Next month, I will have spent 30 years in the auto parts biz, 18 as an owner, 12 years as an employee, 5 of those 12 years exclusively "workin' the counter". My observations...... The customers with the best attitudes to come through the door were VW customers whether they dealt with me or almost any co-worker. The perfect do-it-yerselfer. The customers with the worst attitudes drove BMWs, Mercedes or Porsches. Their attitude was that they expected you as a counterperson to ask how "high to jump". The Golden Rule applied to these "obliviots" Customers in-between these extremes were the Honda/Mazda/Nissan/Toyota (or fill in the blank here) owner or mechanic. A surprisingly large percentage were fairly competent do-it-yerselfers and a counterperson learned quickly the good, bad and ugly of these vehicles. What I miss is the old-fashioned auto parts store, like the one I started out in. Y'know, the one that's been around for almost ever. When I have to chase a part down for anything outside a VW (and even sometimes a VW), I look for these kinds of stores, but they're getting fewer and fewer as the years go by, being supplanted by what I call worthless "fast food" auto parts stores like Autozone, Advance Auto, Kragens, Shucks, Checker, etc. Most NAPA stores I run into fit the "old-fashioned" mold, though the newer ones aren't worth spit on a gnat's butt. Most Carquest stores are essentially "converted" old fashioned part stores that have been assimilated into their network and generally have what ever I've needed on a weekend and most of the employees are holdovers from the original ownership, many of them auto enthusiasts of whatever marque holds their fancy. I find them to be the most pleasant to deal with. The biggest problem I find with the newer chains is that there is virtually NO experience behind the counter and "clock watching" is their favorite sport. -- Jim Thompson 84 GL 1.9 "Gloria" 84 Westfalia 2.1 "Ole Putt" 73 K Ghia Coupe "Denise" 72 411 Station Wagon "Pug" oldvolkshome@gmail.com http://www.oldvolkshome.com *********************************** On 5/16/07, Kenneth Lewis <kdlewis@northstate.net> wrote: > > My Young VW Bus Padawan, > > I believe that part of the trick is to frequent the same store so you > become > a familiar face. Greet the people there consistently with a friendly and > courteous attitude. Be tolerant of their Vanagon unfamiliarity . Maybe > even > try to learn their names and eventually they might warm up to you. If you > ever worked on the other side of the counter you would know how rude and > abusive the majority of the public can be. Stand out as friendly face. > Pretty soon you will find them going that extra mile for you, searching > the > data base for a substitute, suggesting economic alternatives, being > generous > when the measure out that twenty feet of 5/8" heater hose. In short, > treating you Friendly. > > And above all, don't forget to keep your stick on the ice. > > Ken Lewis > http://neksiwel.20m.com/ > Vanagon mods, tech info and O2 sensor help |
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