very nice, friendly people.

But arethey, in fact, older and know more than you?

Appleseed wrote: But arethey, in fact, older and know more than you?

LOL. There aren't that many people still walking this Earth that are older than me. They might know more than I do, but that doesn't excuse rudeness or poor service.

wvumtnbkr wrote: Not sure. I have worked at 2 different Napa and at advance. Everybody was super nice and friendly.... Except the old crotchety guys who actually do know most everything. If you need something strange, go to the old guy and stroke his ego. It works. P.s. these guys get paid nothing.

And that's why I left that business oh so many years ago. I won't go back either. The older indie Mom n' Pop stores paid fairly well, then the category killers (Advance, Pep Boys etc) showed up, put the Mom n' Pop's out of business and hired their help for next to nothing; even management gets paid like crap. Honestly, I don't see how someone can support a family on what they pay.

Appleseed wrote: But arethey, in fact, older and know more than you?

Older? Yes. More knowledgeable? Likely. I'm not questioning that aspect of them as a person. I'm sure I know more about certain things and in fact have more years on plenty of folks, but I don't treat them like a 3rd class citizen at the mere sight of them.

yay!! another parts store worker bashing thread!!

every NAPA i have ever been to has been consistently better than every other parts store and they usually know their stuff... except for those 2 guys at different NAPA stores that told me flat out that the transmission that came stock in my T Type never came stock in my T Type without even bothering to look it up- those guys sucked..

The computer system the O-Reillys crew is stuck with totally sux. The web site is much better. That would sour my mod on the job for sure. Local store had a good crew, friendly and knowledgeable enough to know I knew what I was talking about. They offered me a job! Weekends and evenings at minimum wage... No thanks. most of them are gone now, only the old guy who pushes bulb grease and hand soap is left. He can't identify a brake shoe from a shift knob

My local NAPA has been great. Several long term employees and everyone working there is willing to try to help no matter how odd the request.

gearheadmb wrote: They get yelled at a lot by angry mechanics. Most times it isnt their fault. That isnt condusive to good morale.

^ this

Also, many stores are configured so that the isles spill right into the counter space. Whether this is intentional to allow for impulse product placement or because store configuration planers have no concept of flow, it causes a large percent of customers to arrive at the counter pre-pissed because someone cut in front of them in line.

tuna55 wrote: So depends on location. The NAPA near CMP is useless. The Autozone in Flint where I went to school was amazing, and the O Reilly's near my house is great.

plus they close early on Saturdays … dumb berkeleys … 5 miles from a race course that usually has folk needing parts by Sat. afternoon … much less Sat night or Sun morning … Camden and Lancaster are your friends

1988RedT2 wrote:

Appleseed wrote: But arethey, in fact, older and know more than you?

LOL. There aren't that many people still walking this Earth that are older than me. They might know more than I do, but that doesn't excuse rudeness or poor service.

we need to start a thread about who's the oldest (not everyone puts their age in their profile) … Iceracer might win before we could really get going

wbjones wrote:

1988RedT2 wrote:

Appleseed wrote: But arethey, in fact, older and know more than you?

LOL. There aren't that many people still walking this Earth that are older than me. They might know more than I do, but that doesn't excuse rudeness or poor service.

we need to start a thread about who's the oldest (not everyone puts their age in their profile) … Iceracer might win before we could really get going

Yeah, I'm not really that old. Old enough to be retired, old enough to get a senior citizen discount at some places, but I try to make up for it by being excessively grumpy.

NAPA guys are the comic book guys of the automotive world.

I wish Standard Parts would come back with the Parts Pups magazines.

wbjones wrote:

1988RedT2 wrote:

Appleseed wrote: But arethey, in fact, older and know more than you?

LOL. There aren't that many people still walking this Earth that are older than me. They might know more than I do, but that doesn't excuse rudeness or poor service.

we need to start a thread about who's the oldest (not everyone puts their age in their profile) … Iceracer might win before we could really get going

No need for a thread. I win !