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Poor service is why I don't frequent my local autoparts stores. Autozone is by far the worst so I won't even enter their buildings any longer.

I recycle my oils at O'Reilly's so I try to send them as much business as possible. Buying autoparts isn't that much different from buying any other commodity - you buy what you need on sale and you keep a small inventory on hand. I do this with toilet paper, soap/shampoo, non-perishable food items, and oil and filters for my vehicle fleet.

Pricing isn't what's killing the local autoparts store. The poor service and ignorant employees is the turn-off.
 
Think of an Amazon Fire tablet with an OBDII scanner and a reasonably sophisticated diagnostic program. Instead of calling a store and sometimes having to drive out to pick up that part, your mechanic can just do a few clicks and that's it.

I'd seriously consider the OEMs are going to eventually develop that, initially for fleets.
It's done today in the computer world. But, the "mechanic" job gets swallowed up by the OEM,
likely exported to another country, while what used to be a mechanic is now an installer
and expert parts returner.
 
Originally Posted By: FowVay
Poor service is why I don't frequent my local autoparts stores. Autozone is by far the worst so I won't even enter their buildings any longer.

Whichever parts store can figure out how to automate/self-serve their sales floor will be the winner, at least for now. You have to deal with a salesperson at all of them as a retail customer, and it takes just a couple customers and a couple minutes for these places to get jammed up because there are so few people on the floor to help customers. They need a self checkout or automated system to help the majority of customers who just need to check out or know exactly what they need from the back. Right now everyone gets stuck behind the guy who wants to look at 10 different alternators, then comes back an hour later to return & repeat.

I think there will always be local parts stores as long as there are serviceable cars, but how and how much they serve retail customers may change. I don't think Amazon will focus enough to meet the immediate needs of shops anytime soon, and by immediate I mean right f'n now. I needed some heat wrap tape immediately today at about 4:45 PM. Advance had me a roll of DEI Cool Tape at 5:10. I need Amazon to be able to do that...and have a charge account for us. Even if Amazon could get me the tape that quick, "the drone cannot carry an exhaust manifold" would not be a good thing to hear.
 
Amazon sent me wrong starter in the right part number box. Didnt realize until truck was apart blocking my other car. Was forced to go buy exorbitantly priced genric starter for am extra 80 dollars. I got hosed by both parts sources inside of a few hours.
 
I like the local independently owned parts store. Have a good relationship with the owner, and can get the right, quality part within an hour if it isn't in the store. I'm supporting local business and have a much more pleasant and civil experience.
 
Originally Posted By: Ducked
the Taiwan retail auto parts market.

http://www.thedrive.com/there-isn't-one

A few of you may feel a bit better about yours now, better-than-nothing stylee.



Many here have never lived outside the US, so don't understand the blessing (and the curse) of being able to buy a lawn mower at 3am Sunday morning at Kroger.

That was my story. After my first year to 18 months in Germany for Uncle Sam, I was home on leave and awake at 3am. Mom lived within a block or two of a Kroger that was open 24x7 and they had lawnmowers on display as a seasonal item for sale.

In Germany, most places were closed (early or never opened) on Saturdays and Sundays except for lange Samstag or "Long Saturday"

https://www.german-way.com/travel-and-to...urs-in-germany/

Looks like it has changed since I left in 1991, but the idea is still there. There are few places to buy things.

Imagine a world where the long Saturday was until 6 or 8pm and on most weekends, if you didn't have what you needed by 2pm on Saturday, you were not going to get it until Monday.
 
Originally Posted By: javacontour
Originally Posted By: Ducked
the Taiwan retail auto parts market.

http://www.thedrive.com/there-isn't-one

A few of you may feel a bit better about yours now, better-than-nothing stylee.



Many here have never lived outside the US, so don't understand the blessing (and the curse) of being able to buy a lawn mower at 3am Sunday morning at Kroger.

That was my story. After my first year to 18 months in Germany for Uncle Sam, I was home on leave and awake at 3am. Mom lived within a block or two of a Kroger that was open 24x7 and they had lawnmowers on display as a seasonal item for sale.

In Germany, most places were closed (early or never opened) on Saturdays and Sundays except for lange Samstag or "Long Saturday"

https://www.german-way.com/travel-and-to...urs-in-germany/

Looks like it has changed since I left in 1991, but the idea is still there. There are few places to buy things.

Imagine a world where the long Saturday was until 6 or 8pm and on most weekends, if you didn't have what you needed by 2pm on Saturday, you were not going to get it until Monday.


Different kind of life, for sure. Not sure if I'd like it or not. I mean: let's say I can't finish a project, for the lack of a washer. I have to wait until Monday--except now the project has to wait until next weekend. Any delay now turns into units of weeks.

Then again, all my buddies are... home also, since none of them is working, either. So maybe they'll have what I need. Which means I might socialize more.

21.gif
 
Whenever I need something from Autozone or Orielly's I look up what I need on thier online catalog (or AZ phone app) and go in prepared. Tell them the part # I need and walk out with the right part every time.
 
Originally Posted By: supton
Originally Posted By: javacontour
Originally Posted By: Ducked
the Taiwan retail auto parts market.

http://www.thedrive.com/there-isn't-one

A few of you may feel a bit better about yours now, better-than-nothing stylee.



Many here have never lived outside the US, so don't understand the blessing (and the curse) of being able to buy a lawn mower at 3am Sunday morning at Kroger.

That was my story. After my first year to 18 months in Germany for Uncle Sam, I was home on leave and awake at 3am. Mom lived within a block or two of a Kroger that was open 24x7 and they had lawnmowers on display as a seasonal item for sale.

In Germany, most places were closed (early or never opened) on Saturdays and Sundays except for lange Samstag or "Long Saturday"

https://www.german-way.com/travel-and-to...urs-in-germany/

Looks like it has changed since I left in 1991, but the idea is still there. There are few places to buy things.

Imagine a world where the long Saturday was until 6 or 8pm and on most weekends, if you didn't have what you needed by 2pm on Saturday, you were not going to get it until Monday.


Different kind of life, for sure. Not sure if I'd like it or not. I mean: let's say I can't finish a project, for the lack of a washer. I have to wait until Monday--except now the project has to wait until next weekend. Any delay now turns into units of weeks.

Then again, all my buddies are... home also, since none of them is working, either. So maybe they'll have what I need. Which means I might socialize more.

21.gif



Not sure why I'm being quoted in a discussion about opening hours, though that's a valid enough topic.

The fairly simple point (for comparison) that I was making in my rather short article was that there is NO autoparts retail market here, at all, at any hour.

In general, you cannot buy autoparts unless you are in the trade, probably because there is absolutely no demand for them.
 
Originally Posted By: Ducked

Not sure why I'm being quoted in a discussion about opening hours, though that's a valid enough topic.

The fairly simple point (for comparison) that I was making in my rather short article was that there is NO autoparts retail market here, at all, at any hour.

In general, you cannot buy autoparts unless you are in the trade, probably because there is absolutely no demand for them.


I think java was just pointing out how in the US we complain about access to parts/retail in general when it's still better than it is basically anywhere else in the world. There are actually some 24/7 retail parts stores in some larger urban areas in the US. There was a 24 hour Auto Zone for a little while when I lived in Charlotte, NC, but if I remember right it was scaled back to midnight after a robbery. Even here in Birmingham, there are Auto Zones and maybe some Advances open until 10:00 PM. We complain about waiting in line for 15 minutes at 9:00 at night to buy a part when a lot of people in other parts of the world don't even have the option period, let alone online ordering with discount codes. It's amazing what retail stores in the US accomplish when you look at the bigger picture, despite our complaining.
 
Originally Posted By: javacontour
Many here have never lived outside the US, so don't understand the blessing (and the curse) of being able to buy a lawn mower at 3am Sunday morning at Kroger.

Heck, lots of serious, indepdendent parts stores aren't open late or on weekends. One is always open late at night and on weekends, so it's very convenient, but that's the exception, not the rule. As for store hours bylaws, we're mostly wide open in this jurisdiction, but there were some very peculiar historical oddities around here over the years.

Sunday and Monday used to be closed for retail outlets except pharmacies and convenience stores and gas stations, that sort of thing, and they had a square footage maximum, so grocery stores and department stores had to be closed. Late night shopping (i.e. after 6:00 p.m., if I recall) was only allowed on Thursday nights, with extra days granted in December.

Some very traditional retail outlets here run as sole proprietorships by old farts occasionally still follow the Sunday/Monday closing tradition. None are parts stores, though. Closing a parts store on Monday might cause a riot.
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Yeah, but what about the quality of parts? We've all bought parts that were cheap and didn't last. Be nice to have that service available as in what you wrote, but to also have the insurance to know that they are good quality parts. I hate to see this type of one day delivery service turn out to be the "Walmart" of all things automotive.
 
Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl
Originally Posted By: Ducked

Not sure why I'm being quoted in a discussion about opening hours, though that's a valid enough topic.

The fairly simple point (for comparison) that I was making in my rather short article was that there is NO autoparts retail market here, at all, at any hour.

In general, you cannot buy autoparts unless you are in the trade, probably because there is absolutely no demand for them.


I think java was just pointing out how in the US we complain about access to parts/retail in general when it's still better than it is basically anywhere else in the world. There are actually some 24/7 retail parts stores in some larger urban areas in the US. There was a 24 hour Auto Zone for a little while when I lived in Charlotte, NC, but if I remember right it was scaled back to midnight after a robbery. Even here in Birmingham, there are Auto Zones and maybe some Advances open until 10:00 PM. We complain about waiting in line for 15 minutes at 9:00 at night to buy a part when a lot of people in other parts of the world don't even have the option period, let alone online ordering with discount codes. It's amazing what retail stores in the US accomplish when you look at the bigger picture, despite our complaining.


Exactly, most here in the US don't realize what we have with respect to retail.

Not saying it's good or bad.

And yes, places like AutoZone, OReilly's and Advance Auto have some pretty generous hours.

I think my local AutoZone is open until 9pm on weekdays, and probably Saturday too. Don't know about Sundays.
 
I have no complaints regarding the hours. If people worry about waiting at the store if there is more than one customer, simply go online and pick out your parts first and buy them. Select pick up in store and then drive over. They usually have time to pick the parts before you arrive.

If more people did this, there would be more than enough personal help for the people that need help finding things...
 
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